SICK OF ELECTION CAMPAIGNING

Come Monday, 234 constituencies of the state will go to polls. And be sure this time its going to be really close, the ruling AIADMK or DMK. Eventually it is clear that only either of these 2 parties can come to power.

Speaking of campaigning, it’s really bugging, switch on to any regional channel, go out on the streets…you can hear voices. Each one saying what they did and what they will do when they come to power.

And probably I think the reason for such nonsense, the Election Commission of India announcing the dates for elections much earlier. Well, I would say 2 weeks prior is more than sufficient. In older times when the media was not playing this much of an active role, the election dates were announced much earlier. But now we are in a different spectrum altogether…anything and everything can be communicated at unimaginable speeds.

At least they stop the nonsense by 10 PM because the EC is very strict in this aspect…thanks mainly to the former EC of the 90’s Mr. T.N. Seshan who had brought about all these rules and regulations…rather put these rules and regulations into practice.

Well, this is not what I alone feel, when I spoke with my aunt today morning, she also said the same, open the paper, switch on the television or go out on the streets…you can hear election campaigning. She said she is really sick of this and thereby no proper coverage of other things happening around the globe.

So, if the concerned people in the EC are reading this, please think about the suggestions… 2 weeks is definitely a good time to announce the dates, so that the general public does not have to bear this nonsense for too long.

Atleast the campaigning will stop by Saturday 10 PM…but on Sunday, you cannot be peaceful lying on your sofa’s…coz door to door campaigning is allowed and I don’t have to say more…you will have crowd coming and knocking your door step…please vote for us.. smile, close the door and wait for the next knock…!!!

bloody hot...

Today was one of the worst days probably..of the year.. No..i did my exam well, its to do with the SUN... my god..wat heat.. today after a fruitful day at college, when i was on my way back home...it started may be earlier than tat... i take the train and then catch a bus... and shit i was jus not able to hold..the rods...burning as if they wer taken from a furnace...

And goodness me when i saw the temperature...it said 107 degree F.. (42.6 C)... madras has never had such a bad temp to my knowledege..then later came to know that in the last 30 years this is the first time the temp has crossed 42 C..

I wonder wat will happen during next month...
cant imagine...

Done...

Alas...technically i have completed my Masters in Commerce. Today marked the end of my last exam...

so..completed..wat now...???

Search for job....to my liking preferably...!!!

Wish me good luck guys....

Go..........Ferrari.....

Schumy.... is back...
So watch out......

1 gone, 2 remaining

Alas...! the first of my 3 papers got over today. well, am talking about my semesters. Today i had my paper on Financial Management, pretty easy though. comparing the amount of work i put in studying this subject, the paper was not tat very tough. but as usual made a few silly mistakes...hey..!! if i dont do mistakes, then i cannot be karthik... ;)

And my viva date has been fixed for 28th of this month. the very next day after my last paper...as if i am going to study for the stupid viva. and to top it all my guide...goodness me i just dont have words to say about him. i dont know how i managed to finish it under him..he is a real pest.

well, i will definitely miss my college life at the end of the three papers... but life has to go on.
my next exam is scheduled for 25th..its on Income Tax

Life at times is boring..............

10 ways to Beat the HEAT

> Drink plenty of water.
> Wear sunscreen lotion before going out.
> Stay cool, wear light colored clothes preferably white.
> Wear sunglasses.
> Protect your head with cap or other material.
> Maintain energy level, so take less fat and sugar.
> Fruits are natures gift.
> Avoid spicy food.
> Take rest and don’t travel out during the hottest part of the day.
> Splash cool water on your eyes every evening.

Karthik’s 10 ways for HAPPINESS

1. Do regular exercise.
2. Have regular sleep.
3. Listen to good music
4. Get close to nature
5. Maintain cleanliness
6. Dispose off rubbish
7. Anger, sign of weakness
8. Don’t advertise your problems
9. Enjoy each moment of life
10. Learn to appreciate others.

Election Mani (festo) folded!

Come May, 234 constituencies of the Tamil Nadu state will go to polls. As a result each political party has come up with manifestos which are in no way beneficial for the state. They talk about, gas stoves, colour TV’s, rice at door step and what not, but no one is concerned about the growth and development of the state.

To say something, I am not sure of the roads in other parts of the state, but roads in Chennai are pathetic and needs to be mended immediately. Electricity is another big crunch, summer has already started and imagine power cuts in this hot weather… I leave it to your imagination, where temperatures easily touch 40 degree Celsius. How many villages in the state have electricity for 24 hours, first of all the metropolitan itself doesn’t have power round the clock leave alone villages.

Another biggest problem would be water, we all know how we suffered two years ago because of water shortage, and we still depend on rainfall. And rainfall…me…me… last year the city of Chennai drained out water enough for 14 months into the sea. This speaks of the storage capacity.

These are some of the problems facing the city of Chennai alone and there are many more in the state and none of the political parties want to even consider this.

When there are mounting problems in the state, why don’t parties consider these and leave other things secondary. These things have to change for the betterment of the stat. And politics of the land need to grow into different heights into a more structured one. If politicians stop fighting among themselves, and consider the welfare of the people, then good and better things can be achieved.

Is Schumy too old for the Game…?

Has the reign of Schumacher and Ferrari come to an end? This is a question making quiet a wavelength. Albert Park proved so when both the Ferrari’s failed to make it to the Chequered Flag. Or! Has team Ferrari lost its lady luck. They have been dominating this game for the past 5 years 1999 to 2004 and in the year 2005, history was made in the name of Alonso, who became the youngest driver to be crowned the F1 champion.

This year too Renault has proved their mantle with wins in all the 3 races viz. Bahrain, Malaysia and Australia. Alonso has made 28 points out of a possible 30 and Renault lead the Constructors too.

BAR Honda too has emerged as a competitive team and Jenson Button is proving himself with every race. As of now after 3 races, Alonso leads the drivers standing, followed by his teammate Fisichella and Schumy stands in 4th place. In constructors too Renault clearly outrun with 42 points followed by Mclaren and Ferrari.

So what’s happening with Ferrari…? Why isn’t the famous trio of Ross Brown, Jean Toldt and Schumacher clicking? What has happened to winning? These are some of ht questions which I am sure Luca Di Montezemolo (Ferrari boss) would like to have answers.

At this rate, one wouldn’t be surprised if Renault wins this year too, but it is too early to comment. Come April 21, the San Marino grand prix will tell a lot about team Ferrari and Schumy in particular.

1 - 0

Monday 6th February, 2006 will be known well among cricket historians and fans at large for 2 reasons. First, Pakistan won the first of the 5 match series against India, thanks mainly to bad light and the Duckworth Lewis rule and next Sachin Tendulkar became the 1st player in the shorter version of the game to score 14000 runs. The game will also be remembered for the most bizarre way the Pakistan captain got out.
First things first, Pakistan won the toss on a beautiful cloudy morning in Peshawar and opted to field first. Their option to field first was soon rewarded in the form of Shewag, when the score was on 5. Irfan Pathan – newly crowned all rounder of the team took the No.3 spot and silenced all his critics with a well made half-centuary. He was eventually out for 65 from 65 balls. However, India was in a definite attacking mood right from the word go, which made the Indian version of Adam Gilchrist to enter the crease. Dhoni played a gem of an innings with yet another half centuary.
While the drama was going on, the other side was occupied by the little master who was progressing at a steady pace. He too had his initial share of luck, he was bowled by Naved when he had just 20 runs on the board – but fortunately for him it was of a No Ball and this piece of cake was enough for him to make his 39th one day international centuary and at the same time crossing 14000 runs.
India eventually made 328, but personally I think they could have definitely made more if only they had held onto their wickets. Indians lost their last 6 wickets for a meager 20 runs.
Though only a few teams in the past have successfully chased a score beyond 300, Pakistani batsmen where upto it from ball one. Though they started a bit shaky, they soon steadied the ship and with wickets in hand they hit the ball all round the park. When they crossed the 250 mark, Inzamam-ul-Haq was out in a bizarre fashion. He was out for ‘obstructing the fielders throw’- the rules are clear and he was asked to leave the field. But this in no way hindered the Pakistani’s who were slowly inching towards their target. When they reached 311 for the loss of 7 wickets, bad light took control of the game. They needed 18 runs from 18 balls and when the umpires offered the light to the batsman, they gladly accepted it. As per the D/L rule, they were ahead by 7 runs and hence Pakistan won the match by 7 runs.
So, the 1st ODI ended in the most out of the ordinary way as one could expect. But immaterial of what ever has happened, the match will be recorded as a Pak victory.

CAS plays spoil sport again

Yet again, people of Chennai are being denied the live telecast of the ongoing cricket test series between India and Pakistan. Die hard fans of cricket regret for the CAS (Conditional Access System) and complain about the fact that while the rest of the country will cheer the Indians, Chennaiites are denied a pleasure which is close to their heart – watching live cricket.

This system of CAS plays its role only in the city of Chennai, though it was supposed to be put into effect in all the 4 metros only the Tamil Nadu government has implemented the same, while the other governments have simply refused to do so.

Previously, for other cricket matches played by India outside India, the state owned Prasar Bharathi (Doordarshan) gets the signal from other operators so that live telecast can be broadcasted. But however this time around they have failed to enter into an agreement with Ten Sports, a Dubai based channel which has got exclusive rights for the Indo – Pak series. Doordarshan was willing to pay Rs.20 crore for the signal and use their own advertisement but Ten Sports didn’t agree to this. Ultimately, what has been agreed upon is that Doordarshan will be permitted to broadcast 90 minute video clip age of the day’s action. This for a city like Chennai is by any means less, which is supposed to have the best cricketing crowds in the world.

It’s been more than 3 years since CAS was implemented and the takers to it are very less. Most of the people are satisfied with FTH (Free to AIR) channels for which they have to pay Rs.75 per month compared to Rs.200 – Rs.400 p.m in the pre CAS era. To this date there are innumerable numbers of PIL’s (Public Interest Litigation) in the Madras High Court but judgments are still pending.

DTH (Direct to Home) service has also come to the city but the takers are even less compared. To put in simple terms, what the people of Chennai really want is some regulatory body fixed by the government who will regulate the prices for the channels. There should be one common rate for the whole of city plus all the channels.

Rest apart, people of Chennai are denied to watch their favorite sport. They have to look on for glimpses of scores on news channels or look onto the internet or the best way is to travel to the outskirts of the city where CAS is all rubbish.

One thing is clear, seeing the number of takers for set top box, people of Chennai are not for it.

Tigers to have photo identity cards

Well, while accidentally glancing through the paper the other day; I came across this piece of information about tigers to have identity cards. At first glance I was curious to know what this is all about, actually I thought it to be the LTTE’s also known as the Tamil Tigers. But that isn’t something radical because the population of LTTE’s in Sri Lanka is very much compared to the actual population of the country. So, then they definitely need identity cards.

But when I ran through the first few lines I understood that it isn’t something to do with any extremist group rather it’s about wildlife. India is the place where one can find the Royal Bengal Tigers which are very famous all over the world. Tiger being the national animal of the country the Government would have thought that it’s high time they maintained a count of the number of Tigers that live in the country.

Earlier, forest and wildlife officials have been using physical count and pugmark verification to find out the number of Tigers in the wild. However, this technique was not considered reliable.

So, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) thought that it is better to rely on scientific survey, to determine the number of Tigers in the country. And hence, they would soon be issuing identity cards to all the Tigers and Tigresses of the country. So, what is this scientific method, the WII has proposed three new scientific techniques to have a more accurate count of the Tigers living in the wild. The three techniques are: computerized pugmarks, camera traps and finally DNA tests. The WII has planned to implement this methodology starting Jan 15th this year. Camera traps to shoot the Tigers would be set up at national parks and Tigers would be photographed throughout the year using laser technology. Scientists believe that such efforts would help in more accurate survey and would be an indicator for dead or missing Tigers. I am however skeptical about the whole issue, is it technically viable…? Is a question which time alone can answer...

2006 is the year of the DOG

Every person is born under an animal symbol, as per Chinese Zodiac. Legend has it, and 2006 is the year of the dog, that the Chinese Astrology has it and the order of twelve animals that determine it. It was however determined by Lord Buddha himself, thousands of years ago. The age old tale goes this way, Lord Buddha once called upon the entire animal kingdom for a meeting on the occasion of Chinese New Year. Only twelve species showed up for this meeting. As a reward, the divine wise man offered to name a year after each of the animals.

The Rat was the first to arrive, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and finally the pig. From then on any person born in a year associated with the animal would share that animal’s qualities and traits.

So, this is how it goes,

RAT (1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008)
Persons born in the year of the rat are usually charming, hard working, detail – oriented, ambitious, honest, generous and are able to maintain self control, but often find it difficult to maintain lasting friendships. They also tend to be thrifty and like to save money. They often make good advisors, but on the downside, they can be manipulative and petty.

OX (1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009)
Persons born in the year of the OX are usually tenacious, bright, patient and good listeners. They are also highly sensitive, stubborn, honest, outspoken, expressive, disciplined and clean – hearted. They are enthusiastic but dominating, hence although they have leadership qualities they do not always think rationally. On the downside, they are rigid in thought, stubborn in behaviour and disdainful of failure.

TIGER (1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010)
Persons born in the year of TIGER are usually magnetic, romantic, independent, courageous, strong, quick, bold and smart. But they are also aggressive, short – tempered and can often intimidate others by entering into conflicts. Being strong – willed and stubborn, they do not like to take orders and are sometimes reserved. They make for powerful leaders and powerful enemies too!

RABBIT (1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011)
Persons born in the year of RABBIT are talented and very affectionate. They are family oriented, sensitive, ambitious, intuitive, creative and smart. They work well with others and avoid conflicts. However, on the down side they are insecure; and have secret ambitions. They tend to be melancholy and sometimes lazy.

DRAGON (1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012)
Persons born in the year of dragon are usually passionate, energetic, soft hearted, colorful, ambitious and optimistic in nature. They are very goal – oriented and being under the all powerful dragon symbol, they are blessed with the luck to get things easily in life. On the downside they are highly stubborn, sometimes immature and thoughtless in action and often short tempered too.

SNAKE (1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013)
Persons born in the year of the SNAKE are very wise, they think a lot, are strong – willed and often fast learners. They are action oriented, highly intelligent, generous, calm and often philosophical. They are understanding by nature. On the downside, they have a tendency to have a split personality and can be revengeful if rubbed the wrong way, and can split venom and be selfish too. Snake people are born charming and popular. They are spotlight magnets and will never get ignored. They usually have excellent manners.

HORSE (1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014)
Persons born in the year of the HORSE are usually reliable, attractive, industrious, friendly, cheerful, dynamic, workaholic, quick learners, honest, playful and talkative. However, on the down side they are very short tempered, strong willed, tactless and impatient. They have a tendency to be obstinate too. They are popular, cheerful and love to compliment others.

SHEEP (1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015)
Persons born in the year of the SHEEP are usually very elegant, wise, gentle, compassionate and often very religious. They are passionate about their beliefs. They know how to make money and are multi – talented with very impressive personalities. However, they are also greedy for material gains, highly secretive, sometimes revengeful and tend to be pessimistic. They are endowed with artistic talents and fare well in business. Their charm wins them many friends.

MONKEY (1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016)
Persons born in the year of the MONKEY are clever, practical, cheerful, energetic, very positive, ingenious, man of many experiments, tactful and change activities as per opportunities. They have a wide range of experiences, are good listeners and good counselors. However, their down side is that they have a low opinion of others, are freedom oriented and hence not committed to anything and are not serious in life. Monkey people are skillful, talented and flexible. They are witty and skillfully solve problems. Wherever you are, whoever you are, if you have a problem, dial-a-monkey! Often, however they are too clever for their own good.

ROOSTER (1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017)
Persons born in the year of ROOSTER are always seeking knowledge, love to travel, are candid, good with finances, are jovial, clever, harmless, quiet, business minded, very friendly and great planners. They can create a business from scratch. They are bold and capable of making loyal friends. On the downside, they are selfish, loners, pretentious, highly boastful, opinionated and take risks to undertake tasks beyond their capabilities.

PIG (1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019)
Persons born in the year of PIG are usually polite, brave, good listeners, make few but lasting friends and are patient and innocent. They are very organized, honest, intelligent and sensitive. They work hard and in business they are lucky and are very good organizers. They have tremendous inner strength and are usually very kind and affectionate. They never retreat once the goal is set. On the downside, they are stubborn, moody and believe in perfection. A pig person is born to give and will constantly make sacrifices to make others comfortable. Pigs are models of sincerity, purity and tolerance.


DOG (1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018)
Persons born in the year of DOG are usually very loyal, honest, generous, work well with others, dutiful, trustworthy, faithful and warm hearted. They have high moral principles, are hard working, well dressed, motivated to reach high levels in all fields, hyper sensitive souls and are very helpful in nature. They are very righteous and will speak out against injustice. You can count on them, they will never let you down. On the downside, they are moody, impatient, restless and barkers. They can be judgmental, picky and defensive if you rub them on the wrong way. Dogs are born old and get younger as they age! They take everything very seriously and tend to be in the habit of complaining about trivial matters.

Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle.
Disclaimer: All people born under the animal symbol are not necessarily similar and do differ.

HOW SAFE IS INDIA’S SILICON VALLEY…?

How safe is India’s Silicon Valley…? Is a very vital question to be answered at this juncture? Within the span of few weeks, two major incidents have taken place which has gained a good deed of national significance. First, how the Bangalore based girl was raped and murdered. I have already discussed that. Second, even more significant because this has put the state’s security in jeopardy.

Normally all the major institutions like Indian Institute of technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has a good number of security personnel’s to guard. On 27th December, 2005 there was a function held at the premises of IISc in which nearly 30 foreign delegates were to participate and you have a gun fire. What did gun fire have to do in a place where education is the key? On the sad side, a Delhi IIT professor falls a prey to the gun shots.

So far none of the so called ‘militant groups’ have taken responsibility, which I find totally rubbish and idiotic. These militant groups do the nonsense and after which claim responsibility so that confusion does not arise among them. Funny…though…!!

I would blame the ruling congress party for this security lapse. How can they allow an Ambassador car to enter the premises without being checked? The car could not have barged through some opening; it should have passed through one of the gates. Where were all the security guards? To add to the security lapse, the Karnataka Government had received RAW information that some attack would take place in their state, have they been a bit careful they could have saved a precious life. As a result of this, all the southern states have been put on high alert. What’s the point…?? Do they expect one more..?

This has by far put a lot of headache to the Government of the state, security problems. Already Bangalore has been facing the music for lack of or rather poor infrastructure. This has added to their misery. Companies like Infosys, Wipro and other major IT companies have beefed up their security, thanks to the Wednesday attack.

So, end results…will the state wake up to overcome all these challenges, if not I think another election may be round the corner coz Bangalorians as they liked to be called will not tolerate this for too long.

1st ANNIVERSARY OF KILLER TSUNAMI

On December 26, 2004, Tsunami struck the Indian coastline in the east and caused wide spread damage not only to lives and property but also to the psyche of the people, who were in its path.

Now that 1 year has gone, how far has the re-habitation work been carried out? The sorry state is that ht Government cannot point out any village where every boat has been repaired, where every net has been replaced, where a single house has been completed. Most of the work however has been done by NGO’s.

The killer waves caused widespread damage not only to India but also to many parts of South – East Asia. Indonesia was very much affected and the tourist spot Phuket was badly damaged. I recently saw in news that Indonesia has indeed set up a Tsunami warning system and a mock test has already been carried out. This has been done by a country that in many ways poor than India and we are yet to fix the system…INDIA – The land of difference.

So come again December 26 – many people would have horrid memories of last year. I was told there are going to be special prayers for the deaths as a mark of remembrance. The greatest tragedy to hit the subcontinent. Tsunami has become a common household name – some say it will never happen again for another 100 years and some say if the earthquake is on the ocean bed it can trigger one. Personally I am for the second one; if an earthquake of that velocity occurs again on the sea bed it can trigger a Tsunami again.

So, on December 26, 2005 – India is standing on the same platform where it stood on December 26, 2004, off guard to the killer waves which till day remains as a Black Sunday.

WAKE UP CALL

In the recent years India has become the most sought destination for outsourcing – thanks to the English speaking crowd. This has contributed to the growth of the national income of the country. This being one side of the coin, the other as many people debate is whether ‘The country’s culture – lost’. The employment opportunity in the country has risen, as the only major qualification to join a BPO would be to speak good fluent English, which many Indians do with ease, thanks to the British. As a result, there is more money in the hands of youth who care a little about saving. They are willing to spend on anything they fancy, which unlike the parents would abstain from doing.

In BPOs people work according to the timings of their client and since they work for a major companies in the US, they are forced to work at erratic times. As you may be aware, safety for a female citizen of the country is to barest minimum. The father of the nation Gandhi once said that India will attain freedom only when a woman is able to walk all alone in a night.

So, we have still not attained freedom. Those who have read the paper would know about what I am talking, for the unknown it’s about how a Bangalore based girl was raped and murdered. This has called for wide spread protest all over the state.

The girl worked for Hewlett Packard, its off shore outsourcing unit in Bangalore. She was in night shift which means the employer sends a cab to pick her up at 1 am. As usual the cab did come but the driver was not the one she was familiar with, a stranger who kidnapped her, raped her and ultimately murdered her. The driver was to pick 2 more girls but they declined from boarding the cab, had this girl too been wise enough to decline she could have saved her life.

So, whose fault is this – the employer or employee? I would say both are to be blamed, but a bit more on the part of the girl. At first, there should be some mechanism where by if the driver is changed the staffs should be intimated. Secondly, why can’t a staff of the company come along with the cab driver, atleast during night shifts?
But…is it technically feasible…??? When cabs come to pick one up in the middle of night, I strongly feel a senior staff of the company comes along preferably a male (the risk is less or nil… should I say?). By this, one can prevent cases of this kind.

We talk about globalization, economy boom, a market rise beyond the 9000 mark…but is the country actually developed or developing. I would be against it, what is the need for all these developments when we are not able to provide the basic security for a woman. All these developments go down the drain. This has been a wake up call for all the state governments as well as the employers. I would like to be optimistic, so I hope all the necessary decisions are taken to safeguard woman of the society and wish people learn a lesson from this and be careful enough to stop it from happening again.

INDIA – MAN POWER (or) MONEY POWER

hi all,
actually this is the article which i wrote for a competetion to Sulekha.com. i have just copied the same..its for 200 words..so less

INDIA – MAN POWER (or) MONEY POWER

Well, this is a question which has been kindling my mind for a very long time now. Are we known for Man or Money power? After pondering over this for quiet some time, I have come to this conclusion, of which I am quite sure of – India is definitely known for man power, be it in the past or present or future. India will be known for this.

There used to be a popular joke, “Indians only source of entertainment – giving birth”, but now it’s the greatest advantage for our country. India has got more number of people between the age group 25 – 40 years…youth who will definitely contribute to the growth of country in some way. So, the joke is of the past…it can’t be used anymore.

India may be known for its money power, as nowadays we are not wholly dependant on foreign aids whenever natural calamities strike as has been shown in the case of Tsunami relief. The Prime Minister politely declined the U.S aid and at the same time we helped Sri Lanka in their hour of crisis. We really helped the ‘Super Power’ with our money power recently as in the case of hurricane Katrina.

Even though all these things suggest that India has more money power, the fact is it has got more and more man power which is mighty too. The country’s man power includes both labour and knowledge. For instance, even the unskilled labourers are able to migrate to other countries and contribute to the foreign exchange reserve. In the case of skilled labourers, all the countries of the third world vie with each other to have the best brain in their organizations.

For the past few years there has been a reverse trend in the case of brain drain. The MNC’s form all corners of the world have set up their back offices in India and appoint our men. So, there seems to be no worthwhile match for Indian labour!

Another Word in Dictionary

Last year people of south India had a new name attached to their dictionary. It had its origin from Japan – and its none other than ‘Tsunami’. Tsunami created havoc to the whole of South Asia which resulted in the loss of innumerable lives. This has been the hallmark of destruction for the year 2004 by Mother Nature.

This year again, though confined to parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, another name is being added. This is however a cyclone by name ‘Baaz’. This time it had its origin from Iran. The year 2005 saw as many as 25 Hurricanes hitting North America and similarly number of Typhoons hitting Japan.

So, what’s this…? All this refer to the same natural phenomenon. If the event happens in the Indian Ocean, it’s called Cyclone. If the same event happens over Atlantic Ocean, it’s called Hurricanes and when it happens over Pacific Ocean we call them Typhoons. So all ultimately refer to the same natural event, their names vary as well as their velocity.

Cyclones are circulating storms formed in the ocean between 5 and 30 degrees north and south of equator. They are very unpredictable in the sense, they may slow, accelerate, curve or move linearly on their paths. They may be active for a few hours to even few weeks.

In the history of India, so far 7 cyclones have been recorded to have caused maximum damage, the last being this one. The 1st cyclone was way back in 1864 in Calcutta which claimed nearly 70,000 lives, which so far is the only cyclone to have caused maximum damage. There have been events recorded in 1942 (Bengal), 1971 (Orissa), 1977 (Andhra Pradesh), 1996 (Andhra Pradesh), 1999 (Orissa) and 2003 (Andhra Pradesh). These have caused damages but their scale of destruction is comparatively less. Incidentally all the cyclones have hit only the eastern side of the country – states which share one of its borders with the Bay of Bengal.

Cyclones, Hurricanes, Typhoons – whatever name we give, are created by Mother Nature which have brought destruction & claimed colossal number of lives. Though, scientifically we can say that these require a lot of preconditions to evolve, we can just be a spectator when it lashes. Man has not reached such a stage from where he can predict the quantum of destruction from these natural calamities. By science, we can find its course, nothing else can be done.

Mr. Kalam too spoke on the same lines at the conference held in IIT Madras. He wanted scientist of the world to not only predict, but also provide with additional information like amount of water level carried by the clouds as well as the amount of destruction it can cause. He also wanted the entire scientists of the world to start a virtual grid of information about natural calamities like cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes… which will help in knowledge sharing. Since India was not a member of the Tsunami warning system we were not forewarned about it. So we should see to it that anything of this sort never happens again.

Tsunami did cause wide spread damage & destruction – and people have named their kids ‘Tsunami’ as a mark of remembrance. So, I hope this doesn’t happen with this cyclone Baaz.

Genuine Genius

On Saturday (26.11.2005), the long standing record of the former Aussie captain Allan Border came to an end, in the most emphatic fashion. He held the record for the maximum number of runs scored by an individual in test matches (11,174). But on Saturday, the Trinidad born Brian Lara broke this record when he scored 226 against Australia on the 2nd day of the second test – in an already lost series. His score of 226 came from 298 balls which included 22 boundaries.

The West Indies had a miserable tour when they lost the first test by a huge margin. However in the second test Brian Lara was the lone fighter, contributing 60% of the total score of the Windies, so as to salvage some pride.

Brian Lara was born on May 2nd, 1969 in Santa Cruz, Trinidad, the youngest of the 7 brothers. He made his test debut against Pakistan in 1990 and made 44 and 6. At that time no one would have thought that one day this young lad would become a prolific batsman. His first test centuary came against Australia in Sydney, where he made 277.

The year 1994, definitely should be a year to remember for all cricketing fans as well as cricketing statisticians. This year saw the tumble of many records. Firstly, his innings of 375 against England saw him break Sir Gary Sobers’ world record score of 365 not out. In the same year, he made another mammoth total of 501 not out for his county Warwickshire against Durham. The record still holds good, for the highest score in First Class cricket.

Nine years later in 2003, Matthew Hayden broke Lara’s record of highest individual score and surpassed it by scoring 380. But Lara was not a man to depend on luck. He wanted only his name against the highest individual score. So in 2004, exactly 10 years later, Brian Lara broke Matthew Hayden’s record of 380, by scoring 400. Incidentally, he reached his highest previous score also in the same venue (St.John’s, Antigua) and also against the same opponent (England).

WHAT A BATSMAN…?

Earlier in 2005, he surpassed Steve Waugh, to move into second place. And on November 26th, 2005, he made history by marching ahead of another Aussie great Allan Border to become the worlds’ leading run scorer in tests. Incidentally by this another feather is added to his cap. He became the first player since Sir Garfield Sobers to simultaneously hold the record for most test runs and highest test score. He also has 8 double centuries to his credit and I think only the legendary Sir Don Bradman has more double centuries than him.

So what now, he has conquered all the frontiers in the test arena, he has only his records to break.

LARA HAS INDEED COME A LONG WAY…

Hats off to one of the legends of the game…!

WAR OF THE CHANNELS

Two political parties, two channels therefore two news and what we get – truth from neither of them. I think people in Chennai would accept my view and can understand me better. For the unknown, it’s the battle between Sun TV held by DMK (political party) and Jaya TV (political & ruling party).

This is indeed what is happening. Each one tries to project a different picture, but the truth is left far behind. What Sun TV does do is, they project and bring into light only things which are against the ruling Government, in which they have succeeded to a huge extent. They never highlight things which the Government has been doing. They are always finding fault and accusing the other. I do accept the fact, that they are rival parties, but my question is Why Play with the Truth.

The Sun TV has got a huge audience appeal and they think they can do whatever they want, but my friends I tell you this, its tough climbing the pinnacle of the mountain but once you reach, you got to maintain, otherwise the fall is going to be sharp and fast.

With the ignorance of the people they are able to play a very tactful game. But all I can see is truly one motive, to bring bad name to the ruling Government. But I am not saying this wrong, it’s acceptable but why do they have to misrepresent facts. This is all one can expect when political parties hold channels. Speaking of this I wonder, how Dayanithi Maran can hold the post of Union Minister for Information and Technology when his family hold a TV channel… no wonder you get Sun TV in almost all parts of the world. I know it’s a debatable question all by itself.

According to the law, only those channels in which 3/4th of the equity is held by Indians, then alone can the television channel broadcast news. This leaves us with only these 2 channels, as Star Vijay and Raj TV are out of question.

What the Tamil audience at large lack is a proper Tamil / English news channel which covers all happenings in the state and also be able to provide the truth. At this rate, I definitely feel those days are not too far away.