The book "Two States" is a fast read about Chetan's courtship with his wife, where he ends up courting his South Indian in-laws and convinces them to let him wed their only daughter to a North Indian Punjabi boy. The book clearly brings to fore the prominent two governing aspects of the Indian ethos. One is the strong regionalism which divides the otherwise unified India. The other is the rigid caste system which predominates the thinking of even educated Indians, even to this date!
Chetan being from the same alma-mater and the same hostel where I had stayed during my IIT Delhi days, strikes a familiar cord, when he mentions to his would-be girlfriend and subsequently his wife, that the reasons for so many IITians hitting on her was that they had not yet "discovered" the art of wooing girls. Students at IIT come from varied backgrounds from all four corners of India, being the Top 1% of the students from across the country, who could make it through the World's toughest and the most competitive test of a person's intellect and technical knowledge of science. Only 40% of students make it through IIT in their first attempt and the rest in multiple attempts. The rigor of studies required ill affords most to have an active social life. Within IIT too the environment is cut-throat. No wonder that most students learn the softer interaction skills with the fairer sex only in their later years.
Coming back to the book, Chetan has once again written a riveting and a fast paced book, taking the reader through his days at Ahmedabad when he managed to meet the prettiest girl at campus and wooed her using his vast experience with women. His writing style is lucid, funny and easy to comprehend. The book will appeal to both North and South Indians since it touches upon the common idiosyncrasies of each region and which are typically the butt of many-a-jokes in either regions.
In the book Chetan opts for a career in the same city as his in-laws and narrates his story of how he goes to great lengths to convert his future in-laws to come to start liking him. The point where he helps his father-in-law loose his inhibitions of drinking in front of others and also of promoting his own achievements at his office, is the most poignant moment in his endeavor. The icing on the cake though is when he manages to convert his mother-in-law from a grumpy old housewife to a stage music artiste.
The only negative which I found in the book was slight exaggeration of facts and situations but I think it was very much within the limits of literary freedom which any author is allowed to indulge, in order to make his book an appealing read.
The plot itself moves like a movie, where there are highs and lows in the author's endeavors to win the two families to like the kids and each others. The point where Chetan mends his dead relationship with his father, gives a glimpse of a typical father-son relationship in many a Indian families.
Overall, a page turner and certainly worth reading once, though not multiple times. A good book to pick when travelling by train or plane or when one has some time at hand to read a leisure book or two.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Net Photo Album of Trip To Chikmangalur
Hi,
Find the link to photographs taken during the trip to Chikmangalur.
Note: You would require a Flash Player to see these snaps.
The best way to view the photographs at leisure would be:
Step 1: Click on "Multicolor Ring" at the bottom right.
Step 2: Click on link saying "Album:Trip To Chikmangalur".
Step 3: Click on button "Slideshow" on Left Top of the Page.
Step 4: Click on the button for pause (One with 2 sticks) at Bottom of Page.
Step 5: See the photographs using the Cursor Keys (Forward and Backward Keys)
Step 6: At any point if you want to hide or show the Captions, click on links "hide captions" or "show captions".
Find the link to photographs taken during the trip to Chikmangalur.
Note: You would require a Flash Player to see these snaps.
The best way to view the photographs at leisure would be:
Step 1: Click on "Multicolor Ring" at the bottom right.
Step 2: Click on link saying "Album:Trip To Chikmangalur".
Step 3: Click on button "Slideshow" on Left Top of the Page.
Step 4: Click on the button for pause (One with 2 sticks) at Bottom of Page.
Step 5: See the photographs using the Cursor Keys (Forward and Backward Keys)
Step 6: At any point if you want to hide or show the Captions, click on links "hide captions" or "show captions".
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Net Photo Album of Trip To Kerala
Hi,
Find the link to photographs taken during my trip to Kerala.
Photographs of my trip to Kerala:
The best way to view the photographs at leisure would be:
Step 1: Click on button "Slideshow".
Step 2: Click on the button for pause (One with 2 sticks)
Step 3: See the photographs using the Cursor Keys (Forward & Backward Keys)
Step 4: At any point if you want to hide or show the Captions, click on links "hide captions" or "show captions".
Find the link to photographs taken during my trip to Kerala.
Photographs of my trip to Kerala:
 |
| Trip To Kerala |
The best way to view the photographs at leisure would be:
Step 1: Click on button "Slideshow".
Step 2: Click on the button for pause (One with 2 sticks)
Step 3: See the photographs using the Cursor Keys (Forward & Backward Keys)
Step 4: At any point if you want to hide or show the Captions, click on links "hide captions" or "show captions".
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Book Review: "How Starbucks Saved My Life" by Malcolm Gates
"How Starbucks Saved My Life" is a Biography of Malcolm Gates, who was an Executive Vice President at the renowned advertisement firm, JWT for more than 30 years, before being shown the door at the age of 63, in order to make way for a younger and more aggressive generation.
In the book, Gates talks about his hollow, full-of-oneself and pompous existence typically observed in the filthy rich of America, who have no clue about the realities of life and its struggles, being faced at every moment, by the majority of ordinary citizens. He goes on to acknowledge the role of his new job as a Barista at Starbucks and the benevolent help of his African American Lady Boss, Crystal, to re-discover the basic joys of life such as experiencing the joys of growing up along with your child or bringing a smile to people's daily drudge routine life through small gestures of gratitude and respect to everyone or in understanding the real meaning of dignity of labor by becoming the best "Toilet Cleaner" or in re-affirming the belief in oneself that age is no bar for working hard and creating a niche for oneself.
The book is a fast read which is packed with several small instances which illustrate through examples, how Gates while working as the Barista, gave up his pre-conceived notions about several aspects of his past life and re-learnt new and joyful ways of giving and receiving love and respect from those around him - the colleagues, who were in their twenties, his boss in her thirties and the various customers of Starbucks, from various hues of society, across different age groups.
An engaging read especially for those of us who lead a cocooned life and are not aware of struggles of daily life of ordinary citizens. The book is written in easy prose and is instantly appealing to the rich of America. For those from the non-developed nations, the concepts discussed might sound a tad obvious, but they score bang on for the privileged Americans since the concepts come straight from Gates, who had been in their shoes and after losing his job and life, had regained both back through his new humble job at the Starbucks.
In the book, Gates talks about his hollow, full-of-oneself and pompous existence typically observed in the filthy rich of America, who have no clue about the realities of life and its struggles, being faced at every moment, by the majority of ordinary citizens. He goes on to acknowledge the role of his new job as a Barista at Starbucks and the benevolent help of his African American Lady Boss, Crystal, to re-discover the basic joys of life such as experiencing the joys of growing up along with your child or bringing a smile to people's daily drudge routine life through small gestures of gratitude and respect to everyone or in understanding the real meaning of dignity of labor by becoming the best "Toilet Cleaner" or in re-affirming the belief in oneself that age is no bar for working hard and creating a niche for oneself.
The book is a fast read which is packed with several small instances which illustrate through examples, how Gates while working as the Barista, gave up his pre-conceived notions about several aspects of his past life and re-learnt new and joyful ways of giving and receiving love and respect from those around him - the colleagues, who were in their twenties, his boss in her thirties and the various customers of Starbucks, from various hues of society, across different age groups.
An engaging read especially for those of us who lead a cocooned life and are not aware of struggles of daily life of ordinary citizens. The book is written in easy prose and is instantly appealing to the rich of America. For those from the non-developed nations, the concepts discussed might sound a tad obvious, but they score bang on for the privileged Americans since the concepts come straight from Gates, who had been in their shoes and after losing his job and life, had regained both back through his new humble job at the Starbucks.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
"Autobiography of a Yogi" by Swami Paramhansa Yogananda
Probably one of the most insightful and the best book ever read by me on spirituality was the "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Swami Paramhansa Yogananda. Its lucid description and introduction of the spiritual aspects of our life, in form of several contiguous short story-like autobiography of Swami Paramhansa Yogananda can only be best described by actually reading this book. The practices like Kriya Yoga can of course only be done rather than read to experience the path to Moksha. A highly recommended read for everyone, even those who are not spiritually inclined or think it is poh-poh, if only to catch a glimpse of sometimes magical world of our spiritual and mental powers within our own grasp, as shared in this book. Do not get me wrong - This is not a children's book on magic but does describe several feats which would appear magical but are achievable even by you and I, provided we are willing to go through the rigors required for acquiring those supernatural powers. Mind reading, Levitating, Fasting indefinitely, etc. are some of the few displayed powers of human beings described in the book along with a few examples of sages and yogis who practice those. But all-in-all, the book provides a very logic framework for people in this World to relate to Spiritualism and a path to help adopt it, without the need to do any idol worship or follow any archaic customs, but simply through self discipline and practice of certain techniques.
The following link gives access to the free online edition of the book:
http://www.crystalclarity.com/yogananda/index.html
The link to the book review of this great masterpiece:
http://www.sandeepweb.com/2007/08/22/book-review-autobiography-of-a-yogi/
I agree with Sandeep in the very first few lines when he says that "Reviewing the book is like insulting it...".
The following link gives access to the free online edition of the book:
http://www.crystalclarity.com/yogananda/index.html
The link to the book review of this great masterpiece:
http://www.sandeepweb.com/2007/08/22/book-review-autobiography-of-a-yogi/
I agree with Sandeep in the very first few lines when he says that "Reviewing the book is like insulting it...".
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Meditation Explained Scientifically
Dear All,
It has been quite sometime (maybe more than an year) since my last posting. I came across the following article in Times of India's "Speaking Tree" and thought it deserves a place in my blog. Though meditation is more to do with the experience but for those who love intellectual stimulation may find the following explanation of meditation and thereby the effects of practising meditation, to be quite an endearing read.
Bose-Einstein condensate and state of samadhi
30 Dec 2008, 0000 hrs IST, DEEPAK RANADE
Matter and energy are inter convertible. Matter is present in various energy states. These energy states were found to be temperature-dependent. The higher the temperature, the greater the energy. For example, water boils when it is heated to higher temperatures. This increases the disorder in the molecules as they are energised. This disorder is referred to as entropy. It represents the excitability and chaos of the molecules that constitute matter. Satyendra Bose proposed to Einstein that if matter was cooled to very low temperatures to Absolute Kelvin or minus 273 degrees Centigrade, then the entropy of that matter should decrease and matter should come down to a zero-energy state. This remained only in the realms of hypothetical speculation until it was proved much later on. This zero-energy state is now known in physics as the Bose-Einstein condensate. This state of matter is also called a super atom as the entire mass behaves as if it were a single atom. It loses all its characteristics of shape, charge and polarisation. It probably reverts to a shapeless, attribute less phenomenon in a de-evolution of matter, reverting back to just the potential to manifest as anything and everything. The human brain is an aggregate of nearly 100 billion neurons. Various thoughts that constantly crowd our minds are the sum total of simultaneous activity of different neurons. No wonder there is chaos in our waking state. The thoughts translate into various biological changes mediated by the hormonal apparatus at the pituitary interfacing system. The complex interconnections that abound in the nervous system ensure that even a small impulse rapidly spreads seismically via the dense network. Some individuals have innate higher entropy levels and so find it harder to concentrate. They are `distracted' easily. They have fleeting thoughts and are very restless. The sensory organs serve as an important pathway to increase the entropy as they stimulate various neuronal circuits adding to the entropy. Therefore, closing the eyes helps in the process of concentration. Continuous stimulation of the neural networks is what happens in the waking state. Hence sleep is necessary for minimising these constant excitatory inputs. Sleep deprivation leads to fatigue of the neural networks. When you concentrate, there is a resultant decrease in the disorder of the neural system. As concentration increases, the tendency of the mind to waver and scatter decreases. The mind is more sharply focused. We all have experienced the need to concentrate when we are studying or performing some important activity. So when we concentrate, we are increasing the synchronicity of a specific group of neurons and silencing unrelated neuronal activity. In scientific parlance, concentration decreases the entropy of the neuronal apparatus. Just as the entropy of matter drops to near-zero levels when we approach Absolute Kelvin, similarly, the neuronal disorder keeps waning as we concentrate. The neuronal firing decreases in amplitude as well as frequency. So would the propagation across various networks. In the waking state, when you consciously attempt to decrease the entropy of the nervous system, it is referred to as meditation. As the entropy of the neurons keeps decreasing, a state of calmness is perceived. As this progresses further, the neurons start becoming synchronous. That is, they neither modulate nor amplify any incoming signal. They just resonate in harmony. As this orchestra gets more in sync, you experience varying states of bliss and happiness. Till what is presumably the final state of zero-entropy, where all 100 billion neurons function in total unified quantum coherence. The Bose-Einstein condensate equivalent of the neuronal system is what may be termed as Samadhi.
It has been quite sometime (maybe more than an year) since my last posting. I came across the following article in Times of India's "Speaking Tree" and thought it deserves a place in my blog. Though meditation is more to do with the experience but for those who love intellectual stimulation may find the following explanation of meditation and thereby the effects of practising meditation, to be quite an endearing read.
Bose-Einstein condensate and state of samadhi
30 Dec 2008, 0000 hrs IST, DEEPAK RANADE
Matter and energy are inter convertible. Matter is present in various energy states. These energy states were found to be temperature-dependent. The higher the temperature, the greater the energy. For example, water boils when it is heated to higher temperatures. This increases the disorder in the molecules as they are energised. This disorder is referred to as entropy. It represents the excitability and chaos of the molecules that constitute matter. Satyendra Bose proposed to Einstein that if matter was cooled to very low temperatures to Absolute Kelvin or minus 273 degrees Centigrade, then the entropy of that matter should decrease and matter should come down to a zero-energy state. This remained only in the realms of hypothetical speculation until it was proved much later on. This zero-energy state is now known in physics as the Bose-Einstein condensate. This state of matter is also called a super atom as the entire mass behaves as if it were a single atom. It loses all its characteristics of shape, charge and polarisation. It probably reverts to a shapeless, attribute less phenomenon in a de-evolution of matter, reverting back to just the potential to manifest as anything and everything. The human brain is an aggregate of nearly 100 billion neurons. Various thoughts that constantly crowd our minds are the sum total of simultaneous activity of different neurons. No wonder there is chaos in our waking state. The thoughts translate into various biological changes mediated by the hormonal apparatus at the pituitary interfacing system. The complex interconnections that abound in the nervous system ensure that even a small impulse rapidly spreads seismically via the dense network. Some individuals have innate higher entropy levels and so find it harder to concentrate. They are `distracted' easily. They have fleeting thoughts and are very restless. The sensory organs serve as an important pathway to increase the entropy as they stimulate various neuronal circuits adding to the entropy. Therefore, closing the eyes helps in the process of concentration. Continuous stimulation of the neural networks is what happens in the waking state. Hence sleep is necessary for minimising these constant excitatory inputs. Sleep deprivation leads to fatigue of the neural networks. When you concentrate, there is a resultant decrease in the disorder of the neural system. As concentration increases, the tendency of the mind to waver and scatter decreases. The mind is more sharply focused. We all have experienced the need to concentrate when we are studying or performing some important activity. So when we concentrate, we are increasing the synchronicity of a specific group of neurons and silencing unrelated neuronal activity. In scientific parlance, concentration decreases the entropy of the neuronal apparatus. Just as the entropy of matter drops to near-zero levels when we approach Absolute Kelvin, similarly, the neuronal disorder keeps waning as we concentrate. The neuronal firing decreases in amplitude as well as frequency. So would the propagation across various networks. In the waking state, when you consciously attempt to decrease the entropy of the nervous system, it is referred to as meditation. As the entropy of the neurons keeps decreasing, a state of calmness is perceived. As this progresses further, the neurons start becoming synchronous. That is, they neither modulate nor amplify any incoming signal. They just resonate in harmony. As this orchestra gets more in sync, you experience varying states of bliss and happiness. Till what is presumably the final state of zero-entropy, where all 100 billion neurons function in total unified quantum coherence. The Bose-Einstein condensate equivalent of the neuronal system is what may be termed as Samadhi.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Net Photo Album of Second Trip to Singapore
Hi,
Find the link to photographs taken during my second trip to Singapore...
Photographs of my Second Trip to Singapore:
http://picasaweb.google.com/anuragr2004/MySecondTripToSingapore?authkey=rERVOpIi7QY
The best way to view the photographs at leisure would be:
Step 1: Click on button "Slideshow".
Step 2: Click on the button for pause (One with 2 sticks)
Step 3: See the photographs using the Cursor Keys (Forward & Backward Keys)
Step 4: At any point if you want to hide or show the Captions, click on links "hide captions" or "show captions".
Find the link to photographs taken during my second trip to Singapore...
Photographs of my Second Trip to Singapore:
http://picasaweb.google.com/anuragr2004/MySecondTripToSingapore?authkey=rERVOpIi7QY
The best way to view the photographs at leisure would be:
Step 1: Click on button "Slideshow".
Step 2: Click on the button for pause (One with 2 sticks)
Step 3: See the photographs using the Cursor Keys (Forward & Backward Keys)
Step 4: At any point if you want to hide or show the Captions, click on links "hide captions" or "show captions".
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