The Golden 80s

Realized that you have to be very fast to do this: 136.6, Zaheer to Peterson, no run, pushes ball to cover  136.5, Zaheer to Peterson, no run,  good ball, a yorker, batsman oses balance and falls down 136.4, Zaheer to Peterson, no run, swinging ball keeps low after pitching, rolls down to Dhoni 136.3, Zaheer to Peterson, no run, pushes the ball to cover again  136.2, Zaheer to Peterson, no run, Comes forward and defends the ball towards cover  136.1, Zaheer to Steyn, OUT, wide ball outside the off, Steyn attempts a lazy drive, Dhoni takes the low catch TOOK A BREAK! 134.6 Zaheer to dU Plessis, no run, played straight to the fielder 134.5 Zaheer to dU Plessis, no run, full length ball, defended well 134.4 Zaheer to dU Plessis, no run, flicked to leg side 134.3 Zaheer to dU Plessis, no run, played straight 134.2 Zaheer to dU Plessis, no run, defended well 134.1 Zaheer to dU Plessis, no run 133.6  Jadeja toSteyn, no run 133.5 Jadeja toSteyn, no ru...

The question whether we are really "aware" in this information and smartphone age is a topic of a big debate. I use the word "aware" in the way it is defined in the Merriam Webster free online dictionary. Aware (adj): Knowing and understanding a lot about what is happening in the world or around you. Yes, there is knowing a "lot" about what is happening because we are all bombarded with messages of all sorts in various media unheard in the 80s and 90s. But do we really understand what is really happening around us? Let us check this tweet: While most of the people will focus on the person mentioned in the tweet, I have a problem with something else. That is, someone has built a forest in 30 years. If a forest can be "built" in such a short period , it is really wonderful. But as an Environmental Studies student, I very well need to dispute this fact. A forest is not a vast collection of trees in acres of land. A forest has a structur...

The phrase, Elegant Variation, was coined by Henry W. Fowler in The King's English (1906). The essence of that term will help Indian writers to understand how carefully one should write.  "...The use of pronouns is itself a form of variation, designed to avoid ungainly repetition; and we are only going one step further when, instead of either the original noun or the pronoun, we use some new equivalent..." Fowler then lays down two guidelines: "...It is impossible to lay down hard and fast rules, but two general principles may be suggested: (1) Variation should take place only when there is some awkwardness, such as ambiguity or noticeable monotony, in the word avoided. (2) The substitute should be of a purely pronominal character, a substitute and nothing more; there should be no killing of two birds with one stone." Try to practice it. It is very interesting.

The real beneficiary of Delhi BJP leader Vijay Jolly antics is Shoma Chaudhary. His stupid act, inspired by whatever reason, right or wrong, has turned the spotlight away from the sexual harassment case to that of political hijacking and hooliganism for "perceived enemies". The hooliganism is a warning to all journalists and political opponents of the BJP.  This is the way the saviors of India are gonna usher in the golden age of India. Vande Mataram!

There is nothing new in the current fracas over conservation and protection of Western Ghats . Except in Kerala's print and electronic media, you will not see any discussion on conservation of pristine land. Because this issue is not about sex, sleaze, celebrities, or cricket, right? Except periodic reminders from the legal system in India, the state does not have a pragmatic"environmental policy". We all know all documented policies are meant to be bypassed. All the political parties and all the intellectuals in India have no such view on the environment. The reason why I stress this "environmental view" is, you will not have policies and measures tuned to it when you stare at a blank space. Now, environment is just another hurdle to that final sanction for a project. For India, development is antithetical to environment. Environmnetal protection is another hurdle to development. Human beings and the array of systems that inhabit India are "outside...

Ok. This was accidental. I clicked on Windows 7 Start Menu, and then typed "Cover" on the Search box. The following screen appeared:

Nobody questioned the real nonsense that happened: the fact that the ordinance to save the convicted elected representatives went to the President without much opposition from all the “clean” parties. In a democracy like India, all opposition parties are “clean”. When these opposition parties become the rulers, the then opposition become clean. That exactly is how an average Indian understands Indian politics. The media just propagates this theory. So, the same democratic, objective media did not vehemently question why the bill was created in the first place and why the ordinance was rushed through. No media questioned or even wondered why we did not see live telecast of thousands holding candles near India Gate unlike some time in the past. We also did not see the “saviours of Indian democracy” performing a satyagraha stunt or wage another televised version of freedom struggle. We did not see anyone waving the Indian flag, or music concerts to save India. And when Rahul Gandhi ...

It is known that the GDP figures hyped by the media to credit or discredit political formations in India do not "account" the environmental damage caused by the so-called "Development." There were seminal papers published that questioned the entire economics paradigm that still stood united behind the GDP as the yardstick for growth. But, Indian economists and foreign-educated ultra-liberal growth pundits have no time to read about Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) that accounts or discounts the environmental damage caused by mindless growth. (Renaissance took place in Europe, right?). Advocates of GPI do not claim that it is perfect. But while our journalists pillory governments over GDP figures, let us be aware that there are other perspectives to look at how growth is contributing to human and environmental welfare. Check this link: http://rprogress.org/sustainability_indicators/genuine_progress_indicator.htm

We, three kids, were not good in solving mathematical problems in school textbooks. There were no outside help, and  we were happily "stuck" with our inability and hereditary weakness in solving the problems. After a while, we never bothered to revisit why we were "stuck". But we never "struck" anyone. We were simply "stuck." And in the last few weeks I heard "struck" again, as the developer was finding it difficult to fix a "small" issue. So, developers will also get "stuck" somewhere. Candid admission anyway. "Struck" is the past tense and past participle of the verb Strike . As a noun, stuck meant "something causing delay or difficulty." Next time, when your tongue inserts an unnecessary "u" in before "r", just strike it off. Otherwise, you will be"stuck" like a door that got closed when the dog was half out of the door. And nobody held the door ajar for the...

"...The cynic, after all, is inclined to question people's motives and assume that they are acting self-servingly unless proven otherwise...".writes Julian Baggini in The Guardian . Certain cynics act dumb, or appear dumb. They do not appear polished, but disheveled. They do not follow anything or anyone, but observes and dissects everything. No other choice. And it does matter because of this; "...cynicism proves its worth as one of our best defences against spin and manipulation ..." Spin and manipulation. Thomas Carlyle wrote that Imperfection clings to a person, and if they wait till they are brushed off entirely, they would spin for ever on their axis, advancing nowhere . The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words . Philip K. Dick The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it ...

Wanted to write about overconfidence today, but got confused about whether it is about "overconfidence" or "hubris" that I wanted to write about. People use overconfidence in many erroneous ways. Whatever it may be, overconfidence is a "cognitive bias" type that manifests itself in various ways. So, Wikipedia says, "...A cognitive bias is a pattern of deviation in judgment, whereby inferences of other people and situations may be drawn in an illogical fashion..." For more information, see Cognitive Bias .

From Garden City to Hospital City , said a headline. In an year, Bangalore will get around new 3000 hospital beds, claims the news story. Yes, Bangalore indeed requires lots of hospitals and hospital beds. May be, in a science fiction like scenario, people will even be living in hospitals or medicated glasshouses or skyscrapers in Bangalore. Servants will be replaced by nurses who take care of the permanently ill or disabled citizens in the city. Such a bleak or black scenario is possible because of the following reasons: 1. The city has crossed its carrying capacity and is reaching its breaking capacity. 2. Alarming rise in air pollution because of the arrival of 200-300 (unofficial) vehicles per day on the city's roads and no effort to control the situation. 3. Reckless lifestyle celebrated by people of all ages. Drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and unsafe sex are all fashionable, trendy, and even "normal" in this hyper-America of India. Those who cannot practice...

I am not an expert in Sri Lankan politics and atrocities against Tamils in that country. But to succumb to threats by regional parties in protest against atrocities in a foreign country does not augur well for India's strategic relations with neighbours. This consistent pressure tactics threatening withdrawal of support to a coalition government creates instability and governance freeze at the top. Decisions are postponed and all energies and valuable time is wasted on fire-fighting and saving the government's numbers. The UPA government has enough wisdom and expertise available to deal with this situation. But whether to dance to the tunes of regional satraps who hold the Damocles Sword of Support for issues that requires lots of diplomacy is an entirely different matter. I think the Indian prime minister should step in and announce India's position on this issue. In the meanwhile, if somebody wants to move away, let them be. There is a great honour in doing...

I always liked Test cricket batsmen who play aggressive cricket instead of those who are technically perfect. Sehwag has been one such batsman in the past. Recently, he has been a pale shadow of his past achievements. So, the decision to drop him was not a surprise for me. A cricketer's individual records do not matter from the real perspective of the game. A cricketer's records shine more gloriously if it results in wins for his team. It is immature to keep on playing someone when records show a different story. So, poor form or lack of performance will result in only one thing. Today, it is  Sehwag. Tomorrow, it will be someone else. Hope Sehwag comes back with a bang.

I leave it to you to decipher why I pasted the following screenshot: