India's Dream of Californication!

Last week, Pune's Hard Rock Cafe at East Main Road was playing loud Red Hot Chilli Papers. I like that song. Not exactly the theme but music. In fact I like the twisted meaning of Californication.

US is wonderful country. California is state of fame, in different ways. Normal folks think it is all about Hollywood. Others think it is place where fortunes are made with nothing but ideas backed by all the madness. Many think Washington DC rules the world. I have big doubt. It is small town named Silicon Valley in California that actually rules this world. Thus, word Californication!

Now my own meaning of Californication is clear. Let's come to title. Is India dreaming? To be specific, of Californication? Yes. Big big Yes. In fact some say Bangalore is Silicon Vally in East. Some are so proud of Infosys. High tech service industry is all done here. That's great. There are some discussion going on Quora that this country is having start-ups Renascence. I agree lot's of things are going on. Check any particular weekend for tech related events, you won't be able to attend all of them (Apart from big corporate hangouts). Visit some colleges, I am quiet sure that you will see banners ads which says 'Join us and get your ass kicked!'

OK then, is there any Indian city head to head with Silicon Valley? I think it is not fair to compare any Eastern cities with Silicon Vally. In fact, it is totally unfair (at least for now). Everything differs between these two places. But I would have loved to call any cities here 'Innovation Hub', or 'Geeks Playground' along with 'Meditation Center' or 'Tourist Paradise'.

May be that's not just Fantasy.      

Even Gods in India are Chinese

Yes, all Gods in India are in fact Chinese. You will quickly protest here. Don't do. Hindus have more Gods then we can ever count. And you know what, it's good. More Gods, more profits to crazy guys in China.

China has some interesting features which not a single country in World seems to snatch. They build cheap, sell cheap and earn big. Why? Though their products are cheap, they have big market; the whole world, thus big profit.

Recent most interesting trend is 'what's happening in India's Godsville'. While Pune and Mumbai is celebrating their biggest annual event Ganesh Festival, other cities also seems to have similar festivities going on. During these festivals, each family needs a God idol [An idol for each person if possible. Sounds like personal councilor :P]. That means Indians literally need hundreds of millions of Idols if not billions. They used to use idols of clay before Chinese knew about Indian Gods. Now news report says almost everyone uses Idols imported from China. The bigger demand, the bigger smile on those Chinese faces. They don't get tired. They are happy. They were always happy since 1980s. After all, they are creators of the Gods.

This is pretty interesting. Folks, now what I request to you is don't say you are saviour of your culture. Don't shout out loud about Hindutva. Don't even bother about 'Sodesi'. Don't believe on Mahatma Gandhi [wait a minute; at least on his economic principles. Everyone knows what hunger is and father exactly taught how not to be productive to be hungry]. If anyone still says Indian culture is such a static thing that never changes, you are fucked up. Yes...by those crazy Chinese.

Nothing to worry about though. India runs the machine around the World with it's software right? May be the banks where those Chinese keep their big chunk of profits is powered by your small tricky software. Even though Gods are now Chinese, blessing doesn't only belong to them. :) 

Dump Windows. Use Linux (Ubuntu)

It feels great. Exactly same time two weeks ago, I was writing my post on Microsoft Windows. I dumped it. Now, I am writing on Linux (Ubuntu 11.04).

Why I switched? Well, various reasons. First, it is concept of freedom that Linux carries. Second, I am fed up with windows especially pirated software (I had licensed Windows though. But we hesitate to pay Office Suite/Anti-Virus etc. $***** right?). Third is to support Open Source-FOSS movement [Yes, I mean open here not free] and to get source code myself.

With the help of my Software Developer cum philosopher friend, Linux mission finally completed with installation of Ubuntu 11.04 on my machine. To my surprise, it is beyond my expectation. Most people believe Linux is for geeks, they are simply wrong. General users can use it if they can use Windows. (Ubuntu distro obviously)

LibreOffice does everything MS Office can do. I am writing this post on LibreOffice Word and No I don't miss MS Word. Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, drawing, using formula all piece of cake.

For video and audio needs, there is VLC Media player that plays almost every formats we see there. Firefox is default browser. Tomboy do all the note taking jobs. Evolution handles E-mail, calender and To-Dos.

Most useful feature is that you don't have to install drivers for USB Data travellers and Mobile phones. No drivers required as in windows. Even no installation required. Simply plug-in and play. You can connect to USB Netconnect and Mobile Broadband/GPRS without any installation, which is if you ask me...Super COOL.

And you know another coolest thing? You don't get viruses on Linux. If you have suffered from virus attacks (I am sure, you are), format it. Reinstall. Not Windows. (Imagine you don't need to pay for regular medical check-up. Healthy forever.)

In addition to all these features that really well compete with Windows, I find it faster than Windows. It starts faster, it's better and Ubuntu 11.04 Unity feature looks sexy. So, why not switch to Linux?

1. Only thing I miss is OneNote. (No. I don't mean Windows. But Office OneNote was one application that was very very useful and alternative is not yet developed for Linux.)
2. I use Linux 99.99% of my total computer use. I do have Windows along with Linux, but I no more use it. No more viruses please.
3. Ubuntu disro is most famous Linux. Latest version 11.04 [They named it Natty Narwhal]

Ubuntu Software Center makes installing applications easier than on Windows. Simply search and click install. All done. Net connection required. But, if you are voracious machine user and do lots of tweaks, then all the software needed might not be available there. Downloading form other sites and installing seems quiet time consuming.

You read this post? Really? Then Dump Windows, Use Linux.

Lavasa: Future of the Future City

Last Sunday, I went to Lavasa for short summer ride. It is only 42 Kms far from Pune and almost 200 Kms from Mumbai. We were group of six people with three motor bikes on the road. We crossed the Pune-Mumbai Expressway bypass road and our trip kicked off in the morning.

Soon after about 10 Kms, it started to rain. It was heavy rain, so we took first break (I). There was a small tea shop. We were excited, tea didn't taste good, but we were loving it. Cool weather raining outside, good company and green views were all that mattered.

After almost 35 Kms, we stopped for second break (II). We took some photos. Then got grilled corns on roadside. We liked that, demanded more. There were so many people selling vegetables, fruits and corns all locally grown. Whole members of family were selling.

Finally we reached Lavasa (III) :) It was lunch time. First of all, we went for lunch.

This was the third time I visited the hill city. Last year in August, I went there for the first time. It was work in progress. Again I went there in January. Construction was stopped. It is still stopped 'work in progress'. Some court orders!

The newly planned Independent India's first hill city is facing some of the toughest setbacks. Issues like environmental clearance, land acquisition and corruption. Bombay High court had ordered to stop construction. The future city faces mainly two controversies.

First obviously is Environmental Damage: I think very few people agree with this one. I suggest anyone to visit Lavasa and observe it. The project has made it greener if it has done anything wrong at all. And you know who is Jairam Ramesh.

Second one is Land Acquisition. Well, this is controversial everywhere in developing countries except in China. This would not be so even if it was in State of Gujarat. Some NGOs are working hard to make on news headlines. I never came to understand what NGO/INGOs are meant for.

It's obvious, tremendous benefit will go to locals. Come back to my initial point. Locals are selling tea/coffee(I). They are getting money out of everything that can be produced in the area. (II) This is almost impossible if there was no Lavasa. We spent almost triple on that trip than we normally do in our city life (III) It directly went to local people's pocket. 

Interestingly, a recent Marathi movie was shoot in Lavasa. In the scene, I hear that a local girl meets super rich NRI and marries. Who is there to object? Events like this can happen. Billions of investment in a particular place is a big deal. Lavasa has built highway, offered employment to thousands of people contributing significant amount of GDP to Maharashtra.

This is very ambitious project; building entire new community out of nothing. They say even Oxford University is planning to set up India campus there. Infosys plans to develop it's own development center. These are just few examples. This is going to be place where 'global' will reach 'local'. Now, come up and tell to Mr. Ramesh that this is not his father's hard earned property.

PS. It is one of the best places for short summer ride from Pune and Mumbai. It drizzles daily. Greenery everywhere. You will love it. Plan your weekend! 

Quote: A new university?

"If I were founding a university I would found first a smoking room; then when I had a little more money in hand I would found a dormitory; then after that, or more probably with it, a decent reading room and a library. After that, if I still had more money that I couldn't use, I would hire a professor and get some textbooks." - Stephen Leacock

Here is link to original article: Learning on the battlefield.

Curious shortage of Girls at Googleville

Google+ seems very exciting. Techeople are loving it. I am loving it.

Initially, it wasn't much fun. I joined and didn't logged in for two days. Facebook and Twitter habit.

Over the time, it's getting better and better. It has all the features to socialite, same as in real life. Circles can do good job to manage people on one's network. Sparks is just great to explore contents. Google is yet to introduce groups and pages/interests. Hangout is for real life experience.

Since few days, I am using Google+ daily. Today, I just checked my circles. Then I found, all of my friends are male.

'Girls where the hell are you?'

It has better secrecy over one's contents. At the same time, It has greater openness then any other social networks. Many people are claiming it is the backbone of social web. It might be the future.

'Now, come on! Don't be left behind. Google+ is exclusively for all of us.' Join me :)

Related articles

• Do Social Networks Really Compete? Google+ Vs. LinkedIn, Round One (fastcompany.com)
• Facebook Seems Worried About Google+. Should it Be? (webpronews.com)
• Google Plus vs. Facebook: Clash of the Titans (techpluto.com)

Date a Girl Who Reads

Image via Wikipedia

"Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag.She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilightseries.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes."


(Reblogging is integral part of Tumblr. I read few blogs written on that platform and one of them is The Monica Bird.  I happily borrowed/reposted this article from the blog. I would love to date a girl who reads :P)

Traveling through the Dark

I read this poem by William E. Stafford during my high school days. The message it tries to give is so profound and inspiring. Often in life, we have to struggle with choice between heart and mind. And I always try to go with mind. May be rational mind is the way to go. But Hey, this is just me.

Traveling through the Dark

BY WILLIAM E. STAFFORD

Traveling through the dark I found a deer

dead on the edge of the Wilson River road.

It is usually best to roll them into the canyon:

that road is narrow; to swerve might make more dead.

By glow of the tail-light I stumbled back of the car   

and stood by the heap, a doe, a recent killing;   

she had stiffened already, almost cold.

I dragged her off; she was large in the belly.

My fingers touching her side brought me the reason—

her side was warm; her fawn lay there waiting,   

alive, still, never to be born.

Beside that mountain road I hesitated.

The car aimed ahead its lowered parking lights;   

under the hood purred the steady engine.

I stood in the glare of the warm exhaust turning red;   

around our group I could hear the wilderness listen.

I thought hard for us all—my only swerving—,   

then pushed her over the edge into the river.