On Cat, Mouse and the Bell

In the midst of the crises, the fellow mice asked the mouse to construct a bell and put it across the cat's neck. But the resources were scarce and if once the bell was made, then it could not be remold for any other purpose. Our mouse, feeling delighted by getting the opportunity and being concerned about his performance index (status quo) started working very hard to 'Bell the Cat'. Nights started looking like Days. He imagined not just belling the Cat, but being even powerful than the Cat itself. He was simply blown away with the performance anxiety, ceasing to be analytic, Alas! (How can a mouse out power a Cat?).

He built a great Bell, so powerful, so big that, it could be heard across kilometers. He thought he did it, barely so. :|

The D-Day came and our mouse was to bell it (cat) up and everyone gathered to see the Bell and the show (People watch a lot! They have all the time to do so:| ) Our mouse was overjoyed by his accomplishment but forgot to check the size and requirements of Cat's Neck. Maybe he did check, but he wanted the Bell to be nothing less than Grand. Ah! such a megalomaniac our mouse was. 

The Bell was so heavy that none of the Mice, not even our mouse could lift it up. The CAT came and ransacked their place. Misery prevailed. Our mouse though, somehow survived.

PS: The Parable is a work of Fiction but may resemble some event, person. Pragmatism is such a scarce commodity that even the most ambitious of the people, sometimes lack it. Any plan, should always be executed as per the requirements, no point being over ambitious, specially at stages which don't require us to be so.

Backside of the Diary

Ten inspiring quotes/sayings/dialogues I scribbled on the backside of some random diaries I keep. Not at all the 'ten best ones' or even the 'assorted ones' but they make sense, each one of them.

#What you and I think of big money is loose change for them.
(Vinod Mehta, newslaundry on Mukesh Ambani)

#Its not what enters the man's mouth that is evil, its what goes out of it.
(Probably, Mahatma Gandhi)

#We call ourselves civilized but behave no less than barbarians when it comes to our self interests.
(Very common, isn't it?)

#Don't disturb the club. \m/
(Ah! Ever have a chance of saying it? Exclusivity isn't that common)

#You can buy a painting but you cannot say you painted it.
(Chetan Bhagat, money can't buy everything, stop flaunting!)

#Denials and Bans don't work in this country.
(I think its mostly for India) :(

#Don't hit 50 and still have the same friends you had in school/college.
(Exploring strangeness is not wrong, right?)

#Sometimes its more important to stop looking at Forests and start looking at tress.
(On importance of "Micro")

#If you don't stop being ordinary, you would never be extraordinary.
_me

#Even a brand has to act like an Individual.
(Mostly from 'Built to last')

and lastly an extra one,

Companions of contemplation. :)

#There is a thin line between 'principles' and 'prejudices'.
_me (Think! how much principled/prejudiced we really are :-| )

I thought let me jot all these together, what better way than a blog post. :)

"Bookoholics: The meet-up"

Books have always been close to my heart (closer than sports, politics and computer gaming).

PS: “Bookoholics” is a door-delivery book library which has now evolved into a community club for intellects and book lovers, based at Surat.

A friend of mine, who had been to the group’s previous meets, introduced me to the concept and I got added to the group’s Facebook group. Here, everyone shared what they were reading (not formally giving book reviews though) and seek general info about reading-lists and interests. I definitely saw it more than just a library.

Well today was my first meet. Getting up to meet almost familiar people (through FB discussions) was rather comfortable. It was a varied mix of Teachers, Lawyers, Computer engineers and students from Politics to Biotechnology. The meet started off with a Lindau-meet returned Professor who shared his experiences of the meet and rather unusual comparison of Human values of The West with India. While the talks were going on, freshly prepared barbeques were served which added tastes to our senses. Later, there was talk on to Morality, which actually went on to become the central theme of later discussions. Lastly, a student talked about Politics, his anecdotal style playing pivotal role in his speech.

The mic then when astray with all members taking chance of introducing themselves and giving brief views about the meet’s central agendas.

Bookoholics, even it its present structure is a wonderful concept. A club that meets monthly and asks its fond members to take time out of their regular schedule for discussions on true consciousness and not just about moments that pass by. I am sure Surat isn’t in dearth of people who can turn up for such things, its only that we need them to know us.

#lookingforward

Aakash or AahKaash :-/

How real are the things at consumer level.Lets take a look at some recent moves and whats in it for us.

I have been following up the Aakash issue since its inception as an idea. The recent move to bring up an all-in-one cheap I-Pad, by Govt. backed by its present manufacturerData-Wind, UK has now be blown up out of proportion in its reach and possibleoutcomes. The design has been tested for more than 2 years now with far less changes inits evolution. How can and How much can you innovate in a 3000 Rs Tablet? You have to compromise! You have use cheaper things! You need to break down the no.of products while assembling.

Until recently everything was going fine, we at NIT were asked for final consent for buying Aakash. Now everything is clung on a thin stick. The Govt. has taken up almost everything into its hand and is now planning to distribute it entirely free to all students across various Universities (…Heard?). The order no. is as high as 15,00,000 and is expected to double up in next phase.

Now the concern is, Why should all this money be paid by TaxPayer, unnecessarily, when a student can easily afford it? and anyways,Its not a must! not everybody requires it.

In my batch strength of 700 students, hardly 5% don't have a laptop and I am sure the no. will be higher in lower batches. This last moment decision is mere procrastination on our Govt.’s part and seemingly touted by Govt.’s Secretaries who fail to understand the gadget’s real requirement by targeting IITs and NITs as priority.

The gadget should be distributed for free in our Primary Education sector and not here. It can be sold under subsidy at Premier Institutions (Alrite Govt. definitely can afford that much). Also there are various gadgets already available, which targets basic education, I recently came across one(www.edutor.in) which provided much better and much needed technical advancement for our basic education needs. The Govt. has also taken entire matter into its own hands and the manufacturer has almost no say in the next and said-to-be the final version of the Tablet. Oh common! They(DW) came to you(Govt.) with this idea, let themhave their say!

As such I am not criticizing the Technical Buildup ofAakash. Its pretty awesome at the price tag it comes up. But the lacklasidalapproach of the govt. towards the bringing it up needs timely criticism by thetech-people.

Hope this rings up some bells and the sound reaches theJanpath.

-Parker

The Path and the Purpose

"We all have a purpose, the purpose is to find out who we really are."

My involvements with Physics and NIT have been a lesson worth sharing, something which generally people do not consider as their cup of tea. Well, its not a cup of tea for me either. Physics isn’t all about learning how the universe works. Its actually miles different from that queerer statement. To give an idea, we have mapped only about 2% of the real mathematical universe (and we thought making it to NASA was the biggest achievement of our lives) plus our understanding of a “Subatomic Model” is still unclear (and we though making it to CERN was the biggest a….)

                        "Physics isn’t a professional entity, it’s a bit religious." -Neeraj Pandey

It ultimately takes the shape of either abstract mathematics or philosophy. It requires a dedication of an at-a-stretch involvement with huge physical sacrifices, something quite similar with religious people.

               There are two ways you can serve the world. One, by continuously walking up the path of “Research” hoping, someday you’ll have your own Eureka moment. Second, stay simple! Take your tools and get into the world, meaning, consider the fact that the world can as well be made a better place with the present state of available technologies and resources. Use them and make a difference. The latter is a sense of realization not merely a thought, which came to my mind only after venturing into the former. I find the world pretty simple. It has very simple needs, very simple problems and requires very simple solutions. All our scientific ordeals (however small in reality they are) take us one step closer to those simple issues.

With this in mind, I hope, I will take the path more taken.

Comments on Assos and a Fresher’s role @ NIT

In recent times we are witnessing a phenomenon of over protectionism, something which any free being would feel disrespectful about. We are forced to be over-submissive to the authorities.
(The recent naïve piece of mail which lies in ur insti’s mailbox was a quite a message and a driving force for me to jot down my understanding of the problem.)


Quite unaware of the total scenario, a fresher who enters this so-claimed elite institution falls prey to a system common to some NITs and IITs across the nation, the system of Asso(read State associations). A fresher having lack of gadget+internet+rock culture+galla activities and above all a whole lotta warmth of a senior-junior relation, which he has never seen in his school days seeks gratification and respite from an already existing load of academics and peer-pressure. Being submissive (hez a bichara fresher), joins up a State-Asso eg.UP, CB, KSA.. thus falling prey, himself totally unaware or may be inconsiderate, to the whole damn effect of "regionalism".
Now lets have a broader picture, What on earth makes me think that Asso is bad, is it because I never joined one?

When we join a ‘National’.I.T. seldom do we give a thought of the talent pool we are surrounded by. We are sadly pessimistic of any good/great that can possibly germinate here. Under the system of Asso, we tend to lose our abilities to actually interact with the best brains of higher years. We, out of obligation tend to meet up people and seniors of our own communities thereby gaining and cultivating warmth in this small group which parties together, raggs together(read Intro), dines together etc. Regionalism does no good and it’s a lesson which is the need of the hour. With the authorities taking good interest in stopping the menace and the present fresher batch evolving out with lesser effects of Assobaaji, we can expect to have the renunciation of the Institute’s values and ethics.
If we want our students to be responsible, ethically sound and timely exposed we shall put an end to the system of Assos, however making new ways for senior-junior interaction which plays vital role in a fresher’s upbringing and thinking abilities. The system of Year-wise hostel allocation does more harm than good and we need to learn from IITs in this regard, where students of all the years live together in single hostel. Don't authorities over there have scare of ragging?
We need not be over protective.
The Proud feeling of Oneness of being an NITian for all the inmates, rather than being from Mumbai, Chennai or remote Northeast is the only thing that can pave way to agree for the claims, of the Institute become an elite one.

-Parker

“A miscellaneous article”

For me education is all about having knowledge which makes your life meaningful, simple and comfortable. We educate not for jobs but to share our experience and expertise. In this chaotic and ultra fast moving world our degree of socializing has gone down. Getting glued to our desktop for hours on stretch are making us good for nothing and is a serious threat to our future generations.
When we, as juniors enter this prestigious institution, we are exposed to a lot of activities, some we chose, many we leave. “Writing”, one such activity, has seen a boon with the newly come up platform of blogging, but it too has eventually gone into hay way. Pen is mightier than sword and we as academic individuals do have our weapons. We have our weapons to showcase our concerns, to make people realize the glitches in the world around us. India has produced notable writers and individuals who have made significant contributions with their writings.
An ethical EndNote: It becomes very important for us to realize our potential and work to our limits to contribute to a change in our society, towards our nation. We all are privileged ones to have reached to this place for our education, and it thus becomes our responsibility to pay back to the ones who have given us this platform to realize our dreams.

Words and Notes (Some musical experiences)

Music is a tool, you won't learn without practice and prior knowledge. I often come across questions by friends, when I just pick up an instrument and start playing without any prior knowledge, to whom I reply, all one needs is to play music first in mind and then it jot down on his instrument, whatever he is playing. Music for me is unarguably a mental performance rather than physical.
I remember when I was judged by my Violin guru, Shri G N Kapoor, who before taking me as his student asked me to tune up a Taanpura, which I did tuned to fairly decent perfection only coz of the Vocal teachings I had in music. For me it was replication of what I was thinking in mind.
I would advise people who read this and are related to music to stop playing instruments by reading notes.
I also want you to know that 'Indian Music', though tethered in its present form, is an awesome experience. There is no restriction for you to create your own stuff out of it, say, Shankar.E.L are doing phenomenal in their music compositions, hardly people know about their Classical-Music base. Other master is John McLaughlin, who has done a lot in popularizing Indian Classical-Music across the globe. India is own such country which has given a lot of Culture to Humanity, its ours (your and mine) duty to carry it with ourselves, not to dump it or let it being dumped.

Let the music play

These are some of the best musical pieces I've heard till now,
Surely could've included more. But there is always something known as "Top Ten".

1.Carry you home -James Blunt
2.Brothers in Arms -Dire Straits
3.Life in Technicolor -Coldplay
4.East Side Story -Bryan Adams
5.Take me Home, Country roads -John Denver
6.Coming back to life -Pink Floyd
7.Another Day in paradise -Phil Collins
8.I still havent found -U2
9.Still Loving you -Scorpions
10.A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics -James Horner

PS: Any suggestions? 

The Intricacy of technical sabotage

For me, getting into an NIT (National Institute of Technology) was always not less than a dream. However, not very late though I realized that it wasn’t all about ‘technology’ which spells here. Seniors, all of them like a herd getting their well sought after technical brains dumped in solving mere Cat Sample Papers for not days but months. Irony isn’t it?
They, it seems have forgotten all their 14 years of efforts to be a good engineer/scientist. As if engineering is just a degree before IIMs just like BA, B. Com. The Govt of India spends millions in subsidising these technical Mecca (NITs) only to make sure that the money the students saves by paying less fee goes to n no. of coaching institutes who teach basic maths, english, how to sit and how to sleep etc. Irony isn’t it?
Sometimes I just don’t find any usage of a B-school, simply nothing. The monetary hype these schools have generated will make India completely insufficient in technical brainpower, which actually is the mainstay of any economy for that matter. The World Wars were only possible because of the technical might of various nations, and now its the scientific technology only which is powering and sustaining the world nothing else, simply nothing.
I hereby warn each and every student who aims to be a good scientist/engineer to stick to his goal of being the same and create a sense of patriotism which brings about the much needed scientific revolution in this great nation INDIA.