Saturday, May 30, 2009

Ye Ishq Nahin Aasaan

Took me a long time to find the original poem on the net. The fact that I thought it was by Ghalib didn't help either. Someone also mentioned it was by Mir Taqi Mir which led to another futile search. Finally found it on a forum and reproducing here both Hindi and English.

इक
लफ्ज़-ऐ-मोहब्बत का अदना सा फ़साना है
सिमटे तो दिल-ऐ-आशिक फैले तो ज़माना है

ये किस का तसव्वुर है ये किसका फ़साना है
जो अश्क है आंखों मे, तस्बीह का दाना है

हम इश्क के मारों का इतना ही फ़साना है
रोने को नहीं कोई, हसने को ज़माना है

वो और वफ़ा-दुश्मन मानेंगे ना माना है
सब दिल की शरारत है आंखों का बहाना है

क्या हुस्न ने समझा है क्या इश्क ने जाना है
हम ख़ाक-नशीनों की ठोकर मे ज़माना है

वो हुस्न-ओ-जमाल उनका ये इश्क-ओ-शबाब अपना
जीने की तमन्ना है
मरने का ज़माना है

या वो थे खफा हमसे या हम थे खफा उनसे
कल उनका ज़माना था आज अपना ज़माना है

अश्कों के तबस्सुम में आहों के तरन्नुम में
मासूम मोहब्बत का मासूम फ़साना है

आंखों में नामी सी है चुप-चुप से वो बैठे हैं
नाज़ुक सी निगाहों में नाज़ुक सा फ़साना है

है इश्क-ऐ-जुनून-पेशा हाँ इश्क-ऐ-जुनून-पेशा
आज एक सितमगर को हंस हंस के रुलाना है

ये इश्क नहीं आसान इतना तो समझ लीजे
एक आग का दरिया है और दूब के जन है

आंसू तो बहोत से हैं आंखों में 'जिगर' लेकिन
बिंध जाए सो मोटी है रह जाए सो दाना है

-जिगर मुरादाबादी

------------------------------------------

Ik lafz-e-mohabbat kaa adnaa saa fasana hai
Simtay to dil-e-aashique phaile to zamana hai

Ye kis ka tasavvur hai ye kiska fasana hai
Jo ashk hai aankhon mein, tasbiih ka daanaa hai

Ham ishq ke maaron ka itnaa hii fasana hai
Rone ko nahiin koi, hasne ko zamana hai

Vo aur wafa-dushman maanenge na mana hai
Sab dil kii shararat hai aankhon ka bahana hai

Kya husn ne samajha hai kya ishq ne jana hai
Ham khaak-nashiinon kii thokar mein zamana hai

Vo husn-o-jamaal unkaa ye ishq-o-shabaab apna
Jiine kii tamanna hai
marnaa kaa zamana hai

Yaa vo the khafa humse ya hum the khafaa unse
Kal unka zamana tha aaj apana zamana hai

Ashkon ke tabassum mein aahon ke tarannum mein
Maasoom mohabbat ka maasoom fasana hai

Aankhon men namii sii hai chup-chup se vo baithe hain
Nazuk sii nigahon men naazuk sa fasana hai

Hai ishq-e-junuun-peshaa haan ishq-e-junuun-peshaa
Aaj ek sitamgar ko hans hans ke rulana hai

Ye ishq nahiin aasaan itnaa to samajh liije
Ek aag kaa dariya hai aur duub ke jana hai

Aansuu to bahot se hain aankhon men 'Jigar' lekin
Bindh jaaye so motii hai rah jaaye so daanaa hai

-Jigar Muradabaadi

Friday, May 29, 2009

Maah-E-Ru

Ankhon se ojhal,
Dekhun main pal-pal,
Tasavvur ki nazar char-su.
.....Maah-e-ru

Phir teri yaad ki ghatayein,
Is dil pe chaake reh gayi.
Phir mere naam ki sadayein,
Mujhko bulake reh gai.
Isqh hai bebas,
Zindagi behas,
Phiraye darbadar kubaku.
.....Maah-e-ru

Sunday, March 29, 2009

My first Critical Mass

Day before yesterday, I attended my first Critical Mass. Since I didn't have a cycle of my own, I borrowed a Firefox Target from Rohan Kini of BOTS. I had some backlog in work, I had to continue working till 11 am that day from night shift the previous day. Thought I will catch some sleep before the CM but couldn't catch a wink despite the fact that I was awake whole night. That's been a problem of late - not getting sleep despite being tired. Anyway, I called up Rohan who said he'll be leaving at 4 pm from BOTS to Cubbon Park which is the starting point for CM. By time we left it was close to 4.30. There were four of us, Rohan, Sidharth or Sid, myself, and another person whose name I forgot (as usual). But I do remember he was riding a 25-year-old Peugot roadbike.

I haven't really ridden a cycle since my last one got stolen sometime around after my 12th while I was still in Calcutta. So it has been like 8-1o years since I quit. Moreoever, once in Bangalore, I've had no physical exercise at all except a couple of treks. I was a bit apprehensive at heart but then thought, "What's the big deal? It's just cycling. I used to do that 20-30 km a day." But then, I forgot 10 years is a looooong time.

The initial few kilometers were fine from BOTS at Jaynagar until I crossed Richmond Rd flyover. Fatigue started to set in and the rest of the pack was way ahead of me and all I could do was struggle to just push the pedal, much less to keep up with them. The nose had started burning and mouth was dry like a Sahara sand dune in summer. Twice, I even thought maybe I should just stop and rest myself a minute before getting back on the saddle, but somehow I managed to catch up with pack, thanks to traffic, by the time we reached Cubbon Park. There was already a huge group there. And that is when I really felt sick. All those medical terms I come across reviewing medical reports started floating around in my head - dehydration, hypovolemia, etc. The ever growing cramp in my stomach jolted me out of my hypochondriac fantasy ride of sorts. I wasn't having anything with a fancy name, it was just a stomach cramp and plain old fatigue. So had a bit of water and sat down. Soon that cramping was gone but I was still feeling quite tired, too tired to really ride the CM. I thought I'd rather turn back and go home and save myself the muscle and joint pain that is going to follow tomorrow. However, that would have been a pretty shameful thing to do, especially with the girls around and not to mention that kid called Maya, so I devised a plan of dropping out somewhere on the ride and go back to BOTS to keep the bike. I felt confident now since I had a backup plan if I felt any more tired to carry on somewhere on the way. It must have been close to 5 when we started. The rest of the ride was uneventful and I'd left the worst behind.


Waiting at Golf Course Road. Graveyard of lovely trees.
Waiting at Golf Course Road. Graveyard of lovely trees. by shreelesh on Zooomr


The route we took was B’lore Press Club > Queens Road > Raj Bhavan Road > Palace Rd > Chowdaiah Road > Golf Course > Le Meridian > Ramana Maharishi Rd > Sankey Rd > Bhashyam Circle > Sankey Rd like side > CV Ramana Circle > Sanky Tank Main Entrance. I don't know the road names myself so have taken it from the site of a fellow rider called Go Green Rao. He has a lot more and better photos than what I've taken from my old Nikon E3700.

Near Sankey Tank. Prasant speaking about biking and CM.
Near Sankey Tank. Prasant speaking about biking and CM. by shreelesh on Zooomr

Near Sankey Tank. Shortly before we split up for the day.
Near Sankey Tank. Shortly before we split up for the day. by shreelesh on Zooomr

Near Sankey Tank. Shortly before we split up for the day.
Near Sankey Tank. Shortly before we split up for the day. by shreelesh on Zooomr


By the time we reached the small park near Sankey Tank main entrance the number of riders had thinned out. There was a talk about ways to promote CM and cycling. We had a short session of introducing ourselves too, after which we decided to split up. It had started getting dark. I teamed up with the gang going to South Bangalore including Sid, Go Green Rao, Deepa, Lavanya, and few others whose names I forgot. Sid, Deepa, and I all had to head to BOTS to keep the bikes.

We had a total WTF moment after Hudson Circle when we stopped to have water from a shop. A Hoysala jeep came and started barking. "What are you doing here? Are you racing on the road?" The jeep wanted to take a turn into a narrow road which had got a bit blocked by the way we were standing on our bikes having water. He was barking as if we were a bunch of guys on our way or at a drag race or something past midnight and getting drunk on the road. Geez. Some men are like a Pomeranian on heat like what Chamrajpet Charles says. Just need a reason to bark. I save up using the F word for some situation deserving and this was a true WTF moment in my life. I don't know how such uneducated and low IQ nutcases get to become cops. We didn't get into an altercation and just moved on. That was the 'only' cop we met who didn't smile at us on our entire ride of CM.

By the time we reached BOTS, my bums were really sore. I wasn't fatigued or tired or having any pain in my joints or muscles otherwise. When I sat on my Victor the seat felt like heaven. Decided to fix a motorbike seat when I ride a cycle for the CM next time. The next day when I woke up, I was expecting my knees, thighs, and calves to be paining but nothing of that sort happened. Lay in my bed for a while just to make sure I wasn't dreaming but I'd pulled through the CM without any pain. Wow. Still sleepy, I stumbled across into the other room to watch TV. Sat down and jumped up immediately. In a moment, all my sleep was gone. I couldn't sit on my bums! It was sore like hell. So that's where all the pain has gone into. I spent the whole day trying not to sit in a normal posture. Its fine today, however. Although it is still a bit sore, I can manage to sit without any difficulty. So that's how my first Critical Mass went.

Thanks a lot Rohan for the bike.

Hope I can make it to the next one, work permitting.

Photos I took are here. Lot more at CM Blog here by other riders.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Spheris Is Cycle Friendly

My office, Spheris India Pvt Ltd, yesterday approved free parking for cycles inside the office premises. It all started with a small thread in the intranet forum. For an employee strength of 1500+, there weren't even 30 replies I guess on that thread including the ones like "you'll get crushed under a BMTC bus." There wasn't much demand from the masses, except a small handful (really, really small) who were bit serious about it including me the on-paper-cyclist-without-a-cycle. Its remarkable that they approved it considering the low demand and the fact that other private transport like motorbikes and cars are differentially charged a monthly parking fee of Rs 200-400 pm if they want to park in the official parking area and not outside on the road. Also, the company has been discouraging people using private vehicles right from the beginning since they provide free company transport. I'm a bit too elated cos with hardly any takers, the company could have easily avoided the trouble.

Friday, January 02, 2009

Resolutions 2009

I don't remember if I ever made New Year resolutions, so perhaps this is the first time, perhaps because this new year has been different. So here are my resolutions in no particular order.

  1. Get back to photography and processing photos.
  2. Get my Nikon D70s fixed.
  3. If #2 doesn't cost a bomb, perhaps buy a Sigma 10-20.
  4. Study, hard.
  5. Take up cycling; again depends on #2.
  6. Go on some trips and if possible to Wayanad, Kerala, and trek up Chembra Peak and camp there overnight. Go off to sleep under the stars, above the clouds.
  7. Try not to procrastinate.
  8. Update blog regulary (Hmm... but with what).

Ek barahman ne kaha hai ke ye saal achha hai

Its pretty ironical the way this year started. Amidst all the Happy New Years going around, things weren't really happy. Its surprising that no matter how much you thought about something that is bound to happen, when it really does, you still realise you weren't quite prepared to handle something like that. But then, like they say, Shit Happens. And in life, that does happen quite a lot. In case you haven't noticed both shit and life are 4-words and so is crap and many such which you can think up of your own I'm sure.

Another New Year. A time for 'new' New Year resolutions. A time for starting things afresh, or at least make an attempt at it by trying to leave the past behind. A time for the optimists for believe that something miraculous happens at the tick of the clock from 12:00 to 12:01, that the world will be a better place to live in than the one that just passed. A time for the TV channels to call an astrologer and predict whats in store for everyone. A time for us to believe in all the good things that they say. A time for us to believe in nothing but hope or the grand illusion of it.



Ek barahman ne kaha hai ke ye saal achha hai
Zulm ki raat bahut jald dhalegi ab to,
Aag chuulhon mein har ek roz jalegi ab to.

Bhookh ke mare koi bachcha nahi royega,
Chayn ki neend har ek shaks yahan soyega.

Aandhi nafrat ki chalegi na kahin ab ke baras,
Pyar ki fasl ugayegi zameen ab ke baras.

Hai yakeen ab na koi shor sharaaba hoga,
Zulm hoga na kahin khoon kharaaba hoga.

Ons aur dhoop ke sadme na sahega koi,
Ab mere des mein beghar na rahega koi.

Naye waadon ka jo daala hai, wo jaal achha hai,
Rehnumaaon ne kaha hai ke ye saal achha hai.

Dil ke khush rakhne ko Ghalib ye khayaal achha hai

Humko maaloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin
Dil ke khush rakhne ko, Ghalib yeh khayaal achcha hai..

Barahman = wise, knowledgeable. Rehnuma = guide
-------------
एक बरहमन ने कहा है के ये साल अच्छा है।
ज़ुल्म की रात बहुत जल्द ढलेगी अब तो,
आग चूल्हों मे हर एक रोज़ जलेगी अब तो।

भूख के मरे कोई बच्चा नही रोयेगा,
चयन की नींद हर एक शख्स यहाँ सोयेगा।

आंधी नफरत की चलेगी न कहीं अब के बरस,
प्यार की फ़स्ल उगायेगी ज़मीन अब के बरस।

है यकीन अब न कोई शोर शराबा होगा,
ज़ुल्म होगा न कहीं खून खराबा होगा।

ओंस और धुप के सदमे न सहेगा कोई,
अब मेरे देस मे बेघर न रहेगा कोई।

नए वादों का जो डाला है, वो जाल अच्छा है,
रहनुमाओं ने कहा है के ये साल अच्छा है।

हमको मालूम है जन्नत की हकीकत लेकिन
दिल के खुश रखने को, "ग़ालिब" यह ख़याल अच्छा है॥

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Alcohoroscopes

Based on your Sun Signs, Alcohoroscopes explains your expected behaviour after you get drunk.

ARIES Drinking style Impulsive Aries people like to party and sometime sdon't know when to call it a night. Their competitive streak makes them prone to closing-time shot contests. They're sloppy, fun drunks, and they get mighty flirty after a couple tipples. Getting Aries people drunk I sa good way to get what you want out of them, should other methods fail. Aries can become bellicose when blotto, but they will assume that whatever happened should be forgiven (if not forgotten) by sunrise. They can be counted on to do the same for you -- so long as you haven't gone and done anything really horrible to them last night, you sneaky Gemini.

TAURUS Drinking style Taurus prefers to drink at a leisurely pace, aiming for a mellow glow rather than a full-on zonk. Since a truly intoxicated Taurus is a one-person stampede, the kind of bull-in-a-china-shop inebriate who spills red wine on white carpets and tells fart jokes to employers, the preference for wining and dining (or Bud and buddies) to body shots and barfing is quite fortunate for the rest of us. This is not to say thatthe Bull is by any means a teetotaler -- god, no. A squiffy Taurus will get, er, gregarious (full of loud mouth soup, some would say) and is extremely amusing to drag to a karaoke bar when intoxicated.

GEMINI Drinking style Gemini's can drink without changing their behavior much-- they're so naturally chatty and short-attention-spanned that it's just hard to tell sometimes. They can amaze you by conversing with finesse and allusion, then doing something to belie an extremely advanced state of intoxication, like puking in your shoe. Gemini's possess the magic ability to flirt successfully (and uninfuriatingly, which is very tricky) with several people at once. They like to order different cocktails every round -- repetition is boring -- and may create a theme (like yellow drinks: beer, sauvignon blanc and limoncello) for their own amusement.

CANCER Drinking style Cancer is a comfort drinker -- and an extra wine with dinner or an after-work beer or six can be extra comforting, can't it, Cancer darling? Like fellow water signs Scorpio and Pisces, Crabs must guard against lushery. Cancers are brilliant at ferreting out secret parties and insinuating themselves on VIP lists -- and, in true Hollywood style, Cancers are never really drunk; instead, they get 'tired and emotional' (read: weepy when lubricated). But there's nothing better than swapping stories (and spit) over a few bottles of inky red wine with your favorite Cancer. Even your second-favorite Cancer will do. The sign also rules the flavor vanilla, and you'd be adored if you served up a vanilla vodka and soda.

LEO Drinking style Leo likes to drink and dance -- they're often fabulous dancers, and usually pretty good drinkers as well, losing their commanding dignity and turning kittenish. Of course, they're quite aware they're darling -Leos will be Leos, after all. They generally know their limit, probably because they loathe losing self-control. When they get over-refreshed, expect flirting to ensue -- and perhaps not with the one what rung them. But Leo's not the type to break rules even when drunk, so just try to ignore it (try harder, Cancer) and expects a sheepish (and hung over) Lion to make it up to you the next day.

VIRGO Drinking style Cerebral Virgos are compelled to impose order onto their bender. Their famously fussy quest for purity could lead to drinking less than other signs, sure --but it could also lead to drinking booze neat, to sucking down organic wine or just to brand loyalty. They rarely get fully shellacked -- but, oh, when they do! Virgo's controlled by the intellect, but there's an unbridled beast
lurking within, and they let it loose when walloped. It's dead sexy (and surprisingly unsloppy). As one Virgo friend used to declare, 'I'm going to drink myself into a low-level of intelligence tonight.' A
toast to the sub genius IQ!

LIBRA Drinking style 'I'm jusht a social drinker,' slurs Libra, 'it's jusht that I'm so damn social?' Libra loves nothing more than to party, mingle and relate to everyone. Whether dipped in favor of Good Libra (with Insta-Frienddevice set to 'on') or heavier on the Evil Libra side (they are little instigators when bored), the Scales can really work a room. Charming as they are, Libras are notoriously
lacking in self-control, however, which can get them into all sorts of trouble --including wearing their wobbly boots waaaay too early in the evening, flirting with every man/woman in the roomor even blacking out the night's events entirely. Oops!

SCORPIO Drinking style Don't ever tell Scorpios they've had enough, for they'll smirk at you and quietly but intentionally keep tippling till they're hog-whimpering drunk, out of 100-proof spite. Scorpios like to drink, and screw you if you have a problem with that. Most of them seethe sauce as something to savor in itself, and not as a personality-altering tool -- though if depressed, self-loathing Scorps seek total obliteration. But generally, they're fascinating drinking pals, brilliant conversationalists and dizzying flirts. They also remember everything -- especially what you did when you were blitzed. Only drink with a Scorpio who likes you.

SAGITTARIUS Drinking style In vino veritas -- and, for Sagittarius, in booze blurtiness: When buttered, they'll spill all your secrets and many of their own. Tactlessness aside, Sagittarius is just plain fun to drink with. This is a sign of serious partying (what else would you expect from the sign of Sinatra, Keith Richards, the Bush twins and Anna Nicole Smith?). They're the people who chat up everyone in the room, then persuade the entire crowd to travel somewhere else -- like a nightclub, or a playground, or Cancun. Good-natured hijinks are sure to ensue (including a high possibility of loopy groping; spontaneous Sag is a brilliant booty call).

CAPRICORN Drinking style Capricorn is usually described as practical, steadfast, money-hungry and status-thirsty -- no wonder they get left off the astrological cocktail-party list. But this is the sign of
David Bowie and Annie Lennox, not to mention Elvis. Capricorn is the true rock star: independent, powerful and seriously charismatic, not too eager to please. And if they make money being themselves, who're you to quibble? But just like most rock stars, they're either totally
on or totally off, and they generally need a little social lubricant to loosen up and enjoy the after party, especially if they can hookup with a cute groupie.

AQUARIUS Drinking style Aquarius and drinking don't go together that well(except for water, that is). They have an innate tendency toward know-it-allism, and if they get an idea while sizzled, they're more stubborn than a stain or a stone. If they're throwing a party or organizing an outing, however, they're too preoccupied with their duties to get combative -- and they make perfectly charming drunks in that case. Fortunately, they're usually capital drink-nursers.. They also make the best designated drivers (if you can get them before they start raising their wrist):Aquarius is fascinated by drunk people and capable of holding interesting conversations with soused strangers while sober.

PISCES Drinking style If you're a Pisces, you've probably already heard that you share a sign and an addictive personality --with Liz Taylor, Lisa Minnelli and Kurt Cobain. Not only do Pisces like to lose
themselves in the dreamy, out-there feeling that only hooch can give, but they build up a mighty tolerance fast. Who needs an expensive date like that? On the other hand, they're fabulously enchanting partners, whether in conversation or in crime. With the right Pisces, you can start out sharing a pitcher of margaritas and windup in bed together for days. The phrase 'addictive personality' can be read two ways, you know.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Critical Mass Ride - Bangalore

Critical Mass - Bangalore

All you people out there with any kind of cycle...doodhwala cycles,
newspaperwalla cycles, mtb's, road bikes,
with and without gearwallas (and walis), with and without helmets...
here's calling all of you to bring along your cycles and join in the
first ever Critical Mass ride in Bangalore
spread the word and join the bandwagon....
Let's make it happen guys!!!!

The intention is to ride in a single line (i.e one cyclist behind the other)
and draw attention to the fact there there are people who cycle on the roads
and that other people using the road should know about us and provide us
equal opportunity to use the roads.
Just a simple peaceful ride!
Be there and lets have fun and make a statement!

Those who are interested to participate please turn up at the start point by 6.30pm.

Start : Lalbagh West Gate
End: To be decided
Time : 6:30 pm.
Date : 28.11.08 (last Friday of the month)

We cycle in a single file
No breaking red lights
No cussing
No arguing with motorists
Just a quiet ride. And it'll be fun.

A little background about Critical Mass.

All over the world, The Critical Mass (CM)
is done on the last friday of the month
..
Even though its a working day, the idea is to spread the message in
a live form to a large commuter base. If it were to be on a weekend
it would simply be a weekend leisure ride. CM helps in recognizing
the importance of respect that cyclists who commute daily deserve.

The first Critical Mass event was organised on September 25,
1992 in San Francisco, USA.
Over the years, citizens of 300-odd cities across the world have
embraced the concept. It is known by different names, such as
bike-lifting, corking and mass-up, in various cities.
Some Critical Mass events across the world have participants
not only on cycles, but also on skateboards and wheelchairs.
India is still not convinced about promoting cycling as a means of
transport but Amsterdam (Netherlands), New York, San Francisco,
Chicago, Portland (in USA), London (UK) and Paris (France)
boast of a flourishing bicycle culture

Btw, Even Delhi is having a CM on the same day
http://www.cyclists.in/events/delhi-critical-mass-on-28th

http://www.delhicriticalmass.in/how_to_start_Index.htm

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Dooms-(the)-day

Let me see. I've had my breakfast. My daily 1 hour dose of watching music video on YouTube. Have read the morning paper. Now the only thing left to do, doomsday be doomed, is hit the bed and go to sleep; for those who don't know, I work in the night shift for BPO in Bangalore so don't be surprised about me hitting the sack at 9 in the morning. Like all Doomsday predictions and prophecies, this too shall pass. I'd rather not (literally) lose my sleep over it, even in the unlikely event that the LHC or Large Hadron Collider does cause a black hole. For those who want to pray, this video is for them. Juggy D's Akheer, a devotional song in Punjabi




If all goes well, and it will, I'll make my next post once I wake up, unless as usual I'm too lazy for it.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Yahoo Steals Photo From Flickr (?)

Flickr has been heaven for copyright violaters and photography thieves for quite some time now.. There are numerous stories on how someone's pic got stolen and was used by all the way from I-cant-shoot-good-but-I-cant-steal-and-show-off-online type of guys, to ad agencies and newspapers of national and international repute.. But who would have guessed something like this happening, or did someone? Yesterday, when I into the Yahoo mail ID, I saw a pic of a pug in one of the advertisement links.. After seeing the loads of dog pics day in and day out from the CUPA dog show that Bangalore Weekend Shoots/BWS (online Flickr group) attended recently, I thought I must be mistaken but that photo looked too familiar.. So thought would check it out starting with the BWS group pool itself then if I dont find it maybe check out individual pools of the photogs who attended the shoot that day. Anyway, I didnt have to search far.. A couple of pages down in the group pool, and I found the photo here http://www.flickr.com/photos/muttly/2663009361/

Click here to see the screenshot of the Yahoo page that I uploaded to Zooomr. The ad link directed to Yahoo Music site.

Can you believe Yahoo stealing directly from its own website (Flickr)? Do note that the photograph is copyrighted and tagged All Rights Reserved so Yahoo has no right of using the photograph anywhere. Even if Flickr is a Yahoo Co., the Copyright still belongs to the photographer. Yahoo does use Flickr images on its Flickr sign-in page but those are under Creative Commons licence. And yes, I did check with the photographer, Prabhu, who happens to be my friend, and he denied having given usage rights of this photo to anyone.. So, there you have it.. Wonder what explanation Yahoo can give for this one..

-------------------------------------------------

I wrote the above entry in my blog yesterday..
I did login to my mail again today and though I F5'd a couple of times, I couldn't see the ad again today.. Today, as an afterthought, what baffles me is the quality of the pic in the ad was such low quality but the Flickr photo is of high quality.. Plus no mention of Yahoo Music anywhere on the photo despite the fact that the link pointed to that site. What sort of ad has a totally unrelated picture with no mention of the site its pointing to? Freak technical accident? Perhaps and quite possible but how?

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Human Chain Protest 22nd June 2008, 11.00 am, Agara Lake, Kormangala, Bangalore

Join the Human Chain on Sunday, 22nd June 2008, 11.00 am at Agara Lake (Kormangala).

This is to protect and save our lakes from privatization, which will ruin our water bodies and exploit them for commercial interests.


Most people think "There'll be thousands of people there, it does not matter if I don't go". Unfortunately, most people's protest does not extend beyond their armchair, and you'll find that your presence does make a huge difference.

So please do take part yourself, and forward this to as many people as you can.

Every person counts.

For details on why we are doing this, see the petition below.

www.ipetitions.com/petition/blorelakes/


16th June 08

To:

Dr. Dilip Kumar, IFS
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests
Karnataka State Forest Department
Aranya Bhavan
Bangalore – 560003

Dear Sir,

We are aware that the Honorable High Court of Karnataka has directed you to file a status report with regard to status of lakes in Bangalore that are being privatised.

The undersigned wish to express their deepest concern over the ongoing efforts of the Government of Karnataka through the agency of the Lake Development Authority (LDA) to privatise lakes in Bangalore, and hand them over to private profit making bodies. Already four prime water bodies - Agara Lake, Hebbal Lake, Vengaiah Kere and Nagawara Lakes have been already been leased out by LDA. As per the lease agreements signed between the LDA and the private entities, these lakes have been handed over on lease of 15 years, subsequently extendable, ostensibly for development of the lakes.

Such development involves introduction of restaurants, kiosks, boating, water sports, jetty etc, as it has already been seen in the case of the Nagawara Lake by Lumbini Gardens Pvt Ltd, and by M/s Par – C Systems in the case of Vengaih Kere. We are deeply distressed by this development as we find this unethical and counter to the objective of environment conservation and maintenance of lakes as our public commons. The kind of activities that have been allowed distance visitors from nature, and feed into a consumerist culture that we could well do without.

Incidentally, these lakes were comprehensively de-silted, restored and rehabilitated by grants from the Norwegian Government under the Indo-Norwegian Project and the National Lake Conservation Programme of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. As a result these lakes are fantastic water bodies and excellent habitats for birds - both migrating and local. In addition they support a wide diversity of flora and fauna, and support the livelihoods of tens of fishing families.

Over time, these lakes have been intensively used by all local residents and the general public for various purposes. While Agara is being used for walking, jogging and recreational purposes, Hebbal Lake has been used for customary and traditional occupations like fishing, grazing and irrigation. In addition, birdwatchers have been visiting these wetland habitats regularly documenting the excellent diversity of migratroy waterfowl. All these lakes, and Hebbal in particular, have been the subject of numerous scholars and researchers studying wetlands, birds, aquatic life and so on. Hebbal Lake has infact been repeatedly proposed for conservation as a bird refuge, and its watershed as a Regional Park (per the Lakshman Rau Committee Report – 1988).

These water bodies are also critical open spaces for children of surrounding neighbourhoods whose sensibilities towards nature and its dynamics are also awakened by the easy access to such open spaces.

We sincerely believe that it is an unnecessary and damaging investment to now lease out these very lakes for advancing commercial interests. Besides being illegal this will take away our public commons and our natural heritage and will only benefit a few commercial entities. This loss will be dear and felt by present and future generations.

Keeping all this in view, we urge you to recommend to the Honorable High Court of Karnataka that the programme of lake privatisation must be abandoned. We strongly feel that lakes must be maintained as our common heritage, their maintenance undertaken with the cooperation of local communities and no activity inconsistent with the traditional and specific use of the water bodies should be allowed now or in the future.

As concerned individuals, we are keen to assist the Government of Karnataka and its agencies in any intervention that will ensure the protection and sustenance of our lakes systems.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

FireFox v3.0

So the much awaited update for FireFox is out. Mozilla is trying to achieve a Guiness Record for the maximum number of downloads for a software in 24 hours. So take my word and go ahead download it first from here http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/. You can get fully localised browser versions also from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-rc.html. I have hardly used it for 15 minutes now and it already rocks. For starters, its faster than the previous version. Honestly, I didnt like the previous one much. I have had some issues but my loyality doesnt permit me to speak out against FF. Anyway, thats history now I guess. The only temporary downside I have noticed until now is that about half of my add-ons are yet to release v3 compatible updates but that will not be long.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Twitter

I just created an account in Twitter -(username: Shreelesh). I have no much idea how it works and even lesser idea about how its going to help. Though I do know some people who are twitters.

Friday, April 11, 2008

When Virus Attacks - Virtumonde

A while back I had this bad infection by, what I found out later to be an AdWare called, Virtumonde. There were 2 infected .dll files in my system32 folder what I believe 2 different strains of Virtumonde. ZoneAlarm successfully detected both the infected files but it could neither rename, delete, quarantine or do anything with it despite repeated attempts over many days. I tried scanning the system with AVG and Avast antivirus but neither detected the virus. Now, since it was an AdWare as it proclaimed itself as, I tried using AdWare and SpyBot to no avail. Then somewhere in the www I found its a Trojan! And I started downloading Trojan/Malware removers. Tried a lot of them but none seemed to even detect it. I tried to unhook the .dll from its process using Unlocker but the moment I unhook it the system used to restart. After some a dozen odd softwares failed to fix it, something just struck and I scheduled a boot-time scan on my Avast antivirus and THAT finally got rid of the virus and I haven't had any problems with it after that.

Now, there is a lot of stuff on many forums on how to remove it but none of those methods worked either for me nor for the people who had posted for help. It is such a damned persistent virus that it keeps coming back and infecting the system sometimes by even residing and hiding in memory. Besides, all those process were too long. It is an old virus so I am surprised why I couldn't find any credible cures on the net. Anyway, thats one lesson learnt for me.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Gtalk and Winamp 5.5 Incompatibility

Now this is one stuff I never expected. Two of the most loved (and free) apps incompatible with each other. I have not been using Winamp for a while now - ever since I lost all my songs in a HD crash. Anyway, just downloaded Winamp 5.5 yesterday, started playing Shanghai Breezes by John Denver and clicked on "Show current music track" in Gtalk and forgot about it. A while later, I noticed Gtalk has frozen. Initially, I thought it has something to do with Azureus. I mean who would think Winamp would cause a problem! (?) Finally figured that out. I knew the old versions worked like a breeze so the first option was to install an older one but why give up so easy. Googled for it came across Winamp Forum. I'll leave out the technical stuff and come to the point. To fix the problem you can either use the old version or if you want to use v5.5, open notepad and save it with the name "winamp.m3u" in the winamp directory.

Of course, there's a roundabout way of installing an old version and then just upgrading to v5.5 but what that does is still the same I guess - retain the .m3u file in the directory.

Friday, December 21, 2007

~ The Temple of Our Purest Thoughts is Silence ~



Ek aur saal jee liya humne,
Ek aur gham seh liya humne
Khuda tu aata to nahi kabhi mere rooh-ba-rooh
Ek khamosh fariyaad tere dar pe kar liya humne
©Shreelesh Kumar - All Rights Reserved.


©Shreelesh Kumar - All Rights Reserved. This image and/or words should not be reproduced, published, transmitted via e-mails or otherwise, printed or shared in any physical or electronic form either in part or in whole without the explicit written consent of the Copyright owner. Legal Action will be initiated against any individual, organisation, institution, agency, publishing house, etc. who violate the Copyright laws including but not limited to those mentioned here and use the image and/or words for any commercial/non-commercial purposes.

Turned 28 today.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

सौ दर्द हैं | Sau Dard Hain



सौ दर्द हैं, सौ राहातें
सब मिला दिलनशीं, एक तू ही नहीं।

रूखी रूखी सी ये हवा
और सूखे पत्ते की तरहा
शहर की सड़कों पे मैं
लावारिस उड़ता हुआ
सौ रास्ते, पर तेरी राह नही।

बहता है पानी बहने दे,
वक़्त को यूँही रहने दे।
दरिया ने कर्वट ली है तो
सहिलों को सहने दे।।
सौ हसरतें
पर तेरा ग़म नहीं

----------------------------------------

Sau dard hai, sau rahatein
Sab mila dilnasheen, ek tu hi naheen.

Rookhi rookhi si ye hawa
Aur sookhe pattay ki tarha
Shaher ki sadkon pe main
Lawaris udta hua
Sau raastey, par teri raah nahi

Behta hai paani behne de
Waqt ko yunhi rehne de
Dariya ne karwat li hai to
Sahilon ko sehne de
Sau hasratein
Par tera gham nahi


Jaan-E-Man.
A movie with nothing much to remember about except Akshay's goofy laugh, Preity Zinta (as always), few melodious numbers, and some lovely song picturisations and lightings, not necessarily in that order. Oh and did I mention they were slightly 'inspired' by Meg Ryan and Mathew Broderick starrer Addicted to Love?

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Started Writing Again

Of late getting back to writing crappy 4-liners that I once started during school days. For nearly the initial 3-4 years, even my best friend didn't know about this. I'd decided I'd never share them with anyone, much less publishing them on net, thats pretty much what I just ended up doing just a while back. I dont know whether I am going to continue this online foray or not but lets see.

Mere Lafz - 1

गर तू बेवफा होती तो भुलाना आसान होता
वक़्त का ये जाम-ए-ज़हर हलक पर आसान होता
कुछ तो रह-रहकर चुभता है पलकों पे
कहता तुझसे मैं गर वो दर्द, मुम्किन हाल-ए-बयान होता

----------------

Gar tu bewafa hoti to bhulana asaan hota
Waqt ka ye jaam-e-zahar halak par asaan hota
Kuch to reh-rehkar chubhta hai palko pe
Kehta tujhse main gar vo dard, mumkin haal-e-bayaan hota

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

A BRIDGE TOO FAR ........

A BRIDGE TOO FAR ........

The Lord surveyed the Ram Setu and said "Hanuman, how diligently and strenuously you and your vanara sena had built this bridge several centuries back. It is remarkable that it has withstood the ravages of the climatic and geographical changes over centuries. It is indeed an amazing feat especially considering the fact that a bridge at Hyderabad built by Gammon using latest technology collapsed the other day even before they could stick the posters on its pillars."

Hanuman with all humility spoke "Jai Sri Ram, it is all because of your grace. We just scribbled your name on the bricks and threw them in the sea and they held. No steel from TISCON or cement from Ambuja or ACC was ever used. But Lord, why rake up the old issue now."

Ram spoke "Well, Hanuman some people down there want to demolish the bridge and construct a canal. The contract involves lot of money and lot of money will be made. They will make money on demolition and make more money on construction. "

Hanuman humbly bowed down and said "Why not we go down and present our case" Ram said "Times have changed since we were down there. They will ask us to submit age proof and we don't have either a birth certificate or school leaving certificate. We traveled mainly on foot and some times in bullock carts and so we don't have a driving license either. As far as the address proof is concerned the fact that I was born at Ayodhya is itself under litigation for over half a century, If I go in a traditional attire with bow and arrow, the ordinary folks may recognize me but Arjun Singh may take me to be some tribal and, at the most, offer a seat at IIT under the reserved category. Also, a God cannot walk in dressed in a three-piece suit and
announce his arrival. It would make even the devotees suspicious. So it is dilemma so to say."

"I can vouch for you by saying that I personally built the bridge."

"My dear, Anjani putra, it will not work. They will ask you to produce the lay-out plan, the project details, including financial outlay and how the project cost was met and the completion certificate. Nothing is accepted without documentary evidence in India. You may cough but unless a doctor certifies it, you have no cough. A pensioner may present himself personally but the authorities do not take it as proof. He has to produce a life-certificate to prove that he is alive. It is that complicated."

"Lord can't understand these historians. Over the years you have given darshan once every hundred years to saints like Surdas, Tulsidas, Saint Thyagaraja, Jayadeva, Bhadrachala Ramdas and even Sant Tukaram and still they disbelieve your existence and say Ramayana is a myth. The only option, I see, is to re-enact Ramayana on earth and set the government records straight once for all."

Lord smiled "It isn't that easy today. Ravan is apprehensive that he may look like a saint in front of Karunanidhi. I also spoke to his mama Mareecha, who appeared as a golden deer to tempt Sita maiyya when I was in the forest and he said that he won't take a chance of stepping on earth as long as Salman Khan is around."


This is another forwarded e-mail that I felt I must share..