Very catchy, very anthemic, consequently very concert-friendly and ultimately *very* Boss is his new song _Radio Nowhere_, a song that I heard on Radio Indigo yesterday and again today, riding home after a really fun session with Sky, Dinesh and Rene at Janaastu.
I met the abovementioned trio and Kavitha, at BarCamp Bangalore. Well, actually I'd met Sky a day earlier at RangaShankara, where I acted in a play by David Horsborough called 'The Ungrateful Man'. More on David and the play sometime later.
Sky is doing her Ph.D while not espousing Ubuntu, traveling on grants and in general, learning and teaching lots of things. She taught me to play capoeira at BarCamp and we play everytime conversation flags, which is often the case with me at one end :). She is interesting and vital, this Aussie, with a strong Padmanabha chakra. She doesn't believe in characteristics of blood groups, so I asked her to read this, though there was a better site on the topic earlier.
Kavitha is a professor at UCI. Very enthu about many things and very knowledgeable, K. is a one of the best orator/presenters I have heard. She gave a talk at NIAS that I understood very little of - I was concentrating on the performance more than the content. She also gave me a couple of Sci/Fi books. I will read one of them before she returns :).
Rene is a programmer from Germany - he has set up Community Wireless networks and gave a talk at BarCamp on the same topic and got folks in Bangalore very interested. Also got to know a little about German politics and squatting from him.
TB Dinesh is probably the wackiest of the lot - he had us protesting against the Nandigram violence after BarCamp. We stopped people at Church Street, gave flyers and asked them protest visually, which meant people did some crazy stuff like kick imaginary balls, stare at the moon and dance. All this while the jazz band at JavaCity was playing great 60s/70s music for us. At other times, he runs a software company, an NGO and lectures on Principles of Programming. Whew!
So I guess I can safely answer Springsteen - "Yes, Boss!"
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
That's music to my ears
It's what I have been listening to that makes me what I am.
Two bands. Two different kinds of music. One outcome - exhilaration.
Mili Bhagat
It's the most exciting sound to come from India since Indian Ocean. Techno-Sufi they like to call themselves. Find them on YouTube or Tyoogle for them.
Emergence: A fusion band from Auroville. Fusion in more ways that one - Sri Lankan/American and many other nationalities form the band. They sing in atleast 3 languages - and they are groovy.
www.myspace.com/emergencemusic
Happy Listening. I'll sign off with what a kiddo at Poseidon told me today - "However hot it be outside, you gotta be cool inside."
Two bands. Two different kinds of music. One outcome - exhilaration.
Mili Bhagat
It's the most exciting sound to come from India since Indian Ocean. Techno-Sufi they like to call themselves. Find them on YouTube or Tyoogle for them.
Emergence: A fusion band from Auroville. Fusion in more ways that one - Sri Lankan/American and many other nationalities form the band. They sing in atleast 3 languages - and they are groovy.
www.myspace.com/emergencemusic
Happy Listening. I'll sign off with what a kiddo at Poseidon told me today - "However hot it be outside, you gotta be cool inside."
Monday, August 06, 2007
The Good, Bad and Ugly inside us
My Dad has told me a few things in life. Apart from bringing me to the Earth in this janma, he has told me some facts of life. Most were borrowed, I feel, not owned. But then he has told me stories.
I don't remember much of my childhood other than the joy on listening to stories he told me. Most of the stories were from the Great Indian Epics. Then I contrived to learn to read :(. And that was the end of the bonding.
However, sometime after my rebel-without-a-cause years, he told me something that I felt came like oil from a sea bed (Bad simile? I know:). He told me how the Mahabharata happens inside us. The Pandavas and Kauravas are reflections of our qualities. The bad ones do outnumber the good :). Like most things we truly understand, this didn't require any proof. I remember thinking 'Dad actually knows something'. Also, confronted with 'my' negativities, it was comforting to hear that at the time :).
Sri Sri, in his inimitable, wise and simple style, says, "You have to go beyond Gold and Good to find God". Offering our actions, thoughts and feelings, both Good and Bad, is not easy, but that is what we need to do. And I am always searching for affirmations of this truism. Luckily, when I went to VP's house after coffee with him on this particularly good non-productive day at office, I learnt about www.vedicscholar.com
It's a great site - and offers a lot of free knowledge based on birth information, including a horoscope, probable career paths and planetary transitions likely to affect you in the coming future. And it told me that I could be And a pimp :). And an astrologer! As if one needs a reason to look at the stars! Go find what's in store for you. The freedom you will feel is great - These bad qualities are not 'mine'. It's really liberating. Along with it also comes the humbling reality - The good qualities are not 'mine'.
Some kind of Wonderful.
I don't remember much of my childhood other than the joy on listening to stories he told me. Most of the stories were from the Great Indian Epics. Then I contrived to learn to read :(. And that was the end of the bonding.
However, sometime after my rebel-without-a-cause years, he told me something that I felt came like oil from a sea bed (Bad simile? I know:). He told me how the Mahabharata happens inside us. The Pandavas and Kauravas are reflections of our qualities. The bad ones do outnumber the good :). Like most things we truly understand, this didn't require any proof. I remember thinking 'Dad actually knows something'. Also, confronted with 'my' negativities, it was comforting to hear that at the time :).
Sri Sri, in his inimitable, wise and simple style, says, "You have to go beyond Gold and Good to find God". Offering our actions, thoughts and feelings, both Good and Bad, is not easy, but that is what we need to do. And I am always searching for affirmations of this truism. Luckily, when I went to VP's house after coffee with him on this particularly good non-productive day at office, I learnt about www.vedicscholar.com
It's a great site - and offers a lot of free knowledge based on birth information, including a horoscope, probable career paths and planetary transitions likely to affect you in the coming future. And it told me that I could be And a pimp :). And an astrologer! As if one needs a reason to look at the stars! Go find what's in store for you. The freedom you will feel is great - These bad qualities are not 'mine'. It's really liberating. Along with it also comes the humbling reality - The good qualities are not 'mine'.
Some kind of Wonderful.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Ogden Nash rocks!
On the basis of the quotations alone, he is on par with Shaw, Twain and Wilde.
Simbly wonderful.
Enjoy :)
---------------------------------------------------------------
A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold.
The cow is of the bovine ilk; one end is moo, the other milk.
(And some truths in palatable form)
Do you think my mind is maturing late, or simply rotted early?
I would live all my life in nonchalance and insouciance
Were it not for making a living, which is rather a nouciance.
-Ogden Nash
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Simbly wonderful.
Enjoy :)
---------------------------------------------------------------
A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold.
The cow is of the bovine ilk; one end is moo, the other milk.
(And some truths in palatable form)
Do you think my mind is maturing late, or simply rotted early?
I would live all my life in nonchalance and insouciance
Were it not for making a living, which is rather a nouciance.
-Ogden Nash
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, July 16, 2007
A good Monday
What a wonderful Monday - heard a lot of Alan Watts - he is super cool. Search for him and listen! He is a wonderful speaker.
In one of his talks he tells about the Yetzer Harra - the irreducible rascal as he calls it... Here is a great article on the same aspect.
Sum Of His Parts
A good word about the evil inclination.
........................
by David Holzel
Beam back with me now to one of the early episodes of the original "Star Trek" series, "The Enemy Within." Pity poor Captain Kirk -- a transporter malfunction splits him in two. Kirk No. 1 is a wild, irrational brute -- pure
id. Kirk No. 2 is gentle and compassionate. He is presumed the real captain, until the crew notice he is unable to make a decision -- fateful or otherwise -- and, in fact, is sinking into paralysis.
All ends well, of course. The transporter is patched together. And so is Captain Kirk. He emerges unified, greater than the sum of his parts, and fit enough to survive three seasons of the TV series plus a half-dozen mostly forgettable movies.
Viewed through a Jewish lens, this episode is an allegory of a man whose yetzer hara, or evil inclination, is split from his yetzer hatov, or good inclination.
Philosophically, we're told we need yetzer hara, because our struggle to overcome it characterizes the Jewish belief that people are endowed with free will.
But there is something more fundamental about our need for yetzer hara: Without it, we'd become the sniveling Captain Kirk, or a Paul McCartney who, liberated from John Lennon's dark scrutiny, is free to write "Silly Love Songs."
"If not for the evil impulse," says the midrash, "no one would build a house, marry, have children, nor engage in trade."
So maybe the evil inclination isn't so bad after all.
Far from a demonic force that needs to be destroyed, yetzer hara represents creativity, ambition and will. It is more morally neutral than its name suggests.
"Yetzer hara is not necessarily evil," says Jeffrey Salkin, a Reform rabbi in New York and author of "Being God's Partner." "It has been called the selfish inclination, and yetzer hatov the selfless piece of us."
Rabbi Steven Lebow, of Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta, Georgia, describes yetzer hara as a person's "dark well of energy. It would be better if we understood it in the Freudian sense of the id," he says.
The trick, according to Judaism, is what you do with what you've got.
"Balance is an integral part of a Jewish lifestyle," Rabbi Salkin says. "Judaism doesn't believe in getting rid of the body, in getting rid of desire. The focus is sanctifying what you do. That's a profoundly humanistic way of looking at the world."
That's why any meal can become a mirror of a service in the ancient Temple -- compliments of a few blessings.
And that's why Judaism neither bans drinking nor encourages drinking freely. Instead, it encourages making kiddush -- the sanctification over wine.
Sexuality often is associated with yetzer hara. But sexuality is neutral, Rabbi Salkin points out. "It is sanctifiable. It includes marriage -- the holy of holies -- and it includes rape."
Others believe the dark well of yetzer hara represents a dread that we never can quite shake: our fear of death. In this view, yetzer hatov is our drive to connect with the eternal. Judaism says this is accomplished by our relation with God.
Yetzer hara is our sneaking suspicion, or out-and-out conviction, that this life is all there is. It pulls us from the holy to the corporeal. To defy death, our yetzer hara stirs us to build monuments to ourselves -- families, businesses, works of art. These, we know, will survive us. (Why else do captains of the starship Enterprise leave detailed mission logs? Why else are there reruns?)
One thing more -- if it's all a question of balance, can there be too much yetzer hatov? Yes, Rabbi Salkin says.
"Too much leads to premature saintliness. If one is overly righteous, one is likely to become suicidal."
It was Rabbi Hillel who, 2,000 years ago, set the balance between the two warring impulses: "If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I?"
It's a lesson James T. Kirk learned early on. After he got himself together.
In one of his talks he tells about the Yetzer Harra - the irreducible rascal as he calls it... Here is a great article on the same aspect.
Sum Of His Parts
A good word about the evil inclination.
........................
by David Holzel
Beam back with me now to one of the early episodes of the original "Star Trek" series, "The Enemy Within." Pity poor Captain Kirk -- a transporter malfunction splits him in two. Kirk No. 1 is a wild, irrational brute -- pure
id. Kirk No. 2 is gentle and compassionate. He is presumed the real captain, until the crew notice he is unable to make a decision -- fateful or otherwise -- and, in fact, is sinking into paralysis.
All ends well, of course. The transporter is patched together. And so is Captain Kirk. He emerges unified, greater than the sum of his parts, and fit enough to survive three seasons of the TV series plus a half-dozen mostly forgettable movies.
Viewed through a Jewish lens, this episode is an allegory of a man whose yetzer hara, or evil inclination, is split from his yetzer hatov, or good inclination.
Philosophically, we're told we need yetzer hara, because our struggle to overcome it characterizes the Jewish belief that people are endowed with free will.
But there is something more fundamental about our need for yetzer hara: Without it, we'd become the sniveling Captain Kirk, or a Paul McCartney who, liberated from John Lennon's dark scrutiny, is free to write "Silly Love Songs."
"If not for the evil impulse," says the midrash, "no one would build a house, marry, have children, nor engage in trade."
So maybe the evil inclination isn't so bad after all.
Far from a demonic force that needs to be destroyed, yetzer hara represents creativity, ambition and will. It is more morally neutral than its name suggests.
"Yetzer hara is not necessarily evil," says Jeffrey Salkin, a Reform rabbi in New York and author of "Being God's Partner." "It has been called the selfish inclination, and yetzer hatov the selfless piece of us."
Rabbi Steven Lebow, of Temple Kol Emeth in Marietta, Georgia, describes yetzer hara as a person's "dark well of energy. It would be better if we understood it in the Freudian sense of the id," he says.
The trick, according to Judaism, is what you do with what you've got.
"Balance is an integral part of a Jewish lifestyle," Rabbi Salkin says. "Judaism doesn't believe in getting rid of the body, in getting rid of desire. The focus is sanctifying what you do. That's a profoundly humanistic way of looking at the world."
That's why any meal can become a mirror of a service in the ancient Temple -- compliments of a few blessings.
And that's why Judaism neither bans drinking nor encourages drinking freely. Instead, it encourages making kiddush -- the sanctification over wine.
Sexuality often is associated with yetzer hara. But sexuality is neutral, Rabbi Salkin points out. "It is sanctifiable. It includes marriage -- the holy of holies -- and it includes rape."
Others believe the dark well of yetzer hara represents a dread that we never can quite shake: our fear of death. In this view, yetzer hatov is our drive to connect with the eternal. Judaism says this is accomplished by our relation with God.
Yetzer hara is our sneaking suspicion, or out-and-out conviction, that this life is all there is. It pulls us from the holy to the corporeal. To defy death, our yetzer hara stirs us to build monuments to ourselves -- families, businesses, works of art. These, we know, will survive us. (Why else do captains of the starship Enterprise leave detailed mission logs? Why else are there reruns?)
One thing more -- if it's all a question of balance, can there be too much yetzer hatov? Yes, Rabbi Salkin says.
"Too much leads to premature saintliness. If one is overly righteous, one is likely to become suicidal."
It was Rabbi Hillel who, 2,000 years ago, set the balance between the two warring impulses: "If I am not for myself, who is for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I?"
It's a lesson James T. Kirk learned early on. After he got himself together.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Bug (ger)!
This is a small post. Had a thought some time back that said "Software bugs and stress in life are connected". This is a brief elaboration of that thought's core idea.
For those who don't know what a bug is - it is simply software not fuctioning as it should.
Bob Kembel did trainings at HCL, where I used to work. During one of these, he told us that to solve a bug, we need to know two things:
1. What should happen (the correct flow)
2. What is happening (the 'buggy' flow)
Stress is also a difference between 'What is' and 'What should'. We keep an idea of what should happen in our lives and when this is not in sync with what is happening, stress is created. This takes various forms: fear, anxiety and so many of the psychosomatic disorders that we see today.
Is there a way that will solve the second problem (in our lives), that might give us insights into how to solve the first? Wait and watch!
For those who don't know what a bug is - it is simply software not fuctioning as it should.
Bob Kembel did trainings at HCL, where I used to work. During one of these, he told us that to solve a bug, we need to know two things:
1. What should happen (the correct flow)
2. What is happening (the 'buggy' flow)
Stress is also a difference between 'What is' and 'What should'. We keep an idea of what should happen in our lives and when this is not in sync with what is happening, stress is created. This takes various forms: fear, anxiety and so many of the psychosomatic disorders that we see today.
Is there a way that will solve the second problem (in our lives), that might give us insights into how to solve the first? Wait and watch!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Digg this!
It's a nice Monday afternoon. I haven't got any work done yet and (therefore?) I'm feeling happy. And the coffee is making me put this blog down - something I'm doing after a long time.
So, what I'll do is plug some sites that I've been visiting to keep me from work.
1. Coverville is a cool podcast by Brian Ibbott. Although I'm not a big fan of his voice, I really like the stuff he plays (most of the times :). Like this morning, I heard this cover of Def Leppard's 'Photograph' that is surely better than the orig. This was on his first edition of coverville.
2. www.digg.com
(These guys were under pressure but they bow(i)ed to their readers' wishes. gotta love them.
3. Wikipedia:
Ok VP I agree! Wiki is cool.
Cheerio
I'll slog on the bug...
So, what I'll do is plug some sites that I've been visiting to keep me from work.
1. Coverville is a cool podcast by Brian Ibbott. Although I'm not a big fan of his voice, I really like the stuff he plays (most of the times :). Like this morning, I heard this cover of Def Leppard's 'Photograph' that is surely better than the orig. This was on his first edition of coverville.
2. www.digg.com
(These guys were under pressure but they bow(i)ed to their readers' wishes. gotta love them.
3. Wikipedia:
Ok VP I agree! Wiki is cool.
Cheerio
I'll slog on the bug...
Friday, January 19, 2007
Words spoken by the Elders of Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation
"You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.
And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be a good time!
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the
river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.
See who is in there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.
Least of all, ourselves.
For the momnet that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we've been waiting for."
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.
And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be a good time!
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the
river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.
See who is in there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.
Least of all, ourselves.
For the momnet that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we've been waiting for."
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