I had learnt about Area 51 from a couple of Discovery Channel shows that create a lot of viewer interest and awe regarding the activities that are believed to be going on there. This book tries to weave the accounts of various people who worked there and presents it in a chronological order of sorts. It is very informative regarding the role of US establishments such as the CIA, the Airforce and the Department of Energy (which has its origins probably in the Manhattan Project during the development of the first nuclear weapon). This book also serves as a good account of major events during the cold war.

The author take good care to skip the usual stuff that most of us might know and focuses only on key stories that have been declassified recently or learnt during invetigations by the author.

The author states concerns regarding the usage of humans for carrying out various tests at Area 51 and other clandestine sites. She tries to establish (with a possiblility of exaggeration) that there is very little information available in public domain and that various departments mentioned above seem to be hiding “majority of the iceberg”.

As a reader if you even an iota of interest in military, politics or science; you will get glued to the book from page one and soak it up in minimal number of sittings. There is also a section of photos towards the end of the book which contain photos from Area 51 and a couple of unreleased photographs.

One thing about the writing style that I sometimes found teasing and sometimes annoying was that whenever the author was reaching a point significant out come or a major issue, she would delay that part and move into the background of the persons involved, spend a page or so on it and only then disclose whatever happened. However, I am sure she has a good reason for pouring over the background in such detail, possibly to make the reader empathise with the character in that situation.

I recommend this book for anyone with slight interest in the topic or even if some one wants to read up a bit on the cold war period.

The Gods Themselves is a very popular novel by the great science fiction writer Issac Asimov. If you are an Asimov fan, chances are that you might have already read it. This novel was regarded by Asimov as one of his favourite works. It is one of the very few works of Asimov that contain vivid description of an intelligent alien life.

I managed to read the book on Kindle app on my ipad 2. The book is divided into three sections: (1) Give a history of the electron pump and describes us the characters and work of Fedrick Hallam and Peter Lamont. It also introduces Denison to us. (2) story on the other side i.e. the para universe (2) the story on moon and how a radio chemist resolves the problem with the electron pump.

The story is pretty gripping especially with the fictitious concept of electron pump and involvement of universes with varying laws. The consistency of scientific arguments (though fictitious) is incredible. In fact while describing various universes, in one conversation between two characters, Asimov also contemplates why the Big Bang happened. This is just the kind of stuff that a science fiction fan wants to read.

This novel has also won critical acclaim because Asimov describes alien universe and alien sex in detail. During his time, many of his fans had demanded description of aliens and sex in his works and through this novel Asimov had elated them much.

In my own experience, I found the second chapter on aliens to be a little dragging at time as I was very keen on seeing the progress in the story. The detailed description of the triad, their activities and their life, though incredibly appealing for the fans, was not some thing I enjoyed much.

In addition, it would have been great, if the story went back to Peter Lamont also in the third part. However, this is some thing that I feel due to attachment with the characters of the story during the course of my reading.

(source: Wikipedia)
Andhra folklore states that once Karna while riding his chariot in his kingdom of Anga, encountered a child who was crying over her pot of spilt ghee. On asking her the reason for her dismay, she stated that she feared her step mother who would be angry over her carelessness. Being generous enough Karna told her that he would give her new ghee (clarified butter). But, the child insisted that she wanted only the ghee that was mixed with the soil and refused to take the new ghee. Taking pity on the girl, Karna took the soil mixed with ghee in his fist and squeezed it with all his might to extract the ghee and pour it back into the pot. During this process, Karna heard the agonized voice of a woman. When he opened his fist, he realized that the voice was that of Bhoomidevi – the Earth goddess. Furious, she chastised Karna for inflicting enormous pain on Mother Earth for the sake of a mere child. So, the Earth goddess cursed him that in a very crucial battle of his life, she would trap his chariot wheel in the same way that he held the fistful of soil, thereby making him vulnerable to his enemy.

Well this story clears my doubt about Karna’s strength. Karna was as strong as Bhima. For he was undefeated in mace battle with bhima in the battle of Kurukshetra. In addition, he was amongst the few men such as Bhim, Duryodhana, Dau (Krishna’s elder brother) and Bhishma who could have killed Keechaka (a mighty and powerful warrior who was killed by bhima during agyatvasa). His knowledge about this fact led the Kauravas and Karna to attack Matsyadesh where the Pandavas were spending the year of their agyatvas.

BTW am I turning religious or something? Consequent posts related to mythology put me in doubt as well. But on a careful analysis the following causes have made me revisit mythology again and again this year:

1. Realization of my own imperfections and mistakes as I turn entrepreneurial.
2. My incomplete struggle against my mind’s need for instant gratification and my temper.
3. A mind severely upset by the recent series of corruption scandals that broke out this year (make me wonder what kind of a world will I have to survive in and what kind of people will I deal with in future and what deeds will I have to undertake to grow)
4. A mind that has become intolerant and started magnifying incompetence and mistakes of others to an extreme
5. A mind that has always wanted to know about our origins and about where we are headed

Chapter IV

text vii
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyuthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srijamy aham

text viii
paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge

Whenever and wherever there is a decline in rule of law, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of lawlessness, at that time I descend Myself. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles of law, I advent Myself millennium after millennium

In my free time my mind dwells into thoughts that try to connect our mythology with our history. The questions that linger on my mind are:

- Was the war of Kurukshetra (from the epic Maharabharata) for real?
- Are the yugas as described by hindu scriptures for real?
- How can a religious or mythological epic have such vivid and mathematical descriptions of the war, the numbers (of participants, the dead and warrior kill stats etc)? Doesn’t it seem unnatural?
- Did people from ancient times really travelled to other planets (as mentioned in Mahabharata)
- So did they know whether other planets had life?
- What really was the power of the super weapon mentioned in these scriptures? Were they, in principle, similar to the ones nations use today?
- What was the position of other regions around the world at the “time” of Mahabharata? Were there advanced civilizations living there just as in Bharata?
- Was the mind of the person that wrote Bhagvada Gita really Human? It does not seem possible for a mortal to even imagine such discpline and knowledge, let alone putting it down so eloquently in verses

I feel sad that I am so tied up in my business ventures that I do not have the time to quench this innate thirst.

- “But all over the factory there developed a myth of the Japanese manager. The one who is groomed in the fires of the factory floor. And not on the syllabus of PowerPoint, Segmentation and Strategy”

- “ICBMs are the idiom of power in international relations. Even as economic might plays a greater role in shaping international power equations, hard power remains central both for national deterrence and for power-projection force capability”

- “No nation can be a major power without three key attributes: (1) a high level of autonomous and innovative technological capability (2) a capacity to meet basic defense needs indigenously. (3) a capability to project power far beyond its borders, especially through intercontinental-range weaponry”

For the uninitiated, here are some key points from the NLB which are the crux of the issue:

1. Indian government indirectly takes the onus of compensation in case of a mishap and this compensation will be capped at Rs. 500 Crores in the event of a nuclear accident. (This will be the compensation to victims of a nuclear accident)
2. The compensation will be made through the Nuclear Power Corporation of India i.e. the bill puts the responsibility of paying compensation on the operator and not the supplier or foreign companies building and installing nuclear facilities in India. (think Moral Hazards? )

NLB is said to be a crucial part of the Indo-US Nuclear deal and it is said that without the NLB being cleared, the US firms will not get insurance cover for their projects in India.

What freaks me out the most are some media reports in which the Indian government claims that this bill is necessary to protect the interest of the Indian people.

A print media article dated December 11, 2009 even says that:

Sharing Mr. Sorabjee’s view, senior Supreme Court lawyer and constitutional expert P.P. Rao said: “This [Bill] can be challenged in a court of law as it may not stand judicial scrutiny. It is vulnerable, arbitrary and unfair.” He wondered how the government could legally deprive a victim of fair and just compensation. Any such move would be violative of the right to life.

Pointing out that the main lesson from the Bhopal gas tragedy was that foreign companies engaged in hazardous industries must be made strictly and absolutely liable for any damage caused by their units, Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan said “the proposed Bill, instead, seeks to limit the liability, which is absurd.”

A nuclear disaster (such as Chernobyl (request you to go through all relevant portions of the page)) can have extremely dire ramification and cause massive damage to life and property. The severe radioactivity that engulfs a place after such an accident or even a minor leakage makes large tracts of surrounding area uninhabitable for many years. It destroys all forms of plant and animal life. The radioactivity may cause genetic mutations and lead to many types of cancers, even after many years.

The policies of the current and past governments (irrespective of the party in power), especially on matters of international affairs, has always annoyed me. With reference to the current government I feel that it is the weakest government (ironically elected with strongest majority) to come to power in last two decades.

About the Poet (Source)

Henry John Newbolt was born in Bilston, Wolverhampton (then located in Staffordshire, but now in the West Midlands), son of the vicar of St Mary’s Church. Newbolt attended Queen Mary’s Grammar School, Walsall, and Caistor Grammar School, from where he gained a scholarship to Clifton College, where he was head of the school (1881) and edited the school magazine.

Henry Newbolt died at his home in Campden Hill, Kensington, London, on 19 April 1938, aged 75. A blue plaque there commemorates his residency. He is buried in the churchyard of St Mary’s church on an island in the lake on the Orchardleigh estate of the Duckworth family in Somerset.

A Ballad of Sir Pertab Singh

In the first year of him that first

Was Emperor and King,

A rider came to the Rose-red House,

The House of Pertab Singh.

Young he was and an Englishman,

And a soldier, hilt and heel,

And he struck fire in Pertab’s heart

As the steel strikes on steel.

Beneath the morning stars they rode,

Beneath the evening sun,

And their blood sang to them as they rode

That all good wars are one.

They told their tales of the love of women.

Their tales of East and West,

But their blood sang that of all their loves

They loved a soldier best.

So ran their joy the allotted days.

Till at the last day’s end

The Shadow stilled the Rose-red House

And the heart of Pertab’s friend.

When morning came, in narrow chest

The soldier’s face tkcy lit.

And over his fast-dreaming eyes

Shut down the narrow lid.

Three were there of his race and creed.

Three only and no more:

They could not find to bear the dead

A fourth in all Jodhpore.

“O Maharaj, of your good grace

Send us a Sweeper here:

A Sweeper has no caste to lose

Even by an alien bier.”

“What need, what need ? ” said Pertab Singh,

And bowed his princely head.

“I have no caste, for I myself

Am bearing forth the dead.”

“Maharaj, O passionate heart,

Be wise, bethink you yet:

That which you lose to-day is lost

Till the last sun shall set.”

** God only knows,” said Pertab Singh,

“That which I lose to-day:

And without me no hand of man

Shall bear my friend away.”

Stately and slow and shoulder-high

In the sight of all Jodhpore

The dead went down the rose-red steps

Upheld by bearers four.

When dawn relit the lamp of grief

Within the burning East

There came a word to Pertab Singh,

The soft word of a priest.

He woke, and even as he woke

He went forth all in white,

And saw the Brahmins bowing there

In the hard morning light.

“Alas! Maharaj, alas!

O noble Pertab Singh!

For here in Jodhpore yesterday

Befell a fearful thing.

*’O here in Jodhpore yesterday

A fearful thing befell.”

“A fearful thing,” said Pertab Singh,

“God and my heart know well —

“I lost a friend.”

“More fearful yet I

Went down these steps you past

In sight of all Jodhpore you lost —

O Maharaj ! — your caste.”

Then leapt the light in Pertab’s eyes

As the flame leaps in smoke,

** Thou priest! thy soul hath never known

The word thy lips have spoke.

** My caste! Know thou there is a caste

Above my caste or thine,

Brahmin and Rajput are but dust

To that immortal line:

*’ Wide as the world, free as the air,

Pure as the pool of death —

The caste of all Earth’s noble hearts

Is the right soldier’s faith.”

- Sir Henry Newbolt

Explanation

This poem is a short episode from the life of Maharaja Pertab Singh of Jodhpore. In the very first year of Sir Pertab Singh as a king, a rider came to the house of the Maharaja. The rider was a striking young British soldier (soldier hilt and heel emphasizes that the young rider looked professional and oozed the qualities of a soldier by virtue of his looks).

The Maharaja being a brave warrior himself was struck by the personality of this English soldier and soon both became very good friends. (And he struck fire in Pertab’s heart as steel strikes on steel).

To understand this, one must realize the nature of a soldier’s work. While a soldier is a professional just as any other, his job is on a different paradigm vis-a-vis other professional careers because it involves constant risk of life and laying down life for someone else. They stay away from their families for many months, some time several years together to fight wars and train hard at their barracks. The fellow soldiers they live with become their fast friends and they fight and die together on the battlefield, mourn each others losses and celebrate their victories together. That is the reason Pertab Singh and the Englishman became friends very quickly.

Both warriors used to enjoy riding together sharing their experiences of wars, women and their countries. However they agreed with each other that their profession as a soldier was above all else. They continued to enjoy themselves until suddenly one day the English soldier passed away. (So ran their joy the allotted days. Till at the last day’s end. The Shadow stilled the Rose-red House. And the heart of Pertab’s friend)

The body of the Englishman was lying in the coffin awaiting the final rites. However there were only three people of the Englishman’s caste in all of Jodhpore. And in those days no one in India would touch the body of a person from another caste due to the rigid belief in caste system and untouchability. Therefore it was suggested that a sweeper be called to lend a fourth shoulder to the coffin so that the final rites may be completed. The priests claimed that as a sweeper belongs to the lowest possible caste in the cadre, he has nothing to lose by carrying the coffin of the Englishman.

However, the kind-hearted Maharaja, plunged into grief by the death of his friend, decided to lift the coffin along with others. He believed that he had nothing to lose by lifting a friend’s coffin. When he announced this decision, his advisors intervened by saying that once the Maharaja lifts the coffin and loses his caste, he will never regain it (Be wise, bethink you yet. That which you lose to-day is lost. Till the last sun shall set)

To this the grief-stricken maharaja replies that its only god who knows what he has lost today (In this statement, the Maharaja says that the loss of his caste is nothing compared to the real and colossal loss he has had due to the death of his friend). And the Maharaja announces that no one else other than him shall be the fourth bearer of the coffin. And then the final rites of the Englishman were performed as the Maharaja along with others bore the coffin away (And without me no hand of man Shall bear my friend away. Stately and slow and shoulder-high, In the sight of all Jodhpore, The dead went down the rose-red steps, Upheld by bearers four.)

The next two lines in the poem are one of my favourite. The poet has made excellent use of language to inform the reader that the the maharaja was so grief striken that as soon as he awoke all he remembered was the death of his friend. The literal meaning of these two lines is that the onset of dawn “relit the lamp of grief” i.e. the sun, as it rose in the East (When dawn relit the lamp of grief, Within the burning East).

While the Maharaja was in his bedroom, the priests softly called to the maharaja to awaken him. The maharaja who was already awake and mourning his friend’s death, upon hearing the priest got up and proceeded to meet them. The maharaja who was just out of bed and draped in white saw the priests bowing to him in the hard morning light. The morning light was hard for the maharaja as he had just awakened from sleep a while ago.

The priests told the Maharaja that a terrible and fearful thing happend in Jodhpore yesterday. The maharaja, assuming that they were referring to his friend’s death responded that he knows about it. Then the priest replied that an even more terrible thing that happened the previous day was that the Maharaja lost his caste in front of all of Jodhpore. (*’O here in Jodhpore yesterday, A fearful thing befell.” “A fearful thing,” said Pertab Singh, “God and my heart know well — “I lost a friend.” “More fearful yet I Went down these steps you past In sight of all Jodhpore you lost — O Maharaj ! — your caste.”)

The maharaja expected this topic the least, as his mind was completely occupied with the death of his friend. The maharaja was probably almost annoyed as suggested by the use of words eyes and flame (Then leapt the light in Pertab’s eyes, As the flame leaps in smoke). The Maharaja responds to the priest (probably angrily) by saying that, “your soul does not know the words you have spoken”. He explanined further by saying that there are some things which are much above petty things such as caste and religions. There are some things that we value so much that all caste and religion seem to be zilch infront of them.

He calls this most valuable thing as belonging to an immortal line. He glorifies it by calling it “as wide as the world, as free as the air and as pure as the pool of death”. Undoubtedly and rightlfully it is the caste of the noble hearts i.e. a soldier’s faith.

Tagline: The Power of Thinking without Thinking

Malcolm Gladwell covered business, science and medicine for the Washington Post before becoming the New York City bureau chief. Currently he is a staff writer for the New Yorker

Blink is an unconventional book on an unconventional topic and is extremely engrossing. The writing style of the author and the choice of the stories/examples used by the author ensures that the reader remains glued to the book cover to cover.

Blink is a very good effort to highlight the importance of alternate gut-feeling based decision making. It very lucidly explains the pros and cons of making snap decisions and encourages the readers to understand the power of human mind. It tries to explain how and why certain experts are able to reach a decision without the need for complex and lenghty investigation and analysis.

With reference to the recent global financial crisis, I think that the book also seems to teach us that over dependence on the so called well thought-out and highly intricate mathematical models must be avoided as they are not fool-proof. Decision making cannot be based solely on such models and decision makers need to use the insights of their inner mind in an appropriate manner at all times to optimize the decision making process.

I do not want to dicuss any of the stories mentioned in the book, over here. Strongly suggest that you read the book to understand what I am talking about. This particular book would surely give the readers the same level of thrill even after reading multiple times. Though I have read it only once, I am pretty sure of this gut-feeling of mine

For 42 year maoist rebels have fought the Indian Government using guerrilla warfare. This fight has been waged for too long and now poses one of the biggest internal security crises the country faces today. As an affluent city dweller I find it easy to go about my daily chores and not think of these issues. But upon learning in greater detail about the maoist rebels, I am reminded of this quote by V.S. Naipaul:

“Hate oppression. Fear the oppressed.”

Rural development, especially of tribals and people living near state borders has been one of the biggest blind spots of this country and poses the greatest threat to it integrity.

I am provoked by this article in a daily newspaper that I read, which has covered some of the personal letters the Maoist fighters had written to each other (These letter came into the possession of police after they forced the Maoists to flee from one of their camps) and have been shared with the Media. The matter in these letters is very thought provoking and moving. It clearly indicates the extreme resolve and state of frustration these fighters have lived in. Their sole occupation and life mission is to fight and die for their cause.

While it is said that India is on the verge of launching one of the biggest offensives to neutralize the naxal threat, I ask, do we also have a plan to attack the root causes of the problem and prevent them from cropping up again. I doubt. In places where there will be isolated pockets of prosperity, failure of the government machinery and such extreme poverty, I think all of us must be afraid.

The unfortunate lack of proper facilities, infrastructure and training coupled with difficult terrain and outdated weapons make the local police force a very easy target. Therefore, it is way too easy and cheap for the naxalites to involve in conflicts and gain formidable advantage over the law enforcement agencies. One must also not forget the rampant corruption, bureaucratism and red tapism which makes it inefficient and leads to endless delays in planning and implementation of solutions. Some of the letters recovered from maoist rebel bases also describes atrocities and crimes committed by police men which in turn lead to more people taking up arms against the government.

I can write at length about the suggestion that can be implemented to improve this situation. But all proposed solutions shall end in failure as the country’s implementation mechanism is impotent and mired in absolute hopelessness and corruption. No system is wrong or incapable. It is always the people who run the system that fail. If the hand that implements cannot act with a welfare motive, what virtue is there in formulating an action plan.