Smartphones have changed the world of communication

Smartphones have changed the world of communication. Right now I am at a place to get my haircut waiting for my turn. I never miss an opportunity to chit chat with my Co-customers. My attempt to initiate a conversation didn't arouse much interest in them. They have all buried their head inside their devices like Ostriches do in sand. Welcome to the world of smartphones.

Power as an aphrodisiac

There is no powerful aphrodisiac in the world than the power itself. This has been true throughout the centuries. Around the time of Gautama Buddha, Ajatsatru the King of Magadha imprisoned and killed his father Bimbisara to ascend the throne. His son exactly followed his father's footstep. Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor famously said " Kingship is more powerful than Kinship". He killed his brothers including his elder brother Dara who was the favorite son of his father Sah Jahan. Over centuries nothing has changed. Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto, the ex-PM of Pakistan trusted Zia-Ul-Haq. He promoted him over others and made him the Army chief. He thought Zia as a pliable one and often used to poke fun at him in public referring to him as his Monkey general for the later's looks. Zia had the last laugh. He arrested Bhutto in a coup and hung him soon after. Power and betrayal has been synonymous through human history. No wonder the saying goes " Absolute power corrupts absolutely".

Fate and faith in lottery.

With the  backdrop of last week's $400 million lottery winner it revived the memory of our growing up days. If you remember early 80s there was a popular lottery in Odisha known as Rajarani lottery. Apparently it could not sustain long and soon folded up. If you ask someone those days what you would do if you win a big prize money in lottery the common answer was I will put it in a Fixed Deposit in State Bank of India and live off on the interest for rest of my life. Rarely anybody said about investing it to make further money. State Bank deposits were safer and the most preferred mode of investment those days. Mindset of public over the year has gone through a drastic change. People intend to make more money out of money. It has made life a rat race. That's exactly why the business of gambling (lottery is one form of gambling) thrives. Purchasing power of every currency has depreciated over the years. Now-a-days even one million dollar prize money is not big enough an amount to retire. After they deduct the taxes (money earned from lottery is heavily taxed) it leaves you an amount of something over 600K. It certainly is quite a good amount. But not quite good enough to follow my childhood fantasy of putting it in a savings account and retire for life.

Solution for Insomnia

Today at one of our work meetings someone confided to us about having hard time falling asleep, soliciting solutions other than medicines. I said "Just take home some of our manuals and read them at bedtime. You will soon sleeping like a baby. This is the best cure for your insomnia without any side effects." Laughter followed.

When American president Visits India

 Last week this news got my attention,  that our BRIC mate the Brazil's President cancelled her trip to USA. The reason being Uncle Sam spoofing over her private e-mails. By doing so she sent a strong message. Hat's off to the lady. Being a superpower does not give someone rights to snoop over others e-mail. Two other BRIC mates, China and Russia have proved that they don't bend easily before America. But it is a different story for the  other BRIC nation India. When American wants India to bend it crawls. I find it very strange that our media hardly covers the visit of Russian Presidents these days. Russia is a time tested all weather friend of India. America has no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interest (they are quite open about it).  But when any American President visits India our media goes ga ga months before the trip. They swoon over them. Our MPs rush to touch them. We forget that Clinton and Bush visited in their second term in which an American president is considered as lame duck. yet they were treated like Rock Stars. Obama's  hip twitching Diwali dance swayed many who wasted no time comparing his dance to Bollywood biggies. Alas, the same never happens when it is the other way round. Forget coverage, the American press hardly even takes notice of the visit. Russian president Putin gets far better coverage in US (more than he gets in India). Now the American press is suddenly excited in anticipation of Obama talking to the Iranian President next week (both don't have diplomatic ties since 1979). Why ? Because Putin or Iranian President though both of them no big fans of America, both matter to Uncle Sam. India though officially a close ally hardly matters. America just takes India for granted. In Odia there is a saying MAAI NUHE KI GAAI NUHE ( transliterated neither a female nor a cow). It means someone of least importance or may I say impotent ! No proverb is more accurate in this context.

My Inocluation Experience

Recently read a news about health workers giving vaccines to children in Afghanistan are targeted by Talibans. A medieval midset considering the fact that vaccinations save life. I have a very faint memory of small pox vaccine which was tattooed on my hand during my childhood. Its scar is still visible. But my first vivid memory is getting a shot (injection) of cholera  vaccination when I was in primary school. I was afraid to death of being pierced by an thick needle. I mistakenly assumed that the ordeal would be over once I got the shot. But it started soon after. By evening I had fever and I could hardly lift my arm. The pain subsided after couple of days. All I got in lieu of all the pain I incurred was a piece of paper called the Inoculation Certificate. Little I knew that this Certificate will come handy a few months later when I was on a bus to Puri days before RATH YATRA ( Chariot festival). On the outskirts of the city near Chandanpur the bus was stopped by a battalion of health officials with syringe on hand. It was time to give cholera shots. I proudly brandished my inoculation certificate. Those who didn't  meekly disembarked and lined up for the shots. A few who tried to flee were immediately chased by the officials who apparently anticipated this. Some escaped by wading over the paddy fields, melting away behind the coconut groves. Those not so lucky were grabbed by their collars and a DAMPHANA ( an Odia term for thick needles used to sew jute sacks) sized needle was stabbed on their bottom with great force. They grimaced in pain and limped back to bus in full view of passengers peeping through the window. I was watching wild wild west enacted on the east coast of India. Vaccinations no doubt wiped out many communicable diseases like small pox and cholera. Half of my father's siblings died of preventable diseases before they reached 5 due to lack of vaccination. My grandfather used to tell me scary stories about how entire families in our village were wiped out by bouts of cholera and small pox. Life then was a matter of surviving next spring (pox season) or late summer (cholera season). During the epidemics the entire village use to shut down after dark. As soon as twilight sets in the villagers liberally filled huge earthen pots outside with PITHA(cakes made from rice and grams), PANA (a sweetened puree made from yogurt and fruits like Banana and Stone Apples or BEL) for the consumption of BADI THAKURANI(the Goddess of Cholera) or MA SITHALA (The Goddess of Pox). Job done, they rushed back home never daring to venture outside till dawn lest they earn the wrath of the Goddesses. Not sure how far the Goddesses were appeased but the stray dogs of the village had a field day. They put on a lot of weight and seemed healthier and happier than their human counterparts.

The word Peon

This morning I met a co-worker and a good friend who earlier moved to a different group. After the customary "How ya do'in" exchanged between us I asked him how he feels in his new group. He said "Are you aware of the French word Peon, which means the employee at the bottom strata in an organization ? I feel the same these days." For the first time I heard an American using the word peon. (He was poking fun at himself by equating himself with peon which he meant as someone at lower echelons in an organization, not that someone told him to bring a glass of water). It was not surprising for him to ask me about my familiarity with the term peon as it is not so commonly used here. But to me who grew up in Bhubaneswar at a time it was mostly a city of salaried people Peon was not a strange but quite a familiar word. I bet more Indians know the word 'peon' than the Americans do. The government quarters we lived in where I grew up had the Peon quarters adjacent to us. I do remember some of my friends from our block were barred by their parents to mix with those kids on the other side of the block lest they will be corrupted with bad influence. The narrow road was like the great barrier reef, which separated a common people speaking a common language by nothing but an artificial class barrier based on false vanity. For them it was a no go area. We had no such parochial parental guidance. My sisters and I had no compulsion in making friends with kids our own age living in those quarters. When TV came in 1982 they used to come to our house to watch cricket and Sunday movies. My mother used to bring PAKODAS (a common afternoon snack in India) for all to share. When I visit Bhubaneswar I prefer to and feel safer to drive a Moped (LUNA) which makes it easier to navigate the unruly traffic. Few have told me " APANA AMERIKA RU ASI KANA LUNA CHADHUCHANTI, AJIKALI PEON BI LUNA CHALAU NAHANTI". It means "How come you coming from America ride a Luna(a popular moped) whereas even peons these days don't ride them ". I refrain from answering their stupid question because it's silliness speaks volumes about them. But I always wished I told them it is non of their freaking business whether I ride a moped or ride as a Mahout on an elephant.  And what peons ride today has got nothing to do with what I should or shouldn't ride tomorrow. In this context it reminds me of an adage about Abraham Lincoln. Once someone saw Lincoln tying his shoelaces and asked him " Mr. President, you tie your own shoelaces ?" Yes, I do responded Lincoln. Then he went on " Whose shoelaces you tie".

Fed's announcement and Rupee's improvement

Couple of days back the American federal reserve announced that it will continue to pump money into the economy. No sooner than it was announced  the next day the SENSEX (Index in Indian stock exchange similar to Dow Jones) boomed and Rupee stabilized at lower 60s. That is in anticipation that this decision of easy money by Fed will pump more Dollar to the global economy. So that will at least curb the outflow of dollars from India, at least of the time being. No wonder they say when America sneezes the whole world catches the cold.

Maasage at health fair

Just got off from a wonderful soothing Chair massage at the Health Fair today at work. The soft hands of the masseur (please don't kill the messenger) srugged off my jaded nerves. Thoroughly relaxed and feeling drowsy staggered back to work feeling like going home for a nap.

Working Like clockwork

My schedule is working like clockwork these days. No sooner I turn my car key on I hear "Good morning. This is NPR news, Washington...." It tells me it is 7.30. I am so tuned to it I don't have to look at my phone or near the dashboard for time. (I have forgotten the last time I wore a watch which is more of a style than a necessity to look for time these days. The desktop, laptop, i-WHATEVER devices do that for you.). My breakfast goes undigested if I miss my morning news on NPR. At the same breath I can say I have taken days off from work but forgotten the last time I took a day off from Facebook. Like clock work come lunch break or back home I used to read a book. Now I surf Facebook. A clock keeps you straight on time but there are instances to prove otherwise. Logic says a broken clock is better than a clock which runs 5 minutes late. At least it shows correct time twice a day. Once in Bhubaneswar Railway station I found the Gauhati-Cochin express arrive on time. Upon enquiry I found it exactly a day late. But the huge clock at the station told that the arrival time was correct. But nobody can defy the ultimate truth. TIME (not the magazine) waits for none.

United Way and Contribution

With Fall comes the charity time with UNITED WAY. I feel proud of being part of this esteemed organization and what they do. The phrase "Charity begins at home" never sounded more appropriate considering the numerous homes they have helped to build and rebuild. There was this battered woman who could not take the horrific physical abuse from her husband anymore. One fine morning she decided to leave him for good along with her kids. She didn't have a car and a climate controlled home (not having either easily qualifies one as poverty stricken in America) and a good College degree to stand on her own feet. Volunteers like me contributed money, time and energy to make her stand on her own feet. Long story short United Way helped her migrate from poor to the middle class.  I do my share of contribution by volunteering to file Tax for the poor. Nothing gives me a better sense of fulfillment than working for a good cause. Being a firm believer of the service to mankind is service to God I do best I can. I have forgotten when I visited a temple last time, but I never forget to pitch in for a good cause. Kudos to the efforts of the United Way making some tangible and noteworthy contribution to the society.  Hats off to them and the Spirit of charity among Americans.

Birthday Gift

Wife: I have got such an expensive suit for your birthday.
Husband : Ok, show me.
Wife : I will just wear and come.

(Translated from Hindi originally sent by my friend Sanchayan )

Racist tweets for Miss America

There is certainly an element of racism and jealousy involved in the rants on social media about the Miss America from Indian origin. The most amusing one is many thinking the Bollywood fusion dance performed by the winner as Belly dance performed by Al Qaida in Arabian Peninsula. Culturally Arab and India are poles apart, like oil and water they never mix. The biggest contribution to this is the ...common American's very little knowledge about rest of the world. And little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Interacting with Americans on daily basis for last 16 years this did not surprise me at all. Moreover these kind of things are often amplified by the media especially the social variety. Similarly the perception by many in India (courtesy Hollywood) is that the average Uncle Sam is a trigger happy racist and Jane Doe is an ever scantily clad lady ever ready for anything with anyone. That explains why many Indian visitors land up in jail for wrong reasons. It includes couple of our own Odia Bhai who came to America on short trips and landed up in jail for unsolicited amorous advances.

KABHI AL QAEDA NAA KAHNA

Nina Devuluri, the newly crowned Miss America presented a Bolllywood fusion in the pageantry. She got a lot of racist tweets and rants linking her to "Al Queda" etc. To counter that she is going do another fusion "KABHI AL QAEDA NAA KAHNA"..to the tune of "Kabhi Albeeda Na Kahna".

USA is still the land of Opportunity

The newly crowned Miss America yet proves that USA is the land of opportunities, racial taunts or tweets not withstanding. If you got talent then sky is the limit. Obama proved it earlier, a lady of Indian origin vindicated it now.

The verdicts on the verdict on the Delhi rape victim

I have gone through numerous  verdicts on social media about the verdict on Delhi rape case. We are now judging the judge's decision. The gloat over the death sentence is not unexpectedly high among the women as they can relate to the agony of the victim. We males are certainly anguished by this heinous act but the outpouring outrage  from the ladies side is quite understandable. It probably explains the questions from some ( invariably males. haven't noticed one from ladies yet) about the righteousness of the death penalty. They have every rights to their opinions. The debate about Capital Punishment as part of a civilized society is probably as old as the civilization itself. Some describe it as a medieval practice. America, arguably a modern state has death penalty instituted in numerous states. (Hangman's noose and electric chair has been replaced by lethal injection. A few have gas chambers I believe). America by no means less civilized than any other country. Before doing some armchair posting let's take a pause and think. Let's try to step into the shoes of the victim's family.  It would be easy for me to preach eye for an eye is wrong, state has no right to kill an individual etc etc. But would I be talking at the same breath if I can relate the victim to one of my near and dear one ? I don't think so.  Dastardly acts provoke dastardly response. In America the family members of the victim are allowed to watch the execution of the perpetrator. They do it for a reason.   It may not be humane but it is human. I have no illusion to be a Super human. Normally I won't hurt a fly, let along watch someone die. But God forbid, if one day I am invited to such an event I will take the first row. No wonder in movies nobody sheds a tear when the bad guy falls.

3.10 to Yuma

The hanging verdict in the Delhi rape case reminds me of the WESTERN movie from 2007, 3-10 TO YUMA starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. There was a dialogue from that movie  goes like this

 

" They will Hang me in the Morning;

  They will Hang me before dawn.

  They will Hang me in the Morning;

  I will never see the Sun."

 

I hope some one translates this to Hindi and tell those culprits. Though Hindi is not my mother tongue it's still worth a try.

 

" WOH MUJHE JHULAENGE SUBAH MEIN;

  BHOR HONE SSE PAHLE.

 WOH MUJHE JHULAENGE SUBAH MEIN;

SURAJ KO KABHI NAHI DEKHUNGA MEIN".

 

They can chant this when they proceed to the gallows with our GHATAK(Hangman) waiting for them.

Death penalty in Nirbhaya case

We say justice delayed is justice denied. But kudos to the authority for acting fast on the NIRBHAYA case with a quick turnaround. I am glad the decision was apt and swift. No question about it. The poor victim's soul will get some solace. However I smell a political angle to it. Delhi and states in North India are having elections this winter. Last winter Congress was facing all the brickbats in Delhi in general and India in particular over this heinous crime. We Indians are emotional in nature and often have a short memory. This decision is certainly going to help Congress in a long way in wiping out its image as a non-performing party. Hope these kind of Swift decisions are extended to other cases also. Does Bitti Mohanty ring a bell or forgotten in this hullabaloo.

Obama as a winner Nobel prize for peace

I have ultimate respect for Nobel prizes given in all areas except Peace. How would you explain Mahatma Gandhi never getting it unlike Obama.

Mother, son and Dysfunctional puppet

The trinity of Father, Son and the Holy Ghost can be extended to
Mother, Son and the Dysfunctional puppet - India
Sister, Sibling and the Lazy lad - Odisha.

This could be my shortest posting after a long time.

Saudi's extended support to America

Saudi's extend support to America when America complains about Human rights violation in Syria. Saudi Arabia are certainly not champions of Human Rights by any standard.

DARR movie two decades ago

Two decades ago probably around this time the Hindi movie DARR was released. Sah Rukh Khan played a role which was earlier supposedly refused by Amir Khan and Sunny Deol. The former took a calculated risk. From that movie he never looked behind. For the first time in the Hindi movie industry the audience clapped when the villain stabbed the hero. The audience's reaction totally took me into surprise. At the end the stammering KKK..Kiran Khan turned out to be the de facto hero. Proves yet again no risk no gain in life. Complacency leads to stagnation and the risk takers wear the hat of success. Movie industry has the history of refusal to play certain roles by much established actors which leads to the establishment of another one. Amitabh did the role in ZANJEER supposed to have been refused by Dev Anand. Amzad Khan played Gabbar Singh in Sholay refused earlier by Danny. The role played by Richard Gere in THE OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN which propelled him into stardom was earlier refused by Jon Travolta. Rest we know is history.

Tokyo selected for hosting 2020 Olympics

A few hours ago it was announced that Tokyo, Japan is going to be the host of 2020 Summer Olympics. It will be third time in 12 years Olympics will be held outside Europe and North America. These two continents used to predominantly host this prestigious sporting event not so long. It also tells something, the arrival of many nations on the world stage, especially in sports and economic arena. For Japan it will be 2nd time in their history. China and South Korea, the other two Asian giants have already passed the test as successful hosts. Brazil is going to host next year. Many say we missed the boat yet again. But that would be a gross understatement.  We were never serious contenders. We are unfortunately far from hosting Olympics, lack of organisational ability, sporting infrastructure or otherwise. Hockey is the only Olympics sports in which once upon a time we won several medals and laurels. Indian soundly defeated Germany in 1936 Olympics hockey final to a standing ovation from an audience which included Hitler. Now Germany defeats us soundly. We are even struggling to qualify at the international stage. The ex-chief of Indian Hockey, KPS Gill was supposed to replicate his miracle as police chief in Punjab on the hockey field. Nothing of that sort happened ( we Indians are a gullible bunch and have faith in Amitabh Bachchansque or Jajnikantish  miracles). We just gloat over cricket and IPL. Cricket which is arguably the religion of India and its stars are no less than Gods is played at quality level by only a handful of countried in single digit. Thankfully Germans, Russians, Americans and Chinese are not playing cricket. The first three are capable of producing fast bowlers hurling the cherry at 100+ mph(160+ kmph). The Chinese who are natural in acrobatics can produce spinner of high class and guile. We would be struggling to qualify for World Cup as our hockey team does these days. And our so fashionable IPL can well be hijacked by the European or American Leagues counterparts. A la Martin Luther King I have a dream that one day I will be watching International Olympics Committee announcing " The Host for Summer Olympics goes to...New Delhi ( or any Indian city)". At this rate it does not sound too likely to get fulfilled in my lifetime. As I am a Brahmin I am destined to die with this unfulfilled dream and haunt everybody as a BRAHMARAKHASA ( A legend in Odisa is if a Brahmin die withs unfinished desires he is cursed as roam as the burly demonic champion of ghosts aptly named BRAHMARAKHASA).
( A note to my friends in America, the Hockey I am referring here is field hockey played on ground, not the Hockey played on ice we are more familiar with in North America).

Widening Trade Gap Signals Improving U.S. Demand: Economy

 Quoting from this piece of news on Bloomberg..." The trade deficit in the U.S. widened in July from an almost four-year low as Americans imported more fuel and automobiles, showing the world’s largest economy is picking up."  define oxymoron ! Trade deficit widening and economy improving ? Well.. 2/3rd of American economy is related to consumer spending. As per today's job report nearly 170K jobs were added last month in USA. Not great, bot bad either considering how the rest of the world are doing at present. When more jobs are added, more people spend. One spending leads to another, more jobs get created in the process. This is nothing new. Our forefathers in Indai figured this out long back. In ancient India money was aptly named as CHANCHALA (the one which runs fast) in Sanskrit. The more it rolls, the more the economy stays healthy. Alas, in corruption laden nations Money is stashed in Jute sacks, under mattress, under ground,  behind walls and in foreign banks. If a  part of that money is spent inside the country at least it will create a few jobs.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-04/trade-gap-in-u-s-widened-in-july-from-almost-four-year-low.htm

2020 Olympics venue to be decided soon

International Olympics Committee will convene in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 7th September to decide the venue of 2020 Summer Olympics. Tokyo is the current favorite ahead of Madrid and Istanbul. But the Olympics Committee never fails to throw a surprise. It is often accused of corruption and nepotism. Henry Kissinger, the legendary American diplomat who shaped its foreign policy and once lobbied for his country in IOC said that the politics there reminded him of Middle East. 1996 being the centennial Olympics was supposed to go to Greece for historical as well as sentimental reason. However Coca Cola was rumored to have influenced the delegates to snatch it to its headquarters Atlanta. When Beijing lost closely to Australia it accused USA of scuttling its chances for Australia. Ideally politics should be kept out of sports. Unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world.

A tribute of Fakir Mohan Senapati - A Statesman ahead of his times

Asaram Bapu and sundry charlatans remind me of a short story by the eminent Odia statesman and educationist Fakir Mohan Senapati.  It's name is DHULIA BABA( the Sand Shrouded Saint). In that epic story the writer has exposed the duplicacy of a BHANDA(fake) Baba.  Fakir Mohan Senapati  was way ahead of his times. He was a writer, patriot and a shrewd strategist rolled into one who fought for Odia language which was on the verge of extinction at that time. Had he not been there in all probability Bengali would have taken over Odia as the medium of teaching in the state where Odia is the mother tongue of the most. Many eminent Bengalis at the helm of affairs those days living in Cuttack erroneously proclaimed that ODIA EKTAA SWATANTRA VASA NAYE, translated from Bengali it means Odia is not an independent language. Fakir Mohan fought tooth and nail against this wrong notion. He started an Odia printing press and publishing books in our native language. Odia survived. Sad that the name of such a great statesman of stature now languishing in the dustbins of history, restricted only to the Government College in Balasore, Orissa named after him. Hardly anyone remembers him these days. Hats off and my thousands of salute to the man for his service to the state of Odisa.

 

American's apathy about world

Americans are so apathetic with events going around the world that they pay scant attention to them. Last week I spoke to many in order to have a feel about their feelings towards the prospective American attack on Syria. For most it was least of their concerns. They were rather focused on economy, College Football are more importantly the upcoming Labor day weekend. Those who were aware were more worried about paying more at pump than Assad or chemical weapons.  Americans never forget to make their  leaders accountable on domestic arena. But in the matter of foreign affairs they go by what the media and government feed them.

We are champions of dowry related harassments

One not so positive news from my state back home. Noted child artist Sweta Mishra of ‘Sunapanjuri’ fame has accused her in laws of assault for dowry.   Sweta refused to bow down to their demand for a flat in Bhubaneswar which has become a sought after commodity with the recent high real estate price of the city. While in Switzerland  she was beaten and forced to sleep in cold by her husband. If it is true we are adding one more feather to our cap of being champion of dowry related harassments.

America's hypocrisy about their leaders' character.

As humans we all harbor some semblance of hypocrisy, big or small. One example is how the Americans judge their leaders. Cheating on spouses is not uncommon in America yet they want their political leaders to be of spotless lily white characters. Let me site a few examples. The first one is John Edwards, the rising star in the Democratic party from North Carolina and the running mate to John Kerry in 2004. An excellent fighter for the working middle class Americans he got caught up in an affair with his secretary. He had his moment of weakness which he blamed on his long lonely campaign schedule and stress related to his wife's terminal cancer. He had an illegitimate baby from his secretary and met his political end. General Petreus the CIA chief who was credited with turning around Iraq war was caught having affairs with his biographer. He blamed it on his frequent long and lonely overseas stints and subsequently unceremoniously removed. Still their prior achievements and contribution to America were forgotten and they were thrown into the dustbins of history. Bill Clinton was lot luckier. His charisma and good economy helped him survive the Lewinsky scandal. As far our leaders back home go their cheatings are way too many and go beyond the scope of this post. The difference is if caught the American politicians often admit to their guilt and apologize. India politicians have more guile and GAALUAMI (an Odia word meaning stubborn refusal to admit) to protect themselves. There is a saying in Oriya that GAALUA KU MAHADEV PAARIBENI..even Lord Siva cannot conquer a stubborn liar. It speaks for itself. A few elderly folks (both in India and America) confided to me how much they are amused at the conduct of some from their generation. They see them preaching ethics and morality to their own kids when they themselves were never the epitomes of morality when they were at their kids age. Hypocrisy handed down the generation.

Britain as America's Blind follower

During World War II facing incessant Nazi bombing British PM Churchill was desperate to get America involved. As a part of his please America diplomacy he famously said " We are common people separated by a common language (English). " He managed to convince Roosevelt but the American Congress refused to bulge. Americans wont get involved until Pearl harbor and the rest is history. The reverse is happening now. The British Parliament refused to toe American line against the wish of James Cameron seen as servitude to Obama. Britain has long since lost its world power status. In Odia there is saying "KARPURA UDIJAICHI, KHALI KANA PADICHI", the smell of camphor is gone only cloth remains. It means gone are those glory days. Britain has been desperately trying to piggyback on America to stay in limelight. Maggie Thatcher and John Major had some semblance of independence.Tony Blair started acting like a CHAMCHA (obsequious follower) of his American counterpart. He reminded me of RAM BHAKT HANUMAN (the famous obedient devotee of Ram who blindly followed the diktat of his Lord).  Britishers are learning to come out of what we call in Odia LANGUDA DHARI CHALIBA or in Hindi PUCHH PAKADKE CHAKANA (both meaning tailgating) mode. At last an independent British stand vis-a-vis USA after a long time.

American Whiskey getting more popular

Heard the other day on NPR news  that the American Whiskey is getting more popular world over.  Jack Daniel recently announced that for the first time in history its international sale exceeded its domestic counterpart. JD just announced to invest $100 millions to expand its Tennessee facilities to cater to this new demand. Americans are not big fans of Whiskey and those who drink they rarely look beyond the typical American varieties (Puritans find it strange that Americans mix coke rather than Club Soda in Whiskey,  Jack and Coke is a common order in a typical bar here). The smoky, Oaky taste of American Whiskies is unique catering to the local taste. Nice to know that it is expanding its horizon.

Labor Day weekend

Long weekend approaches with the upcoming Monday as the holiday due to Labor Day. Unlike most (probably the rest) of the world who celebrate May 1st as the Labor day, Americans mark it on the 1st Monday of September. And unlike most who will be travelling or vacationing I will be laboring at work this labor day. Have a great long weekend to my friends in American and a great weekend to the rest.

Common sense is not so common

The thing about commonsense is that it is not so common. This morning I was unable to operate the mouse of my laptop for a minute only to discover that the mouse was not connected to the device after all (it was not a wireless mouse). I salute the person who said IT folks lack commonsense. I stood vindicated this morning.

A tribute to His Maestro's voice. RIP the classic Odia singer of classical.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giyTMqWABEc

JUGAAD and DALAAL.

Arguably the reign of Emperor Harshvardhan's in North India and  Raja Krishnadev Ray's in South is regarded as the Golden era in our Indian History. There was hardly any hiatus between the rulers and the ruled. The kings mostly full filled their RAJDHARMA ( duty of a King) and their subjects were by and large satisfied. Legend goes that many kings notably Harshvardhan and Krishnadev took disguise and mingled incognito with local populace to have a first hand knowledge of their subject's plight. Then came the Afghans, Mughals and British. They were aliens from another land who came to India attracted by its wealth. Gradually they became the ruler of the territory they occupied and had least affinity to the natives. Since they were not familiar with the local culture and lingo they succinctly cultivated a class of DALAALs (middlemen-cum-touts) who became the conduit between the rulers and the ruled. The Persian concept of MANSABDARI system of appointing serfs who delegated the administration to more serfs further down the hierarchy came into existence. It became the perfect breeding ground for DALALs who like Dracula became the bloodsucking parasites to the commoners and boot licking servitude to their masters at the same breath. Unsurprisingly  it gave birth to the CHAMCHAGIRI (obsequiousness) culture. Even The Mughal emperor Akbar though a relatively benevolent ruler was not immune to this scourge.  Later on William Bentinck, the British Governor General credited with curbing evils like SATI (forcible burning of widow in with her husband's pyre), Child marriage and THUGEE (Highway robbers) tried to bridge the gap. But his successors did not follow his foot step. Britishers ruled us using this DALAL class who readily acted as informers which make the task of former a whole lot easier . The culture of JUGAAD (arrangement) slowly became well entrenched in the milieu and thrives till date.  Quoting a dialogue by Anupam Kher from HUM " We have three classes of people ATYACHAARI (the oppressor), KRANTIKAARI (the protestor) and INKE FAIDA LETE UTHATE HUE HAMARA JAISA VYAPARI(taking advantage of them are the DALALS like us)".  It is said that Mohammad Tughlaq, the eccentric ruler of Delhi left Delhi for Daulatabad after being sick and tired of these DALALs. It is no better today.

Awesome Customer service at Chick Fillet

Yesterday I ordered a Grilled chicken sandwich at a local Chick Fillet ( a popular Chicken sandwich fast food restaurant prevalent in Southern USA). After I reached home and opened it was a different variety with bacon on top. We don't eat bacon. I went back to the restaurant with the receipt. The store manager heard me. Without even looking at the receipt he immediately handed me a sandwich which I intended to order and was inadvertently swapped with somebody Else's. He tendered his apology for the inconvenience caused and wished me "have a nice day Sir, please see us again". Hats off to the Store manager and the restaurant for the awesome customer service I got. It made my day.

Export Onions to India

Over the years I have managed to make bumper harvests of myriads of veggies, for my kitchen consumption and distribution among close friends. Now I think it is time for me to clear another section of my backyard and cultivate ONION as a cash crop (Georgia soil is fertile for this crop, known for its famous Vidalia onions) on commercial basis. I can export to India to earn valuable bucks as one dollar does not even buy 1 kg of Onion in India these days. Not a bad idea I guess. Now I have also figured it out that when it is the election season in India, plant more onions in advance as chances are quite high that price of this veggie will sky rocket. In Odia we say GACHARE TANKA FALUCHI (money grows on trees). I can make it happen with Onions as a cash crop.

Fickle vs Sickle

Heard on the local NPR News...when the economy is fickle people remember the hammer and sickle.

Current Ashes series in England

Cook fails.. England saved yet again by Rain and Bell (Did it rhyme) ?

Cell Phone - A historical prospective from my point

It is said that in 1960s Elvis Presley, the famous American singer possessed one of world's first mobile (cell) phones. The King of Rock 'n' Roll  carried it  with him in a suitcase so that he could make calls from his limousine. The cost of a call from it was so exorbitant that only a celebrity like Elvis could afford it. My first exposure to cell phone was in1996 in Calcutta when I was approached by a mobile salesman. I was just back from a stint in England and the guy thought I could afford the luxury of a cell phone. He showed me the phone which about the size of a foot long Subway sandwich. The thought of carrying a bulky item with me all the time was not quite appealing. With its protruding antenna carrying it in pocket would cause further embarrassment. I was initially tempted into buying one as standing in line at STD booths after 9 PM (for cheaper rates) was a real pain in you know where. Having a mobile with me would save me a trip to the dingy, sultry and stinky STD booths with the next guy behind the line frantically scratching the dirty windows making gorilla like gestures. But the price of the calls was what dissuaded me from purchasing one. Each incoming and outgoing call would cost me 8 rupee a minute. I was not very enthusiastic about paying per minute what Dosa or Chicken Roll would cost me at that time. A few of my friends who bought kept their mobile numbers the best kept secret. One guy reluctantly shared his number with me so that he can sneak in incognito to my place for weekend bachelor parties without his wife's knowledge. He strictly told me to call him sporadically and hang up soon after saying "Party is on". Juxtaposition of cell phones with internet was still a fantasy. Internet access at work in India was limited to office. During the regular hours at work it was surfing (the term has given way to browsing) time. During the day it was mostly viewing Hotmail and after hours hot females. No website was blocked, hardly any security measures were followed. I am sure anybody trying to access such sites now at work these days will pay a hefty price.

J B Patnaik's Latest Book

Saw a photo on yesterday's edition of Odia newspaper dharitri.com our President at Rastrapati Bhavan (Presidential House) accepting the first copy of the book " THE MARCH TO A MODERN ODISA" from its author J B Patnaik. Well...he has marched our state so much with a great leap forward during his several stints as CM of the state that perhaps he has put his experience at the twilight of his career. Not sure how much it contains from the old archives of Illustrated Weekly of India.

GARIBA MAIPI SABURI SALI

An Odia proverb goes by GARIBA MAIPI SABURI SAALI. Which transliterated means " A poor woman is every body's sister-in-law ( denotes wife's younger sister prone to teasing) . Metaphorically it stands " A weakling is poked fun by all". Intermittent intrusion by China into Indian territory has become a norm these days. "Tense but under control" is the typical government reaction. Since my childhood whenever there is a violent situation in India it used to be the SARKARI (government) line on Doordarshan (then only TV channel) and Newspapers. Nothing has changed over the years. China makes incursion and Pakistan makes excursion of India. Waiting to see the day when Nepal and Bhutan are going to have a field day at our cost. God bless my motherland.

Mosquito Menace is high this year in Georgia

Quoting from today's article in the local newspaper about the mosquito menace this summer due to the heavy rains " Humans have been fighting this blood drinking bug for thousands of years, snd despite man's huge advantages in technology and size, people are not getting the upper hand. Just lot of bites on the hand."

Odisa MP on TV explaining Food Security Bill

Yesterday I watched an MP, Bhakta Das from Odisa belonging to Congress party answering to Arnob's question about the Food Security Bill. Compared to many Odia politicians he spoke decent English. He said that we must feed every mouth in India. It is something everybody is in agreement with. No one wants to see someone go to bed hungry. But some one has to pay for it. When questioned about at the current state of the economy who is going to foot the bill, our honorable MP from Odisa was very evasive in his anwer. He started spinning like a top.

Rupee hitting a century vs Pound

With too much focus on the rate of rupee against US dollar it has gone unnoticed that we hit an economic century against England when the Rupee crossed 100 vis a vis Pound yesterday.

Arnob's verbal VALATKAAR forum

I get the guilty pleasure of watching the Verbal VALATKAAR forum of Arnam Goswami on Times Now Channel. You have to admit and admire the guy's awesome appetite for what he does best, using his verbal rants to rips off his guests on his panel from tip to toe. Yesterday he was back as usual after a weekend break full of energy to go after his victims with the " The entire nation watching him" at prime time. He looked fresh as the brief hiatus as enable him to recharge his battery and replenish his repertoire. His victims this time were some Congress supporters on his panel. After finishing with them he still had plenty of mojo left to pounce on couple of Pakistani retired Army guys who struggled hard to keep their pants up. I think the main reason behind my watching of the episode is the vicarious pleasure I get seeing those who I am not big fan of undergoing a thorough Verbal VALATKAAR. I have a feeling that most of the middle class Indians watching this program fall into my category. We criticize the program yet watch it on a regular basis. The reason is we find this program as an outlet for letting out our frustration on somebody we love to hate. After a tiring day at work and frustrations with the current state of affairs Arnob provides us that vent we are looking for right in our living rooms. Most of us have given up to the fact that we can hardly make a dent in the system. So we take the solace in watching somebody else taking on them as Arnob on his set. This is my take on the popularity of this show.

Dad called as BUDHA or Old Man

I have discovered a distinct similarity between Odias and Americans. In Odisa many refer to their bosses and fathers (often father-in-laws) as BUDHA meaning the Old man. For the boss and father-in-law the address is mostly critical and rarely affectionate. For father it is mostly other way round. A few Americans I have come across address their father as "My Old Man".   Never heard them  using the same term about father-in-law or boss. I was reminded of this when a friend of mine told me " You know, my dad was drafted to fight in Nam ( Nam stands for for Vietnam. The draft was their in America before 1970s when all able bodied young Americans had to serve in military. Many including Bill Clinton dodged the draft by going abroad). Not sure if in other states of India Dad or Boss is referred to as BUDHA.

A mild summer so far in Georgia

It is the middle of August. The summer should be on its last throes, peaking before it wanes. But today the highest temperature here was 78 which is generally the lowest temperature recorded at wee hours at this time of the year. It seems this year the summer has taken a summer vacation. It is said that one sparrow does not make a summer. Barring some late bursts of heat waves leading to an Indian summer we are looking at a mild, rainy summer of 2013 in the annals of Georgia history.

Egypt and Iraq - History repeats

The current imbroglio in Egypt reminds me very much of the chaos in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussain. The ditto is happening in Egypt after Hosni Mubarak was removed from the helm of affairs. After a long time of rule under the iron fists of dictators a vacuum is created when they fall. It takes time for that vacuum to be filled. No wondet history repeats itself and those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

Happy Independence Day 2013

The 50th Anniversary of " I have a dream" speech given by Martin Luther King, iconic Civil Rights leader of American is fast approaching. He gave his famous speech " I have a Dream when a man will be judged not by the color of his skin but by content of his character." He went on further " I have a dream when on the Red Hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and former slave owners will be able to seat down together in tables of brotherhood". Martin Luther King never saw his dream come true during his life time but a few decades down the road most of them were. His idol Mahatma Gandhi who incidentally like him fell to an assassin's bullets dreamt of RAM RAJYA ( the mythical golden age eons ago) in India. Since our "Tryst with Destiny" moment lots of water has flowed down river Ganga. Not sure how far are we from his RAM RAJYA it wont be an exaggeration to say we now live in ROME RAJYA (The kingdom of Rome). Though a great nation by basics things of late have turned acidic, too sour for our comfort. The current affairs of our nation can aptly be described by these few lines lifted from the Odia song LE NAVEENA from 1981. (Naveena here depicts the typical down to earth Odia. No relationship to the person bearing the same name at the helm of affairs today as he was nowhere in the picture). A stanza from that popular song goes as 

 LE NAVEENA TIKE PACHAKU ANA,
HATHE BAADI DHARI THIA BAPUJI NANA,
BAPUHI BUDHA RA AAKHI RE LUHA,
TA RAMA JAIJE AAJI YAMA RA BHAYA
( O Naveena, just look behind.
Bapuji, the poor old man is standing with stick in his hand.
The old man's eyes are filled with tears.
Yama, the God of death has filled his dream land with fear.

Incidentally these lyrics were penned in 1981 during my childhood days when lot of things were arguably a lot better. Since then we have seen sea changes but these words still stand vindicated. 32 years later I am not so young  but I too have a dream. The dream of a strong, united and free India, free from all our present maladies. Though a die hard optimist I realize that this dream might never come true in my lifetime. Similar to Dr. King's dream coming true in a substantial and tangible way in America I do hope my dreams come true, even years down the road. Happy Birthday to my motherland.

it's Raining freebies in Orissa

With raining of freebies like umbrella, mobiles, laptop in Orissa it is Soap Opera time in the state.

Boss Vs Horse

Some one once told me never stand in front of your Boss or Horse. You run the risk of getting kicked or perhaps worse.

BAH BAH RE CAPITOL - Akshaya Mohanty's song form 1970s

The other day I remember the Odia song by Akshay Mohanty in late 1970s referring to the New Capital BHUBANESWAR. The song goes like this "AAGE THILA BAGHA BHALU BHARA E JANGALA..TU DEKHLO SUKUTA BOU..GHAIN GHAIN BULE BINCHNA NALA ..BAH BAH RE CAPITOL" roughly transliterated ' Earlier it was a jungle filled with Tigers and Bears, now you see O The  Mother of SUKUTA..The hand fan rotates superfast, hail  to Our New Capital Bhubaneswar."  Not sure about Tigers and bears but when we moved to the newly constructed BJB Flats in 1976 howling of jackals were not uncommon coming out of some of today's poshest neighborhoods. SUKUTA which in colloquial Odia means "the lanky lad" is referred here as the typical down to earth Odia guy from a village or small city lost in the din and bustle of Bhubaneswar. GHAAIN  GHAAIN BULE BINCHANA NALA was a slang from late 70s. I was too young to comprehend what it meant. It probably meant nothing. Whatever it meant the weather in Bhubaneswar most part of the year needs AC these days, BINCHANA NALA (hand fans) are now restricted to villages. The song goes on further " MATHAA RU ODHANA TEKI DEKHE LO TIKIYE..NUA JAJADHANI KHALI HUKU HUKU DIYE..DEKH KETE BADA BADA SARAKARI GHARA again transliterated.. " O mother of SUKUTA, lift your head cover and take a  peek. Our new capital totally rocks. Look at those huge government bungalows". Bhubaneswar was a sleepy township of salaried employees who lived in Government Quarters. There were few private houses those days.  The song goes further..NUMBER NA JAANI TUTA PAI BUNI GHARA.. SUKUTA TA JANICHI TA MAMUNKA NUMBER..  TU DEKHELO SUKUTA BOU RAASTA GHATE PAACHE BELA..meaning " You see O Mother of SUKUTA..You can't get you house without knowing its number, SUKUTA (our Odia commoner) knows the number of his maternal Uncle who lives in our New Capital. On the roads you can see Bael fruits( Stone Apples) ripening" Those quarters in different Units (from Unit 1 to Unit 9) had all unique numbers at a time when numbering of houses was an alien concept in Odisha (except few industrial cities like Rourkela). The better known cities at that time, i.e., Cuttack and Puri ( A well known shuttle train connected those two cities)  had a SAHI (lane) culture where the houses were not numbered. All you need to know the name of the person living in so and so lane in so an so SAHI (MOHALLA in Hindi meaning locality). This was enough for the Post office to deliver a letter. The city those days was far from today's  concrete jungle, the streets were filled with Bael (BEL in Odia) fruit, KRUSHNACHUDA (A tree bearing crimson colored flowers in spring) trees. An interesting features about the Government quarters was most of them had at least one Jack fruit, Papaya, SAJNA (Drumstic) or a BARAKOLI (small sweet & sour berries) tree or combinations of those. At trunks of many of these trees were surrounded by termite molehills which were prone to become free quarters for snakes. While playing in the yards my friends most of whom like me lived in Govt quarters were told to stay away from those molehills. BAH BAH RE CAPITOL, BAH BAH RE Akshaya Mohanty for correctly capturing the ethos of Bhubaneswar of those days.

facebook Joy and KAKHARU PHOOLA Fry

Facebook RA MAZA AAU KAKHARU PHOOLA BHAJA..roughly transliterated from Odia to English "Facebook Joy and Pumpkin Flower Fry" (Hopefully it rhymed). Well some flowers of labor to savor (rhymed again!) from my backyard garden.

Chinese Vs Indian Restaurants

One other thing I observed during my last cruise trip was the popularity of Chinese food aboard the ship. Every day they rotated with Italian, American, Caribbean (close to Indian taste), French etc. Yet the Chinese food was a constant feature on the menu. There were invariably long lines in front of the Chinese with more non-Orientals queuing up for food. Chinese know the business doing business. In America every strip Mall has a Chinese restaurant. They run successfully as they have managed to attract the local customer with quality and professionalism. This is exactly which we Indians lack in Restaurant business. Barring a few most of our restaurants serve stale, low quality food. Many put soda in the food at the buffets so that the eaters will soon feel filled up and can't intake more so that the left overs can roll over to the next day. Have a hearty lunch buffet in most Indian restaurants in America you will feel so bloated that you feel like a balloon ready to take off due to SODA KA KAMAAL (the magic of Baking Soda) in your stomach. Your entire evening would be spoiled munching antacids. On the customer service front  the least said is better. In 2007 I planned to celebrate my son's Birthday at the local Indian Restaurant for a change though I was aware it would be more expensive. I walked in one evening to negotiate with the owner about the menu, pricing etc. The owner stubbornly refused to give me any discount and accept credit card as a method of payment. We were still in the process of negotiation when he suddenly got up from his seat without excusing himself and walked out for a smoke. It was my foolishness to follow him and continue talking to him further. Outside he lit a cigarette, took a drag and puffed the smoke close to my face muttering "Why all want to pay by f***ing credit cards ?". That was the last straw. I felt like landing an instant punch on his face. I walked away saying "You don't know anything about doing a f***ing business. This deal is cancelled". He called me next morning and apologized. But it was too late for me to change my mind. I booked the party in a Chinese restaurant which was a whole lot better. On top of everything he gave me a 15% discount, accepted my credit card. As there were many vegetarians among the guests whenever ordered they promptly served veggie stir fries, Pizzas with no question asked and no additional fee charged. Cheaper quality product with an excellent customer service, What else does a customer want ? Not surprisingly Chinese restaurants are doing brisk business in America where as many Indian counterparts are going out of business ( Unsurprisingly this Indian restaurant was sold not long after the above incident). I marvel at the business acumen of the Chinese. India is still not there, not yet. It has a long way to catch up with its Asian neighbor. Mumbai will never be Shanghai, certainly not in our generation.

J N Dixit's experience in Pakistan

Current killing of Indian soldiers at LOC reminded me of an interesting episode I read a while back. When J N (Mani) Dixit was Ambassador to Pakistan his telephone connection at home would mysteriously go dead frequently. Those were pre-cell phone days and this was an avoidable irritant. His complaint to the authorities went unheeded. He then met somebody higher in the echelon and told sternly " If this will happens to me again I will make sure the same happens with my counterparts in India". From then onwards his landline worked fine. Sometimes sending the right message works rather than a drastic action. Silence is not an option in such cases, certainly not with someone who already perceives as weak.

Ship Cruise as a business model in India

I was wondering why can't we have large Cruise liners in India operating the same way we have in America and Europe. We probably have a few but it seems they don't operate in a large scale compared to their North American and European counterparts (please correct me if I am wrong). In that case why doesn't someone start this business model as there are plenty of moneyed folks in India who are eager to spend a fortune on vacations. My entrepreneur friends can take a cue, it is something for them to ponder about.

Being Good all the time can be taken as weakness

The Vice President of the first company I worked for once told me "In life one has to be both fair and square. If you will be goody goody all the times you will be considered weak and will be taken advantage of".  Twenty years since I have seen this vindicated time and again, in both private and public life.  I love my child but I also reprimand him as needed. If I don't tomorrow he will seat over my head (as they say in Oriya MUNDARE BASIBA and in Hindi SAR PE BAITHEGA).  Blow hot and cold should be the motto. Same can be extended to nations. Pakistan and China thumb their nose regularly at us, latest example being the killing of Indian soldiers at LOC. In 2008 when I was in India soon after 26-11 Mumbai attacks a cartoon on Times of India drew my attention. Our PM is warning his Pakistani counterpart that next time you do something like this we will condemn you more severely. Hopefully we can do more than just condemn and stop playing cricket. With due respect to the Armed Forces our chink in the armor has been exposed time and again and our preparedness has left lot to be desired. In early 2000 in a Global Summit in New Zealand the then Chinese President made a mockery at our forces. He went on telling the delegates how once the Chinese were testing the preparedness of our forces and our forces readily surrendered when caught off guard. Reminds me of a story from PANCHATANTRA. Once a sage told snake to stop attacking people. One day the badly beaten snake came back to the sage blaming the later for his contemporary HAALAT (plight). The sage said " I told you to stop biting, did not tell you to stop hissing or raising your fang". The snake followed the sage's advise and was never attacked again. Hopefully we take a cue from CHANAKYA and Ancient texts.

Ba Ba black sheep

After done bagging my 3rd bag of grass following lawn mowing  I suddenly remembered the old nursery rhyme from our school days..

"Ba Ba Black sheep have you any wool". Then I followed with mine,
"Yes Sir Yes Sir just mowed 3 bags full.
After all the rains gone down the drain.
Looking for some late evening Vodka to sooth my brawn and brain."

land of mafia

Land mafia, now Sand mafia. Now that we are a nation of grand mafia Mafiosi in Italy are now an endangered species.

sandhan and Sanket - A great book by Manoj Das

I am now reading an Oriya book  SANDHAN and SANKET (Search and Indication) by the legendary Oriya columnist and short story writer MANOJ DAS. For those who dont know him, he is an eminent but much appreciated writer in both Oriya and English language. He can be an excellent story teller for the a layman tyro (like me) as well as write philosophical stuff which can only be understood and appreciated by folks at an higher level of intellect (not me). Anyway..he had a nice anecdote about Albert Einstein who is arguably the greatest scientist of 20th century. Once Einstein was attending a seminar. He came out during the lunch break to grab some food and entered into a restaurant. The waiter brought him the menu. Einstein suddenly realized that he left his glasses at the seminar. So he requested the waiter to read the menu for him. Sorry..Sir..the waiter politely replied, I am also illiterate like you.

Just read the news that the name of the Conservative party in Japan is known as Liberal Democratic Party. Call this oxymoron.