SC stays TN bandh

oh. I love today . In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court stays the TN bandh scheduled for tomorrow. It sends the right signal and teaches a lesson to the politicians that none is above law and that public interest supersedes petty partisan quarrels.

Buy a Laptop , get one free

One Laptop per child is an ambitious project by any standards. Nicholas Negroponte, Director of MIT Media Lab and founder of this non-profit project, aims to arm the poor students in developing countries with a $100 Laptop.

It has come out with a innovative marketing campaign titled " Give 1 get 1", where Americans and Canadians can buy 2 laptops for $399 and one of that would go to a child in a developing country. Read more about it here and visit the official website.

Though the reviews for the product has been positive the orders have been slow.

One remark in that article stuck with me " I have to some degree underestimated the difference between shaking the hand of a head of state and having a check written," said Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of the nonprofit project.

Gandhian revolution in progress

It is heartening to read about the peaceful " Gandhian" protests by the Monks in Myanmar against the military Junta. I sincerely hope this brings to an end decades of military dictatorship in one of the most reclusive nations in the World.

In the absence of free press and foreign journalists, the bloggers have been the only source of information and photos to the external world. The bloggers have been successfully able to break the tight internet controls laid down by the Government. Hail this e-revolution !

P.S : Here is a wonderful photograph of the protesting monks from NYT.

Rainbow Quiz - Identify the personality - Week 58

Here is the next weekly "Rainbow" quiz , where I would be giving 7 clues (Hence the name Rainbow) about a personality. Try to discover the person in the least number of clues . You can either leave the answer as a comment / email me . Feedback/ suggestions welcome. Googling is not preferred but then its just for fun and so go ahead if you need to.

X is famous worldwide for his epic novel " Y" that was ironically banned in his home country for more than 3 decades. Y is a masterpiece and I adore the visual adaptation of the Novel. Great story, strong characters, stunning visuals and magnificent music.

clue # 1 : "X" was born in Moscow to a prominent Jewish painter and his pianist wife.

clue # 2 : " X" started learning music early during life. However, he soon renounced music and went to Germany to study philosophy. At the end of his studies, he decided to dedicate himself to literature.

clue # 3 : X's first books of verse went unnoticed. His works were marked by a sober style with haunting melancholy. "X" first gained a place as a leading poet rather than a novelist.

clue # 4 : " X" published his masterpiece novel "Y" after the Second world war. As the book was frowned upon by the Soviet authorities, "Y" was smuggled abroad and published in an Italian translation.

clue # 5 : The novel became an instant sensation and was subsequently translated and published in many non-Soviet bloc countries. Its American edition spent 26 weeks at the top of The New York Times' bestseller list. All this made "X" extremely unpopular with the Russian Government.

clue # 6 : "X" was named the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958. Two days after hearing that he had won, "X" sent the following telegram to the Swedish Academy: "Immensely thankful, touched, proud, astonished, abashed".However, four days later came another telegram:"Considering the meaning this award has been given in the society to which I belong, I must refuse it. Please do not take offense at my voluntary rejection" .

clue # 7 : It was not until more than 25 years after his death that "Y" was published in the USSR.

The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan

Is this the definitive next book to read ? I know its just 4 days since the book got released. Alan ( Arguably the most powerful man on the planet until a few years ago) calls the book as a " Psychoanalysis of himself" . The book is already on the Amazon best-seller list with good reviews.

I also watched a video where he discusses about his relationship with the past six US presidents ( Surprisingly for a Republican , he had high praise for Clinton).

I am looking forward to borrowing a copy from the Library ( If and when its available). Has anyone read it yet ?

Rainbow Quiz - Identify the personality - Week 57

Here is the next weekly "Rainbow" quiz , where I would be giving 7 clues (Hence the name Rainbow) about a personality. Try to discover the person in the least number of clues . You can either leave the answer as a comment / email me . Feedback/ suggestions welcome. Googling is not preferred but then its just for fun and so go ahead if you need to.

X's contribution to Indian music is immeasurable and his legacy still lives on.....

clue # 1 : "X" was born in a Hindu family in a village near Gwalior.His name as a child was Ramtanu.

clue # 2 : The boy learned music from Swami Haridas and came to serve as court musician to King Ramachandra of Reva.

clue # 3 : Later King Ramchandra gave Ramprasad as a gift to "Y" ( An Emperor) and he became famous as one of the treasured jewels of the court.

clue # 4 : As a musician, X is said to have no equal having worked miracles through his singing, such as bringing the rains with Raga Megh Malhar and starting fires with Raga Deepak.

clue # 5 : He composed several ragas that have been cornerstones in the repertoire ever since, such as Miyan ka Bhairav (today simply known as Bhairav) Darbari Kanada, Miyan ki Todi, Miyan ki Malhar,Miyan ki Mand.

clue # 6 : X's blood descendants held sway for hundreds of years as a most formidable force – the Senia gharana – on the North Indian music scene.

clue # 7 : "X" is buried in Gwalior, near his mentor Hazrat Ghaus. Near his tomb is a tamarind tree, said to be as old as the tomb itself. The legend goes that students of music who chew the leaves of the tree in faith will be blessed with miraculous musical gifts.

Easy one. Who is X? Name Y .

Trivia # 11

Which is the only Indian site that is recognized as a Industrial Heritage site by UNESCO?

Trivia # 10

Identify this actress. She has starred in only 5 films - all opposite to her husband. She had one of the most romantic bollywood weddings, she and her husband got married during the lunch break of one of the movies through a magistrate and kept the wedding a secret for more than a week.

Three of the movies in which she acted were directed by her husband's brothers. Who is the actress ?

Rainbow Quiz - Identify the personality - Week 56

Here is the next weekly "Rainbow" quiz , where I would be giving 7 clues (Hence the name Rainbow) about a personality. Try to discover the person in the least number of clues . You can either leave the answer as a comment / email me . Feedback/ suggestions welcome. Googling is not preferred but then its just for fun and so go ahead if you need to.

"X" is one of the most celebrated women entrepreneurs. I have immense admiration for her and the causes she has stood for.

clue # 1 : "X" was born in UK, the daughter of Jewish Italian immigrants.She saw the world early,spending time in a Kibbutz in Israel and later found a job in the UN that led to an around the world working trip where she was exposed to many other cultures.

clue # 2 : She married Gordon in 1970. The couple opened a restaurant, followed by a hotel.

clue # 3 : She founded "Y" ( Name of her firm) in Littlehampton, England in 1976. The first "Y" was basic and at first sold only 15 lines.She says about the start-up, "I started "Y" simply to create a livelihood for myself and my two daughters, while my husband, Gordon, was trekking across the Americas. I had no training or experience and my only business acumen was Gordon's advice to take sales of £300 a week."

clue # 4 : She dedicated the business to the pursuit of social and environmental change.With its strong environmental flare and popular demand of the products, the company went public and spread franchises all over England. Today "Y" has over 1,980 stores and more than 77 million customers in 50 different markets serving customers in over 25 different languages.

clue # 5 : Children On The Edge (COTE) is an organization that "X" founded in 1990 in response to her visits to Romanian orphanages. Upon seeing the conditions the children were in, she created COTE to help manage the crisis and work to de-institutionalize the children over the course of their early life. COTE's mission focuses on disadvantaged children affected by conflicts, natural disasters, disabilities, and HIV/AIDS.

clue # 6 : On 17 March 2006, L'Oreal purchased "Y" for £652.3 million . This has caused controversy, partly because L'Oreal is said to be involved in animal testing ( A cause X has spoken against many times).

clue # 7 : In 2003, "X" was knighted by the Queen. When asked about entrepreneurship , she said " Dysfunction is the essence of entrepreneurship. I've had dozens of requests from places like Harvard and Yale to talk about the subject. It makes me laugh that ivy leaguers are so keen to "learn" how to be entrepreneurs, because I'm not convinced it's a subject you can teach. I mean, how do you teach obsession? Because it is obsession that drives the entrepreneur's commitment to a vision of something new."

Who is X? Name Y .

Tanjong Rhu Beach , Langkawi


Silken Sand. Amazingly clear water. Beautiful islands that are close by. Tanjong Rhu beach is a "must visit" place in Langkawi. I took this photo on a hot afternoon. No wonder the beach is deserted :-)

Trivia - # 9

Who wrote the lyrics for the song " Unakkul Naane" from the tamil movie Pachaikili Muthucharam?

Rainbow Quiz - Identify the personality - Week 55

Here is the next weekly "Rainbow" quiz , where I would be giving 7 clues (Hence the name Rainbow) about a personality. Try to discover the person in the least number of clues . You can either leave the answer as a comment / email me . Feedback/ suggestions welcome. Googling is not preferred but then its just for fun and so go ahead if you need to.

"X" is so synonymous with that sport and one of the great sporting heroes of India.

clue # 1 : "X" was born to a Rajput family in Uttar Pradesh. After an early education he joined the Indian Army in 1922.

clue # 2 : While in Army, he became very passionate about Hockey. He exhibited excellent dribbling skills and knack for scoring goals.In 1928, "X" was selected to represent the Indian hockey team in the Summer Olympics .

clue # 3 : He was instrumental in India winning gold medals at consecutive Olympics in 1928,1932,1936.

clue # 4 : His performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympics was so impressive that Adolf Hitler supposedly offered to make "X" a Field Marshal in the German army, but the latter refused.

clue # 5 : On the field he was named the "Wizard of Hockey" for he exerted complete control on the ball. It appeared that the ball used to stick to his hockey stick while playing. So great was the magic of "X" that the Tokyo officials broke his hockey stick once to search for a magnet inside.

clue # 6 : "X" however died penniless and uncared for in a hospital, receiving a meagre pension. Towards his last days, he was very saddened by the plight of Indian Hockey.

clue # 7 : The Government of India honoured him by conferring him the Padma Bhushan . 29 August, his birthday is celebrated as the National Sports Day in India. The President gives away sport-related awards such as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award on this day at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Who is X?