ISRO reaches Mars

It is almost certain that ISRO's first Mars mission would be successful now. ISRO's website has a paragraph about it. I personify ISRO as a postman in khakis riding a black bicycle in sultry heat of Indian summer. I wish I could be like that. 

Nature

When nature is cruel, we don't complain. We pray. Because we cannot do anything about it. Prayers give us hope. When people do not act the way we would like them to be - we get angry. It is because we think we can influence them; reason with them. This may work in different cases to different degrees. The outcome we get from reasoning with someone deducted from the perfect outcome we prefer is what makes us upset and angry. If we attribute that difference to 'nature' - something that is beyond our control, then we would not get angry. There are people who lost every penny they earned in their lifetime - some got mad, some got angry and took revenge. Some just let it go, lived their lives and earned it back. One example is Amitabh Bachchan. There are numerous other examples of people we know personally. There are companies which lose out in competition. Some shut their business, others rediscover themselves. An example is Intel. If Amitabh Bachchan had not come back to the film industry, our contemporary film industry would have evolved very differently. If he had not done KBC, the KBC would have not have mustered so much attention. If Intel had not moved out of the memory business to making microprocessors, we may not have fast processors. The entire computer industry would have evolved very differently. 

Princeton

Life goes on. I move out of Princeton. I am nostalgic. There is lot of work to do before I leave though. It will keep me occupied - and one day, two months from now, I will be in a plane to India. What will be my feelings. How were these innings. The performance could have been better. The application could have been better. I was happy, I was destroyed, I was lonely and sad. I admired, I was relentless, I felt awed. Princeton showed me so many colors. I will move on. What will become of me? Will I learn? Will I grow? Will I contribute? Will I be valued, appreciated? Will I laugh and say again "I am so glad I did this"? Yeah, I am glad I did this - the post-doc with Pablo. An experience of a lifetime.

Rich boys, poor boys

Rich boys go to Evalueserve, poor boys go to DRL
When rich boys get the best education, they get the most lucrative jobs. When poor boys get the best education, they get the most rewarding jobs.

A salut'

http://www.princeton.edu/cbe/news/archive/?id=7387

Stop!

Dear people of the World, please start accepting print-outs as valid documents. I requested a one-page letter from UK. It arrived via DHL. How much oil, man-power, time and money got wasted. If only I could use a print-out. I feel guilty of being so inconsiderate.

India trip

This time my visit to India was longer than usual. When you stay longer, you are no longer a tourist. You become part of the society. You stop planning your everyday visits. Living in a place is very different from visiting it. This trip was very interesting. I jot down below the major things I remember from the trip:
1. Politics was most interesting this time - Anna Hazare and co. vs the uncivil society aka political leadership
2. Delhi's ring road is now totally green. North to South Delhi travel by car takes as little as 15 mins at 1 AM, 40 mins during the day (non-office hours). I still did not dare to drive during office hours.
3. It appears 1 rupee coin is no longer in circulation. Shopkeepers distribute candies instead. Do they keep a different variety for diabetic shoppers?
4. RTI act is showing its mark - policemen have stopped taking bribes, government officials have started responding to even email complaints. I was challaned for Rs 100. (there is no zero missing).
5. The water situation has significantly improved in Delhi. For the first time in the last 12-15 years, I was able to take shower in fresh water during the day.
6. Inflation is rocking - you need to carry at least Rs 10,000 if you are going out.
7. Delhi metro has reached Gurgaon and the airport. It is so convenient to reach Gurgaon now.
8. Some of my friends are now faculty members in IIT.
9. India's doctors work very hard and are very good.
10. Bollywood scriptwriters have crowned investment bankers as the coolest people in the World.
11. It is still life as usual for most people.