Mindless musing

Last month old friends from IIT Kanpur visited us, we affectionately call them aunt and uncle. We talked about old times, good times, bad times and just times. We discussed about everything on earth including and not limited to honesty, hard work, loyalty, traffic sense, sense in general, and eventually politics. As we had multiple stints in multiple countries, and she being a concerned citizen, aunt asked me on how we can improve situation in India and if we can ever see an India completely developed in all aspects. She wondered if it would help if all the “good” Indians all over the world returned to India (of course, after learning the best practices from other countries) and implanted those best practices in India . I may have offended her as I swiftly replied in negative. I did not stop at that. I offered my 2 cents (or 2 paise) free of cost as if I am an authority on this subject (of course, it is very easy to feel that one is an authority on any subject without actu...

Happiness is sweeter after deep sorrow The night falls only to give rise to a new tomorrow Leaves dry in fall only to reshape the tree in spring Going down is only to fly high, that’s the nature of swing The depression and tear drops are not permanent Like everything else, they are transient Loneliness is but a state of mind If you open your heart, friends everywhere you can find Like elders said, be a lotus leaf Be aware that grief is but brief Never let dejection stick Bounce back like a punch bag that was kick Everything doesn’t happen just because you thought it would Nothing stops because you did not expect Just think everything happens for your own good That’s happiness; it’s a secret - simple and best kept

Received this from a not-so old friend. Thought every one should see. Enjoy.

Yesterday we watched Angels and Demons.   Age old question resurfaced in my mind – about existence of Angels and Demons.   One thing led to the other and I started thinking about God and ghosts.   That reminded me of a real life incident that happened to me a few years ago.   I had just graduated and got a job close to my home town.   I left that job in a few months and went back to my alma mater (IIT Kanpur) to take up a Research Engineer job with my professor in the Image Processing lab, though it meant moving far away from my “loved ones” (may be because I was strongly influenced by my lecturer’s words that I am not cut out for corporate world and would do well in research).     Well here I am in North India again.   I hated the hostel and hostel food.   So, decided to take an SBRA (Single Bed Room Apt) and start cooking.   A close friend (and a fellow research engineer) also wanted to join me.   Unfortunately SBRA is allotted based on seniority and there are several people...

Majestic Snoquami Falls Breathtaking View Up close PS: This is my first attempt at loading pictures. Not bad, huh.

Life is a journey. Only a select handful of people know their destination, how to get there, why it is important to get there and are committed to do whatever necessary to get there. Very few people know their destination and the importance of getting there but may not know how to get there or are not fully committed to do whatever it takes. Lot of people know what their destination is but have no idea on how to get there.   But, majority of us have no clue what the destination is.   If ignorance is bliss, this majority should be blissful.   Unfortunately, that is not so.   These are the lost souls.   Some of us lost souls get off the train (or take an exit off the highway; if you prefer driving to riding a train) in search of a destination.   We are not sure if that is our destination.   However, at the beginning we are very excited and happy to see new scenery. This would be short lived if it is not our destination. In this process we would have wasted precious time.   At this j...

The other day I was a passive participant in a discussion on the existence of God. There are some people very passionate about this topic (either supporting the existence or opposing the existence).   I sat there listening to the arguments. I am not sure why we are so enamored by this subject.   Is it important to know whether God exists or not? Or is this discussion just a manifestation of the human need to have others fall in line with our way of thinking?   The people from where I come from believe that this world is a play, we are all actors and God is the script writer, director and producer.   According to them we just need to act the way God directs us to.   We should not question the purpose or anticipate the results.   If that is so, why is God giving us the knowledge to investigate and find out the truth about Him/Her?   Why is He/She giving us the resources to research and prove that He/She does not exist?   This draws similarity to robots and humans.   Humans, i...