Background: Downtown Los Angeles as viewed from my Department
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Dew Drops
Some macro-shots that i took when we went on a hike in the Santa Monica Mountains. The heavily cloudy weather didn't help the pictures but on the plus side, we got to walk into the clouds !!! Here's the slideshow :
इस अंतहीन अन्तरिक्ष के अथाह अनंत में खो जाऊँ, तो ग़म नहीं तपती मरुभूमि की सुनहरी तपिश में पिघल जाऊँ, तो ग़म नहीं उन अक्षम्य त्रुटियों के प्रायश्चित-स्वरूप अश्रु की इक बूँद में समा जाऊँ, तो ग़म नहीं
As you might know, I am a part [one of the directors, to be precise :)] of Vidushak -- the only Indian Improv Group at University of Southern California. Every year, Vidushak performs a skit in the Diwali Show organized by the Association of Indian Students. This years skit is called : "Prakriti ki Pukaar.. when nature calls.."
Javagal Srinath bowled the 1st wide ball of the test match. He bowled the 2nd and the last wide ball of the match in the same over. The reason: Anil Kumble had taken 9 Pakistani wickets and the last pair was batting. Kumble had told him to forget about the record and go for the last wicket. but how could Srinath do that. He knew Kumble would get it. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis knew Kumble would get the last one too. And he sure did. There are a lot of apt adjectives one can associate with Anil Kumble but the one that I like the most is : Silent Assasin. Letting your work speak for yourself is the greatest reply to your detractors. And Kumble followed this principle to the T. I salute Anil Kumble for all he has done for Indian Cricket. May he have a wonderful life post retirement.
The moment which will inspire and make every Indian, every sportsperson and every individual proud --
First of all, things have been very tight and I am just not able to find time to write.
Now, a few defintions:
Improv theater : A theater style were the actors perform a short scene based on the suggestions given by the audience. You can see it as 'Instant theater'. No prior script.
Second Nature : A USC student Improv group. The best one at USC, I would say.
Vidushak : The only Indian Improv group at USC. Yours truly has recently been promoted from actor to actor-director.
Tremendosaur :A brother group of Second Nature which makes short films/sketches/spoofs.
Q- What happens when Second Nature guys see Vidushaks perform and then decide to cast them for the next Tremendosaur production? A- Beericorn !!!
Last time I had made people work a bit to come to the point but this time let's make life easier. Another year has been added to this life of mine and I am happy.
AMEN !!!
PS: I am suffering from a very bad phase of writer's block. Hopefully this post will get me out of it. Thanks for staying with me.
The first indication of the future-to-be is out. The cut-off for Physics for IIT-JEE 2008 is ZERO !! Thanks to the mindless increase in the number of seats and creation of new IITs when the last one to be created has still to gain foothold by the crappy Ministry of Human Resources Development.
From now on all you have to do to be an IITian is to leave the paper blank. That, if you don't have a scheduled caste/tribe/OBC certificate. Now, before you begin to bash me for discrimination against oppressed people, let me mention that I belong to OBC and I thank GOD that this crap was not there when I got through IIT-JEE. Being an IITian is no more an achievement, something I, and all pre-2008 IITians, will always be proud of. Clearing JEE gives you the self-confidence which can't be described. It has to be experienced first hand. Not anymore. In very near future, a new born may very well receive an OBC/SC/ST certificate as a birthday present.
The anti-IIT people may say whatever they want, but they can't deny the very fact that the Brand IIT was one of the very few things which could compete and succeed anywhere in the world. Not anymore. It will no more be Brand IIT but Brand IIT-Kgp or Brand IIT-Mumbai or Brand IIT-Chennai or Brand IIT-Kanpur and so on. If you think of it carefully, it will do more harm to the students than good. Now they ask, "Which college?" and you say, "IIT". Tomorrow they'll ask," Which IIT?" And those who won't belong to one, won't even be considered. By the time this government completes its tenure, it will have done irrepairable damage to our education system (apart from national security et al) The meritous students will still get a good All India Rank and therefore a good IIT, but in all probability, their credibility will be reduced, if not lost, because there will be tens of thousands of other students studying in an institute with the same name. The outside world will find it easier to shun them all , rather than find out which IIT is good and which is bad.
I believe that if one really wants welfare of the oppressed tribes, they should make sure the chidren have proper primary and secondary education. Thrusting them into an IIT hasn't and would never help them. 50 % reservation is not the solution. And if you are hell bent on reserving seats, do so at all the public and private schools. That would serve generations in a way you can't even imagine. Giving them easy admission to IITs is like pushing someone very hard and hoping that (s)he would reach the top, not realising that (s)he will fall flat more often that not. Common sense says that teach them how to climb the ladder and give them enough confidence so that they can reach the top on their own.
Good luck to all the future IITians, for you'll have to keep fighting beyond JEE.
Anil Kumble bowling with a broken jaw and getting the wicket of Brian Lara (Antigua, 1999)
