There is no greater penance than patience

There is no greater penance than patience,
Tell this to only those who are wiling to listen ---pa

Be tolerant to the harsh words of cruel individuals,
Be patient, when hardship hits and be courageous to face it.
Be patient, until plants you planted bear fruit.
Be patient and pack the food, your time to enjoy is definitely ahead ---1

-Vadiraja Swamigalu.

This was sung by one of the greatest dasaru: Badragiri Keshava Dasaru elder brother of now wellknown Achyuta Dasaru, in Dharmastala Mahime, a Harikathe.

Taaluvike gintanya tapavadilaaa
Kelaballavaringe Peluvudu Sollaaa

Ketta manujaru nudiva nistudara nudi taalu
Kastabandare taaluu kangedade taaluu
netta sasi phala koduva tanakaa shantiya taalu
kattu buttiya munde unaluntu taaluuu

Keshava Dasaru died in 1997 when (I was in 12th grade). We have a cassette at home where Keshava Dasa still sings for us! His voice imposing and majestic.

I have a connected joke that I remember with this tape recorder.

My village did not have power and my grand father bought a tape recorder (I am told, I was 1-2 years old then). He also bought a cassette "Bakasuravadhe" (Kumaravyasa Bharatha-Aranya Parva) a Gamaka by Gamaki Hosabale Seetharama Rao and Vyakhyana by Raghavendra Rao (I think). Tape recorder worked on four battarey cells.

Later when my grand father met Gamaki Seetharama Rao, My grand father reported to have told him, "Nammane banni gamaka heli andre barlilla neevu, eega nodi nimmanna nammaneli dinaa koogistini" (You did not come to my home when I invited you to sing Gamaka, now look, I make you shout everyday in my home!)

Seetharama Rao did come to our home later. He sung,
"Ala beku naga beku samate shama vira bEku" - Kagga
in 9 Raagaas. As I pumped (tidi hidiyuvudu) the harmonium for shruti (drone) he made all the eyes in the room wet.

Yes in deed, "AlabEku nagabEku"........

Should cry, should laugh,
Should be well tempered and patient,
Like river flood should the mercy flow,
Like undeterred rock to the art, should the soul yield,
Wise men said this; I am a fool - Timma (DVG)

I am still in sad mode.. after my broken dagga.
~rAGU

Derivatives/Differentiation

One of my collegues asked me, what differentiation was. I said the same old thing.
"Ratio of change in an dependent variable to a small change in a independent variable. "

He asked me, don't you think it is a complicated way of saying something simpler?
I started breaking my head.

if a line is y = mx+c
dy/dx = m

Y
| /> y= mx + c
| /
| /
| /
| /
| /
| /
|/_______________________> y=m
/
_|_______________________> x
|


For eg 4/2 => 4-2-2=0 thus answer is 2.
similaly change in y/change in x = change in y - m * change in x = 0

Because m is the derivative of mx+c wrt y, we can say that;
"change in y is constant".

More generally, "what is the change in terms of the independent variable required to see the change we see in dependent variable".
It is nothing more than fancy way of saying "rate of change"!

Someone told me even this is complicated way of saying subtracting the previous number in the series from the current. Discrete version is called "The First Difference".

Bhaskara II knew the stuff, then he did not publish his research in Nature! That is obviously his fault.

~rAGU

Demise of Dagga

I remember the song:
"Aadisuvaata besaramoodi aata mugisidaaa, bombeya muridu sootrava haridu mannagisidaa"

I tore my dagga (Bayan) I was playing the wicked Rupak taal. It is winter. Percussion instruments (drums) are having a very bad time.

Does anyone know where to procure a dagga? I do not think anyone sells dagga or skin here.
uuuuuuuuuuuuuh crap...

~rAGU

Are woman more honest?

Are they less susceptible to corruption? Are they ... anyway before all those questions; are they different?

They are different. Experiments in psychology have shown that they are different emotionally, in ability to perform different tasks[1]. To put them briefly; men have better spatial cognition (I mean they are better in driving) women have superior language abilities. Men are verbally impatient, women empathize more. (Put simply men suffer from mild autism :) ) [2]. More women suffer depression. More men have had extra marital affair [3].

Now some anecdotes. Umamahadevi was an Asistant Commisioner of Sagara Revenue Division, Karnataka, India in 1995. She oversaw the destruction of the fence of the land grabbed by the then Member of Parliment K G Shivappa near Sagara. Secured the land to the custody revenue department. I had seen her speak in Kannada which she learnt after coming there in very short time. She said I do not speak proper Kannada in an independent day speach then spoke in Kannada better than some other guys without a single mistake!

Kiran Bedi has decided to quit/retire from police service [4]. This made me think about women in responsible positions. Women involve emotionally and hence, according to me, are more likely to respond with responsibilty. They take unreasonable but right decisions. Kiran Bedi towed Indira Gandhi`s car for parking illegally. She saw Jails to be places for transformation rather than a place of punishment. Mayavati kicked the ass of the Reliance Industrie`s retail plans.

There are currupt women (Jayalalita,Mamta?) , but women appear more responsible. I have choosen convenient examples. The bad thing is they can hate you more than men ever can.

The point is Kiran Bedi should have been there to kick the ass of the politicians!

References
[1] http://psychologytoday.com/
[2] http://psychologytoday.com/
[3] http://psychologytoday.com/

Classification of farts

Recent post on my blog read "Modern Fart" (for those of you who want to smell it is here). FART then meant Fine Art! Now I am talking about the real fart-the smells like hell one (these bloggers can stoop to any level ).

Farts are classified based on their sound and intensity of smell. Yes it is not my fault they just exist. I have grown up witnessing its validity! It works folks I do not know why (atleast for me). It sounds like a Sanskrit poem but I have serious doubts. Sounds more like some smart ass (hick from the hills?) cooked it up.

Darra Burreh bhayo naasti
Kunvya PinvyE madhya pakshaha
TissaakaarE mahaaghorE
Nishabdham pranasankatam.

If fart sounds Darrr or Burrr one need not be scared, if it sounds Kunvya or Pinvya then it is a bit smelly, if it sounds tissssssssh then it is intolerable and if you hear no sound when some one farts the smell puts your life in danger.

Do not laugh! You will agree with me if you statr observing farts. Next time you fart you will be a subject in your own experment. We should appriciate both; natures method of letting us release pressure and some ingenious persons discovery of one of the most complicated mathematical relation between smell and sounds! When the ass speaks it means a lot :) doesn`t it? Ask your nose!never use the word "dumb ass"

smart ass
~rAGU

Modern Fart

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

French woman pinning a flower to honour Sikh soldiers arriving in France 1914-courtsey: In Flanders Fields Museum.

The soldiers of the Sikh Regiment, India marching to the front in Flanders, Northern Europe. World War I.

More than 50,000 Indian soldiers died in Flanders along with African, 3000 odd Canadian and many soldiers from other countries. If you go to UK from Brussels by road, you will go to Calais port via Lille city (in France) and then to Dover port (UK) by ferry. It is near this city of Calais in the village of Givenchy that Indian soldires of Lahore division fought against Germans. It is called the Battle of Givenchy 1914.

http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/givenchy.htm

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada

I was living in Flanders two years ago. Historically Flanders meant roughly northern part of France, Belgium and Netherlands. (Flemish speaking Belgium consisting of cities Leuven, Gent, Brugge, Oostend, Antwerp and others) This Deepavali also happens to be Armitice Day. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when the world war I ended in 1918.

There is a town Shiralakoppa, near my village. I used to go along with my grandparents, on a bullock cart, to see our family doctor. Dr from Udre was a world war veteran. I came to know that he served as a medical doctor in the Indian army, serving in Italy with the allied forces in World War II. All I remember is he was great doctor. I remember him boiling needles to sterilise them and asking about what I play, did I win, who are my friends while he pierced by butt with those thick old needles. It is amazing to know that he was involved in World War.

In India we do not even remember these soldiers who fought and died for us far away from their friends and relatives. We do not even know who they were. I will wear poppy this time in their memory.

~rAGU

Other's Decisions

This is a serious thing, I am talking about. This is not the context contrast!

We have to make decision at every step of our life. Well, such a stupid thing, everyone knows this! There is something only a few know about decision making: not deciding for others! That is, not taking other's decision for granted. Give it a try, let the guy who is supposed to take a decision based on your job take that decision.

Let us analyse an anecdote. My uncle was visiting Bengalooru. His guest house was close to Richmond Circle. I wanted to visit him, one evening. He was scheduled to go back to Hyderabad next day. When my uncle called me, I was in my office in Diamond District, Domalur, around 6 km from where he was staying. He asked me if I can pick few passport sized photographs from a photo studio near Hudson Circle, a few km farther. He said studio closes by 7 pm. Work on that day took more time than expected and I was hurrying down the Airport Road at 7 pm. It will take me an hour to reach the studio. My uncle had told me that it was really important that I pick up the photos. He needed them next morning.

I had to make a decision: weather to go to studio or not. I recalled my father's advice: "whenever you are not sure of the out come or even know that you will fail, give a try if it does not cost you much". I would have decided that the shop will be closed by the time I go and I should instead head to my uncle's place with a "reason" for not bringing the photo. When to close the shop is not my decision! It is the decision of the owner! Isn’t it? I decided to go. At 8 pm an hour late, I reached the studio. The owner of the studio was standing outside stretching his hands to down the shutters. I ran to him asking to give me photos and told him that it was important. He said I close my shop by 7 pm, but I had some work today. He gave me the photos. I went to my uncle like a nice organised gentleman! Then I had something talk about that evening. I let the owner of the studio make decision, going by my father's words: "what is your problem! Do not take others decision! Let them take the decision. Do your job.” There are different ways to look at it and I should have been more organised. Then that is precisely the point: this perspective helps.

I can give thousand examples. We hear people say, "It is not going to happen", "They are going to turn it down", "He may not like it", "It seems they do not let you in without appointment", "My friend tells me they do not allow such things" "my colleague told me that it can not be done now". Do not listen if your friend tells you not to try. We have thousands coming and telling us not to try. They are all making a decision for you! Well we should ask them to help themselves from their confusion and take our decision. If we are not interested, if we are not energetic, we might not participate, but that should not stop us from saying, "give it a try!". That makes a huge difference. We have to be unreasonable sometimes to get new things done. This decision thing really gives us an excuse to be unreasonable!


DO NOT TAKE OTHER'S DECISION.
~rAGU