Its a fine book , a modern classic , no doubt about it .

I loved reading this book and finished it in one sitting … at night .

It  was am overwhelming feeling , reading this book .  Paulo Coehlo ,  the author has created a mesmerizing combination of hope , wisdom,adventure and destiny in his book “The Alchemist”.  Its this combination and his simple style of writing that makes The Alchemist a compelling book and most often its with this book people realize what is meant by “Un Put Down-able”!

But the main reason why The Alchemist has become a record holder book for world wider circulation is because its fires your personal  imagination , its raises your hope , it makes your belief in destiny firm …..and its makes you believe in personal dreams almost unshakable and make you dream more !

“When you really want something to happen , the whole universe conspires to make it true .”

That’s the quote from this book which best captures the story and the spirit of it .

I love that quote ! …………….what a  magic it has.

This personal magic belief has been around with human being since may be we started thinking . Our mythology , history books are full of heroes and characters that possessed  and believed in the personal magic . Even in our modern day variety if living most of us have a magic belief .Like my magic belief is that i will change a bit of readers thoughts with this blog 🙂 .

A charm , a trick , a coincidence , an illusion or even superstition whatever you call it  . May be human  being love magic as a phenomenon . Or may be we love the escape from reality it offers  .And who knows may be there is indeed a magic that exist with everyone’s belief .

In fact if you are fan of this book , its precisely what it says .Read the quote again …

“When you really want something to happen , the whole universe conspires to make it true .”

The alchemist encourages you to want something to happen and voila  there is ….this whole universe that is with you . It acts like you buddy and does everything possible to make you successful . And what a bliss it is ! …to have the whole universe help us to get what we want .But did you ever think whether such a facility makes sense ?

No no , I am not saying that with such a conspiring universe even the Bad guyz stand to benefit .What if some one wants the Armageddon to happen ?. Nopes that’s not what bothers me . I would rather believe that this conspiring universe has got some sense and it helps only the good guyz .

But how about differentiating between the good guys and the deserving ones ? .

This is where The Alchemist gets my goat . It shifts the responsibility of hard work and so on ….from the dreamer to the universe . Even if we one has to believe in God or such a magic existing ,  the problem is that the book says that this magic is free and automatic ……….And that to me is dangerous .

Its not that everyone realizes how a book or anything around us affects us . So subtle are the influences on human mind that one can live a lifetime without realizing where did he/she acquired a particular thought from .The alchemist is a pretty poisonous book for such an effect . And in case you are thinking that people are pretty aware of what thoughts they choose , what influence they allow to affect their minds … think again . Or ask your psychiatrist friend 🙂 .There is no limit to how far from reality we can allow ourselves to go . The alchemist , I feel , put this mechanism to test . It rather uses it to the extreme  .

Its not the first time a book or literature for that matter , is depicting a rosy , destiny filled dreamy world to the masses . What differentiates The alchemist from other is that it ends up altering the fundamental  belief system that we posses . And it does it in a populist language and manner . A trick too lethal and compelling that people often won’t  even care to cross examine the new belief that has been seeded into them.

Now i have nothing against Paulo Coelho , I think that the book is worthy …. I even have no issues with destity-ism that it preaches .In fact every one has the right to escape from reality … the right to dream …dream big ..want more …and work for it .

What i am against is  …

……….someone believing that their dreams has to come true just because They are dreaming it …

………….“When you really want something to happen , the whole universe conspires to make it true “

Why should the universe do it at the birth of a dream , Mr Coehlo ?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

ps : I recommend you to read the book . Its a pleasure read .Just beware of how it might affect and ignite you.

And by the way I profess treating Book with at-most respect  .The title was just to make you take a stand 🙂

Remember is a rather mechanical word . For it doesn’t best express the pleasure that come  with it . The pleasure of remembering things , more sweet than bitter .

The act of deriving pleasure is central to human beings . Its a temptation so hard to resist that we even revisit past (events) to get more out of them .This act of pleasure visit to past is one of the most common reason that drives most of what we do .May be we are often unconscious of it .

I used to wonder at at Office farewell emails and speeches how pleasantly people talked about the past . Even while knowing that it was not all that hunky dory , i remained silent . After all every one deserves the benefit of selective memory , moreover i have nothing against someone being so positive about the past 🙂 .

I would brush such things off as routine behavioral thing . But what amazed me that such things stay on and that was little of a shocker .

We all reminisce our childhood . Our achievement , quarrels , relationships , our firsts 🙂 and so on .And why not?… these are the very personal memories that give us the presence we have . And that is  absolute pleasure to do .

But that still doesn’t answer why we reminisce ?        ……….. actually why we reminisce so much ,so often ?

This is something that goes completely against our crib of life being hectic , it kind of also contradicts our repeated claims of  enjoying the life.

…….even more notably why the older the memory the more pleasurable it is ?

The whole process of reminisce and recollecting old … very old,,, memories have magical quality in them. It can completely alter the mood we are in and can even inspire us to extraordinary things.

…………….may be the answer lies in the quality .

….may be its purity of the experience …….simplicity of things around us ………. our innocence !

The older the memories are the better these aspects of that memory are …..

………….Its something clearly that we miss in out present life …. that makes us remember the past .

Ah .. its our yearning for pure , uncomplicated and innocent life !!

……….Ever wondered whether children reminisce ? …

Don’t try to answer it ….

its obvious why the don’t  …actually … why they don’t have to ….

On 15 the August   India celebrates its  independence day .

This line almost feels like opening sentence from of a school time essay and deservedly so .It was probably only in that age of innocence this day used to thrill  almost every kid.

For most of the non school going Indians this day means just little more than a holiday .And to many it might mean just another holiday. A saving grace could be those scanty blood donation camps or likes that people arrange today . Give or take few good citizen who are engaged in socio-national work through out the year and on whom media runs stories on this day , without fail .

This is not to say that all those Mahnedra Kapoor and Lata Mangeshkar songs played on 15th august don’t feel good .They do  ,but  the day doesn’t  .In fact  such a response is more of an extension of the childhood conditioning than an individuals sensitivity .

If you every felt angry that so many Indians only sit at home on this day doing nothing for the nation or watching TV  .Or felt that 15th August has lost its  relevance .The  fact is that  the day might have never had any relevance to Indian masses !

Its not that Indians are less patriotic than citizen of other countries .But we just don’t know what it means to celebrate a day  ..

A day devoted to celebration of the national Independence or the republic formation is a nationalist concept .  .Its more of a westerns concept so to say .The day celebration concept , be it I-day or R-day is aimed at remembrance of  the core values that the day is supposed to represent .Its is designed to focus mass attention to these values every year .And to further strengthen them.Its for this reason the celebration happens .

And this is precisely the place Indians find it out of place !

Its such kind of public display of nationalism that is unknown to Indian masses.Patriotism or to be more precise Nationalism is  an emotion a little too unknown to Indian mind set .We cant wear out national flag as a dress but we can die to be able to wear  it .

Now India is a celebration freak nation . We can and do celebrate anything under the sun .And i love it for that  .If you have beginning to notice the contradiction… hang on .The thread that runs common in Indian celebration is  the key here  .

All of our celebrations are ritualistic in nature .They revolve around specific rules and only the details are left to Individual choice . Imagine the Diwali , the Eid or the marriage and you know what I mean. The word is Ceremony ! Ours is a ceremony culture .

An event like I-day calls for a free spirited nation and the masses that are vocal about their individualism . And we are exactly not that . We are shy about our individualism and conservative about the free spirit ( pun  intended 🙂 ) .

Say tomorrow we form a colorful and detailed set of activities that an Indian is supposed to do in 15h August . Acts that are nationalist in nature but are  as ritualistic as a pooja .Something that can be of a shape of a tradition .Then on you might just see  a nation buzzing with activity on days like 15th August .

For  philosophical nature we have, we as a country don’t know how to enjoy themselves  . But we as the people  are busy  in a grand and ongoing celebration called life !.Its here our Independence has to be made relevant than forcing it to be wished as a Happy day  .

Note : Please click on the links at the end of this post in case you are not able to see the screen shots .

News channels  were abuzz with launch of Bhuvan an geographical imaging service from Indian Space Research Organizations (ISRO http://www.isro.org ) .

At present its a web based interface that offers geographical images that we are used to see on Google maps .

But Bhuvan is much more than what Google map offers in terms of service and significance .

The main punch in Bhuvan is its Indianess .It isn’t a news per se , India had launch satellites with remote sensing satellites under aegis of ISRO for quite some time now . And Bhuvan as a gesture of capability demonstration is very important for Indians .

However its Indianess doesn’t stop here .

It offers zoom in facility till 10 meters .

It has comes in multiple mode/variations that can display soil types , monsoon coverage apart from state,district boundaries , national highways and the most needed navigation information .

In fact Bhuvan goes further than this and allows in line graphical overlays for town planners and more .

Of couser it hides sensitive information like Gate Way of India in Mumbai and rightly so ,being a Govt of India  enterprise   .

One has to go to site http://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in/index.html and register himself there to use Bhuvan .The present implementation mandates us to download and Active X component and its hoped that Bhuvan assumes collaborative features like Google Earth soon ( features like people tagging places on the map ). I alos hope that ISRO offers its as a service for other sites to embed Bhuvan widget in their pages and the wish list goes on .

Its worth a look guyz .And yes …

While registering at Bhuvan website today , I was asked about my name , password and the default information.

One of the column was “Purpose for Browsing Bhuvan” … National Pride ! I replied .

Hats Off  ISRO , Bhuvan Rocks !!! .

Here are some Screen Shots .

This screen shot shows India as a country zoomed in onto Bhuvan main page .One can add multiple layers like national , state ,district boundaries on it ( see the menu on  the left of the screen shot ) .

This Screen shot shows status of monsoon/ rain in India .It also has facility to select years and month for the display selection .

Bhuvan has the proverbial city navigation feature .However ISRO block sensitive places like Gate Way of India etc. I have captured Colaba ,marine drive area of Mumabi city ( for easy identification 🙂 ) . Of course this can be zoomed to greater extent than this But but but , its not collaborative yet  , so you will fine names for only those places which ISRO has mapped .Hope a commercial open version of Bhuvan is launched soon .

The screen shot is the best one . It shows how best Bhuvan captures geographical details like soli and tarrian . What you see here is place close to my native 🙂 . Its a place called Lonar in Maharashtra . And the circle you see is a crater made by Meteoric collusion from Jurassic Age ( No kidding )

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NMEzhTVgeP1sltypmEDWDg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJnh29yk6azDDw&feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JOtY-9_8nxdIjAOWiUs56g?authkey=Gv1sRgCJnh29yk6azDDw&feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/utJIw8xYuTguu7Xi2ofHGA?authkey=Gv1sRgCJnh29yk6azDDw&feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zdMGL6jjUN6isRbfnpK0Pg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJnh29yk6azDDw&feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GBSxmkSJs7VuDo2kFkGl0Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCJnh29yk6azDDw&feat=directlink

Pune has become a scary city ……..

Little did we know when Rida Shaikh the first H1N1 causality in India happened in pune that it will  turn out to be so ugly .

Exactly a week back we awoke to the reality of seeing masked people around us .Most of the youngster had a tinge of thrill in their eyes.All of the kids had innocence .Many of the elders had the false sense of security .And most of the old people had a mix of worry and a strange inner calm on their faces . A calm , something my generation of fast track IT people would die for bout would not achieve .

The same people irrespective of the age are now in a  state of flux .Exactly everyone I meet has information about swine flu .This in fact is good thing.But exactly every one I met also has an opinion on swine flu oops H1N1 .I would be tempted to blame this to media but that would an a cute and easy escape . We need to accept , the sooner the better , our  addictions . The addiction to constant stimulation . Call it vicarious-tainment if you wish to simplify .
Not that the tendency to be “In it” is something new to human beings . We see that every four year with cricket world cup in India.Everyone has an opinion on Mr Tehdualkar.

But a disease .. an epidemic that’s little too much . I wasn’t really perturbed  when the news that N95 masks are being sold for 250 in pimple saudagar hit us. That was the least surprising news for Pune IT crowd 🙂 .But the expertization of masses is scary .Its has started manifesting itself in our daliy lives .My housmaid now puts on her mask every time she enters our house and removes it as she leave it .And in case you are concluding that it is something to do with her education ,i see even superior instances at my work place .

Yesterday we had our first swine flu patient belonging the work place being found .Then on its has become a series of debates and   suggestions . It ranges from consuming Lime or tusli evrey few hours to the angry demand that nobody without a mask should be allowed at work place ! .It has become so extreme that i can easily manage to break the long queues for lunch coupons just by sneezing 🙂 . Whether I do this prank or not its already happening .And so has increased mindless use of handkerchief  to mask the mask itself , people repeatedly visiting the loo to wash their hands and eating lunch at their centrally Air Conditioned desks .

Even and more worry some is the number of times they go to Internet to check the death count .Its kinda of appropriateness thing to know the precise death count and cite it in all the discussions .The discussions that happen at hourly basis .Its kind of a hidden force that one can sense is driving everyone . A force to have some news on H1N1 every now and then .I would have ignored that as people getting anxious .But workplace or other wise we are bombarded with list of DOs and Don’t on swine flu. If tomorrow IIMs are to conduct CAT on H1N1 their servers will crash with the number of people scoring 100 percentile .The better word for this is scoop . Its the scoop that is driving the discussion .And its the same need of thrill that to me is more dangerous thanH1N1 .The only difference i could make between my workpalce and people outside is that Non IT people don;t take pride in showing the extra wikiepedia knowledge that acquired around Influenza…tamiflu ..and viruses in general.

I was about to send my parents back to  the naive today and my doctor friend told me at my native-village it will actually be a bad idea , socially, to arrive from Pune .And that fine for the village my native is….

but it  isn’t any batter at Pune , its just that here our superstitions are more scientific and arguments more English …

This evening while i was returning from in company bus there was this lady sitting beside me , Salwar clad and masked .She felt urge to sneeze and there happend the grand revelation to me…

this lady gently removed her mask … put her hand on her nose …and sneezed royally … oh she did put he mask back one her face …with a shade of assurance on her face ….

and i returned home debating internally …. what does it mean to be educated ..

Am i panicked by swine flu ?

No. but it doesn’t matter . What matter is how panicked people around are .

..Pune has Indeed …..become a scary city ……..

Latest Updates :

Live Map of Swine Flu affected area , from Wikipedia : Click Here

Government of India has now set a dedicated website for swine Flu ,please check the same for latest information. http://www.swinefluindia.com/

What is swine Flu :

First thing first swine flu is not a new disease and this is now the first time human being are affected by it . Neither is this first time an influenza pandemic is haunting us L ( search of Spanish flu to know more ).

Its just another variant of Influenzavirus A.The other types being –

• Influenzavirus A cause of all flu pandemics and infect humans, other mammals and birds
• Influenzavirus B infect humans and seals
• Influenzavirus C infect humans and pigs

You may click on this Link to know more about RNA virus and mutations .

The present pendemic is caused by virus that is usually found in Pigs- H1N1 . The other variations ie mutations of Type A include :

H1N1, H1N2, H2N2, H3N1, H3N2, H3N8, H5N1, H5N2, H5N3, H5N8, H5N9, H7N1, H7N2, H7N3, H7N4, H7N7, H9N2, H10N7

Like any influenza , H1N1 spreads via body fluids . Saliva , Nasal secretion , faces and blood .Common symptoms of influenza infection are fever, sore throat, muscle/joint pains, severe headache, coughing, and weakness and fatigue.

What Swine Flu is not :

Its not the seasonal influenza .

Most people will not have immunity against it , like seasonal flu .

Its not a death sentence .

According to WHO “The severity of the disease ranges from very mild symptoms to severe illnesses that can result in death. The majority of people who contract the virus experience the milder disease and recover without antiviral treatment or medical care. Of the more serious cases, more than half of hospitalized people had underlying health conditions or weak immune systems”

Prevention :

Be alert and rush to a doctor if your fever persists for more than 3 dayz .

For individuals who are well:

• refrain from touching mouth and nose;

• perform hand hygiene frequently, by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol based hand rub, especially if touching the mouth and nose and surfaces that are potentially contaminated;

• reduce as much as possible the time spent in close contact with people who might be ill;

• reduce as much as possible the time spent in crowded settings;

• improve airflow in your living space by opening windows as much as possible

For individuals with influenza-like symptoms:

• stay at home if you feel unwell and follow the local public health recommendations;

• keep distance from well individuals as much as possible (at least 1 metre);

• cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, with tissues or other suitable

materials, to contain respiratory secretions. Dispose of the material immediately after use

or wash it. Clean hands immediately after contact with respiratory secretions!

• improve airflow in your living space by opening windows as much as possible.

Should I Wear a Mask ? :

Since the disease spreads via nasal fluids you MUST wear a mask when meeting patients .For regular life its recommended you may .

The recommended mask is : N-95 respirators .

While people may use usual surgical masks , cloths or even N95 mask we must remember Face Mask help in preventing the does’t guarantee anything .The other case with Masks is -Quoting WHO :

If masks are worn, proper use and disposal is essential to ensure they are potentially

effective and to avoid any increase in risk of transmission associated with the incorrect

use of masks.

• place mask carefully to cover mouth and nose and tie securely to minimise any gaps

between the face and the mask

• while in use, avoid touching the mask

− whenever you touch a used mask, for example when removing or washing, clean

hands by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based handrub

• replace masks with a new clean, dry mask as soon as they become damp/humid

• do not re-use single-use masks

− discard single-use masks after each use and dispose of them immediately upon removing.

Vaccine :

There is no vaccine developed for H1N1 swine flu yet .Its supposed to be available by Sept 2009 .Another thing “evidence suggests that it is unlikely that seasonal influenza vaccines will be protective against the new pandemic virus” –WHO.

Available Laboratory tests:

• Rapid Antigen Tests: not as sensitive as other available tests.
• RT-PCR
• Virus isolation
• Virus Genome Sequencing
• Four-fold rise in swine influenza A (H1N1) virus specific neutralizing antibodies.

High-risk group :

• As per IMA ,its defined as ,
• resident of institutions for elderly people and the disabled;
• people  with certain chronic health conditions (chronic heart or lung disease, metabolic or renal disease or immunodeficiencies);
• elderly people and very young children.

Treatment :

First thing first : NO self medication of over the counter antivirus please.

The treatment advised by WHO for swine flu is an antiviral drug called  Oseltamivir ( branded TamiFlu ).

Since this is declared epidemic recently  . As of now only Govt approved agencies should administer treatment (private clinics should be allowed soon).

Please find the List of Government Approved list of Hospitals in India for treatment of Swine Flu which  also have been remodeled by local contractors like these Commercial Hospital Lighting experts.

City	Hospital	Address	Contact
Chennai	King Institute of Preventive Medicine (24/7 Service)	Guindy, Chennai – 32	(044) 22501520, 22501521 & 22501522
	Communicable Diseases Hospital	Thondiarpet, Chennai	(044) 25912686/87/88, 9444459543
	Government General Hospital	Opp. Central Railway Station, Chennai – 03	(044) 25305000, 25305723, 25305721, 25330300
Pune	Naidu Hospital	Nr Le’Meridian, Raja Bahadur Mill, GPO, Pune – 01	(020) 26058243
	National Institute of Virology	20A Ambedkar Road, Pune – 11	(020) 26006290
Kolkata	ID Hospital	57,Beliaghata, Beliaghata Road, Kolkata – 10‎	(033) 23701252
Coimbatore	Government General Hospital	Near Railway Station, Trichy Road, Coimbatore – 18	(0422) 2301393, 2301394, 2301395, 2301396
Hyderabad	Govt. General and Chest Diseases Hospital,	Erragadda, Hyderabad	(040) 23814939
Mumbai	Kasturba Gandhi Hospital	Arthur Road, N M Joshi Marg, Jacob Circle, Mumbai – 11	(022) 23083901, 23092458, 23004512
	Sir J J Hospital	J J Marg, Byculla, Mumbai – 08	(022) 23735555, 23739031, 23760943, 23768400 / 23731144 / 5555 / 23701393 / 1366
	Haffkine Institute	Acharya Donde Marg, Parel, Mumbai – 12	(022) 24160947, 24160961, 24160962
Kochi	Government Medical College	Gandhi Nagar P O, Kottayam – 08	(0481) 2597311,2597312
	Government Medical College	Vandanam P O, Allapuzha – 05	(0477) 2282015
	Taluk Hospital	Railway Station Road, Alwaye, Ernakulam	(0484) 2624040  Sathyajit – 09847840051
	Taluk Hospital	Perumbavoor PO, Ernakulam 542	(0484) 2523138  Vipin – 09447305200
Gurgaon & Delhi	All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)	Ansari Nagar, Aurobindo Marg Ring Road, New Delhi – 29	(011) 26594404, 26861698  Prof. R C Deka – 9868397464
	National Institute for Communicable Diseases	22, Sham Nath Marg, New Delhi – 54	(011) 23971272/060/344/524/449/326
	Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital	Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi – 01	(011) 23741640, 23741649, 23741639 Dr. N K Chaturvedi – 9811101704
	Vallabhai Patel Chest Institute	University Enclave, New Delhi- 07	(011) 27667102, 27667441, 27667667, 27666182
Bangalore	Victoria Hospital	K R Market, Kalasipalayam, Bangalore – 02	(080) 26703294  Dr. Gangadhar – 94480-49863
	SDS Tuberculosis & Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases	Hosur Road, Hombegowda Nagar, Bangalore – 29	(080) 26631923  Dr. Shivaraj – 99801-48780

In Pune :

PMC opens 15 swine flu pre screening centers to ease pressure on Naidu Hospital. Centers won’t collect swabs, only conduct check-ups, counseling .

Karve Road  -Erandvana Hospital, Contact: Dr Sarita Ganala (9764000939)

Mhatre Bridge-  Late Anandibai Narhar Gadgil Hospital, Contact: Dr Jyotsana Khole (9422987953)

Ganj Peth – Late Balaji Rakhmaji Gaikwad Hospital, Contact: Dr Sandhya Bahule

Narayan Peth-  Late Kalavatibai Mavale Hospital, Contact: Dr Nila Limaye (9881385015)

Lakshmi Road – Late Mamasaheb Badade Hospital, Contact: Dr Swati Joshi

Raviwar Peth – Hutatma Babu Genu Hospital, Contact: Dr Dinesh Bende (9421018878)

Koregaon Park – Late Bapusaheb Ganuji Kavade Hospital, Contact: Dr Jaya Bhondave (9922504428)

Ganesh Peth – Late Rohidas Kirad Hospital, Contact: Dr Chandrashekhar Gujar

Kothrud – Late Jayabai Nanasaheb Sutar MaternityHospital, Contact: Dr Shyam Satpute (9823217047)

Alandi Road-  Siddharth Hospital, Contact: Dr Bhagwant Gagare (9423004811)

Sahakarnagar-  Late Shivshankar Pote Hospital, Contact: Dr Vidya Rajwade (9422520930)

Aundh Road – Late Baburao Genba Shavale Hospital, Contact: Dr Madhuri Gare (9823224789)

Yerwada – Late Damodar Ravji Galande Hospital, Contact: Dr Ujjwala Khristi (9730571404)

Shukrawar Peth – Dr Kotnis Health Centre, Contact: Dr Asmita Bhoi (9850992960)

Shivajinagar – Late Jangalrao Kondiba Amrale Hospital, Contact: Dr Aparna Gokhale (9823214103)

PCMC

Yashwantrao Chavan memorial hospital, Sant Tukaramnagar, Pimpri

Jijamata hospital, Pimpri

Municipal hospital, Bhosari

Municipal hospital, Akurdi

Municipal hospital, Sangvi

Municipal hospital, Thergaon

Municipal hospital, Yamunanagar, Nigdi

Talera hospital, Chinchwad

References :

Wikipedia , http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/ , http://www.punemate.com/2009/08/swine-flu-screening-centers-pune.html , http://icmr.nic.in/pinstitute/niv.htm , http://www.ima-india.org/

practical is an often misused word . Its mostly used to contrast like “Ideal vs practical” . The real contrast for me is actually “Realistic vs practical “.

Practical in simple terms denote something that is practiced .

And if you agree to this usage you will know why i chose to start a post on friendship with such a dry word .

Of all the relations friendship is second most talked about relation after love . Luckily its less confused about than love is. Almost every one agrees to the essence of what friends mean.

It can be as materialist as “friend in need is friend indeed” or it can be as exotic as “Friendship is what gives value to our survival” .

what ever is the definition  i am great fan of this relation .Its the most authentic relation than we have .Even more authentic and real than love . This is one relation that each one of us chooses in free will and spirit . Its un contaminated from fear , greed and desire ( something that makes love a complex thing ) .And we all own it completely .

Friendship is the most practical relation we have !.  Its what we choose to practice in life is how we gather our friends .To me that has immense power to an individual for his emotional survival .

Eric Berne says that all of the human interaction fall in following categories.

1. Withdrawal
2. Ritual
3. Pastimes
4. Activity
5. Games
6. Intimacy

Each one has it own characteristic and form essential part of our life .

Of all the relations friendship is the one where almost every shade of these manifest . Its for this reason i say friendship is a practical relation . Your or my basis of friendship with some one depends on what of above i practiced with in the relation .

While i don’t make a judgment of which one of the above is better than the other . In fact for the same reason we have so many words that describe friendship … friend , pal , soulmate ,buddy and so on .In case of Sanskrit this is even more graphic and detailed  mirta,sakha,surhud,snehi and so on..

To be precise its actually …. many words that describe the types of relations we form with our friends .Its almost karmic! 🙂

That brings us to the core of the topic of surviving friendship .

We make now easily intellectualize and say that relations fade for lack of substance . This is akin to saying that an acquaintance based on office rituals and cricket pastimes will fade away but an friend with real intimacy shall survive .I wouldn’t rubbish such a claim but its one sided to say it in short .Moreover it will make the whole topic complex  and it will also pass qualitative judgment on variations of friendship, a thing which i find un useful.

In a simple terms , we got to understand this . The base to our friendly relation a variety of topics associated to it . Each one of us connect to others on these topics with diff depth and at diff level. This is what adds flavors to our relations .

The problem is we often let this go un realized . Its these topics ,depth and level that change with passage of time.Every one of us go through diff life experiences as we live . Marriage , emigration,job,economics they all affect us constantly and change us . They also change grain by grain …..our likes on these topics , the depth we choose to go to and the levels at which we like to connect over these topics .

Its this phenomenon that affect our friendship . This is where most of us end up losing the vast network of friends we start with . The key word here is “Relevance” …if you wish to think over it . Its  relevance that alters our list of friends !! .And its the relevance crisis why we loose friends (or retain them).

I might have done a cozy post on friendship day .But as usual i choose the bitter-useful thing over the popular one.Consider this as my wish for friendship day .A day i would not like to celebrate (why should we need it) but I agree  to growing need of it (sadly) .

And in case you want a simple summary of this post , here it is .

“if we understand that friends change then  we don’t have to change friends ” .

Hope ur friends , in wahtever defination they fall … survive for your life time …. thats all we can claim as  completely  our own earning when we die .

Heyy ……………. Finally Rakhi Sawant got married . Ah What a relief .

and what a show it was man … 5 weeks …many news channel …millions of Indians and one lady !

My ramayan reading mom was glued to TV for this show just to see how far this lady will go ……. and boy i got revelation of lifetime .

This lady had just become the biggest media event in India . Something only sharukh khan can match for the money and hype involved .

Not that i support rakhi sawant and her type of dance and decorum  from the dayz of main hoo na …where i first noticed she exists .
but hey …The zeal with which we follow paris hilton and her videos …. isn’t it just fair for rakhi to claim her share of celebrity-dom in Indian way !!
There isnt a point in being hypocratic and discouraging this lass .
Shez controversial , shez in your face …shez fake ….and she is darling of media .
Her media management skills match that of Amitabh bacchan in the results ..  and i adore rakhi sawant for this !!

but this time …. with this swayamwar smth more happened .
For it was first time …. for real or fake …she was presented as a girl to all of india .
Its was a perfect transformation that could have been marketed . From an item girl to groom searching bride .
and of all events a swayamwar ….what a revenge it must have been on all the intellectuals …. and I admire rakhi for her guts.
and boy………………. in case you were laughing at this whole show as a joke … be alert ..
this must be the cleverest of marketing that we would witness  in these years

and I see more of rakhi sawant …. in newer and poweful forms to hit our faces …. and I love rakhi swant .

was the swayamwar staged …. ? ………who cares and why should we ….. the great indian entertainment show is on … and we consumed it without knowing what it means.

And I congratulate rakhi swant and Elesh .. her hubby .. the best luck ….and i even noted down the dress ideas for future 🙂

and i turned to mom …while the show was culminating …. that the world has changed beyond what she could cope up with ..
She must be corss checking this statement with her concepts of kaliyug …. i dunno

but I am happy … i just got one best example …. now on whenever i need to explain media and marketing manipulations …
i can just say ….this is like Rakhi ka sawayamwar ….

what U dint watch it ……….. ???? …what is good is your TV for …

but i love Rakhi Sawant …………… U jsut cant ignore her ………and none cares if you hate her or love her … lol

RBI directive : Use of Credit Cards Online

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made it mandatory for all online transactions to have an additional level of authentication from August 1, 2009 onwards. The extra level of security is a password, which you have to enter after submitting your credit/debit card details when making online payments. This authentication is required for all transactions on   websites in India. This new technology for safe online transactions is called VBV – Verified by Visa or MSC – MasterCard Secure Code. [1]

How do I register my credit/debit card?

Visit the website of your credit/debit card issuing bank or get in touch with your bank and complete the one-time registration formalities. Click on the links below to register your credit/debit card and get your password.If you have received this information as email forward then please visit your banks website by the URL you know and  register yourself .The links given below are for easy reference and they can be altered to spam/infect you easily (Pls check the lock Icon at bottom of your browser for all your banking transactions ).

	ABN Amro		Andhra Bank		Axis Bank		Citibank
	Deutsche Bank		HDFC Bank		HSBC Bank		ICICI Bank
	Kotak Mahindra Bank		Karur Vysya Bank		Standard Chartered		State Bank of India

What is the last date to register my credit/debit card?

There is no last date for registration, however after August 1st you cannot make online purchases without your password and so we recommend you get it done as soon as possible.

Whats More ?
A system of “Online Alerts” to the cardholder for all ‘card not present’ transactions of the value of Rs. 5,000/ and above.

This directive is applicable to all private , PSU , cooperative banks in India .

There was news of similar check being enforced via swipe purchases and mandating a photo ID card etc …coming soon on this blog ..

View Demo : Click Here

I am pasting the link to a demo on how all this works . This demo is property of ICICI bank

RBI Notification : http://rbi.org.in/scripts/NotificationUser.aspx?Id=4844&Mode=0
Personally I welcome this move , its prudent and user oriented .Wish we bridge the gap between Debit card and Credit card soon .
Happy eBanking 🙂

References:

[This info is quoted from other sources : http://www.icicibank.com , http://www.shaadi.com , http://www.sbicards.com and http://rbi.org.in et all]