Do it yourself

Thought for the day "Sin cannot be conceived in a natural state, but only in a civil state, where it is decreed by common consent what is good or bad." —Baruch Spinoza (Dutch, 1632-1677) Word for the day Indwell To abide within, as a guiding force, motivating principle, etc. Malice towards none It would be in order to remember that both Bhagat Singh (RSP) and Subhash Chandra Bose (Forward Bloc) were leftists. Nationalism is not an exclusive domain of rightists. First random thought this morning As a father of two children entering their teens, I can appreciate the problems of Indian town planners much better. You buy them new shoes, and they outgrow these before the boxes are opened. It's like you build a new road or flyover and traffic outgrows it before the construction is complete. What is the way out? Buy one size large! Buy cheaper stuff! Tell children to wear only slippers till their growt...

Thought for the day "If you want the present to be different from the past, study the past." —Baruch Spinoza (Dutch, 1632-1677) Word for the day Indignant (adj) Feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base. Malice towards none What was the nationality of the lineal descendants of "Babar - the invader", who were born and died in Hindustan? Is there anything on record to indicate that they plundered any wealth from Hindustan to enrich a foreign land, or jeopardized the "National" interest for personal gains. Please keep religion out of this for one moment. First random thought this morning I am astonished to note that Ita Nagar was listed amongst the dirtiest cities in India. I last travelled to Arunachal Pradesh eight years ago. I found the entire State very clean and people extremely sensitive to the Nat...

Thought for the day "Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice." —Baruch Spinoza (Dutch, 1632-1677) Word for the day Calumniate (v) To make false and malicious statements about; slander. Malice towards none Is Trump becoming a big deal for US markets? First random thought this morning The strength of the sentiment of Nationalism generally in various people Foreign job aspirant : Inversely proportionate to the probability of getting the aspired job. Parents of NRIs: Inversely proportionate to the affection of the respective NRI wards towards their parent. Common man: Inversely proportionate to their exposure to the foreign land. (Exceptions: During terrorist attacks, national holidays cricket matches and major festivals) Film Stars: Inversely proportionate to the product of the recognition they get from the local estab...

Thought for the day " Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear." —Baruch Spinoza (Dutch, 1632-1677) Word for the day Despondent (adj) Feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement, or gloom (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none Did the legacy of Takshshila decided to stay back in Pakistan in 1947 or it relocated to India? An RTI query on this has been returned unanswered. First random thought this morning School students in Maharashtra read little or nothing about history and legends of South, East or North India. Students in Mumbai cannot even name all North Eastern states. None of the seven 10th class Delhi students I spoke to were aware about a region named Rohilkhand in India. Students in UP, Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan are mostly ignorant about Thiruvalluvar, Subramanya Bharti, Eknath, and Chandidas. Confirm this state of affairs with your children and tell me...

Thought for the day "Whoever hears of fat men heading a riot, or herding together in turbulent mobs? No - no, your lean, hungry men who are continually worrying society, and setting the whole community by the ears." —Washington Irving (American, 1783-1859) Word for the day Zenith (n) A highest point or state; culmination. Malice towards none Why minority schools be exempted from RTE provisions? Why can't they be told to admit 25% poor students from their respective minority community? First random thought this morning My colleagues just returned from an extensive tour of Uttar Pradesh. The State is already into election mode; though elections are due only in Mar'17. At present the main contest appears to be between the traditional rivals SP & BSP, with SP having marginal edge. BJP is a distant third, nowhere close to its Lok Sabha performance. Congress does not appear in the frame. Peopl...

Thought for the day "There is certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in traveling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position, and be bruised in a new place." —Washington Irving (American, 183-1859) Word for the day Nonce (n) The present, or immediate, occasion or purpose (usually used in the phrase for the nonce ). Malice towards none I am sure not many Indians would share Shane Warne's sentiments towards Steve Waugh! First random thought this morning Have you ever been afraid of saying or writing something, thinking someone might have said or written the same thing before. I have always been afraid. But now, after so many years of living under constant fear, I have accepted that there is nothing that has not been said, written or done before. Plagiarism, copyrights, patents and originality is all farce. We are alrea...

Thought for the day "The idol of today pushes the hero of yesterday out of our recollection; and will, in turn, be supplanted by his successor of tomorrow." —Washington Irving (American, 183-1859) Word for the day Aeromancy (n) The prediction of future events from observation of weather conditions. (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none Do you trust Headley? First random thought this morning After living 7years in Mumbai, I shifted back to Delhi last year. Personally, I do not find any perceptible difference in the air quality of Mumbai and Delhi. My young kids haven't have any notable respiratory complication in past one year. I do not suffocate during my morning walks or evening strolls on the roadside. My neighbors have got their lungs screened last weekend, out of paranoia. Doctors found no trace of toxins everyone is claiming to be abundantly present in the city's air. The website...

Thought for the day "They who drink beer will think beer." —Washington Irving (American, 183-1859) Word for the day Alpenglow (n) A reddish glow often seen on the summits of mountains just before sunrise or just after sunset. (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none The reaction of the global community to every misadventure of Kim is a surety that no one is prepared for a bigger war, and it's not happening in foreseeable future. First random thought this morning A full scale Sino-Indian partnership can solve many of world's problems today. Capital starved India could benefit from idle factories and decongested ports of China. Demand starved China could benefit from most confident Indian consumers. Indians could learn discipline and austerity from Chinese commoners. Chinese could learn English and democracy from Indians. With more than one third of global population, they both could together ...