#044 Why should I write this autobiographical blog?

Not because I want to boost my ego / self-image or indulge in self-pity or self-praise.

I recall that it was Al Beruni of 11th Century CE who said that Indians had no sense of history.

Probably, he might have been right, considering that we do not get sufficient materials to record history, because Indians rarely write their diaries, or record their logs.

Except some stone inscriptions made by kings while granting land to temples, or a few pillars planted by kings as tokens for their victories during expeditions, few realistic accounts are avaialble about what would have happened during centuries gone-by.

Consequently, historians depend on dug-up terracotta and coins for assessing and describing the culture of those eras.

Even for the 20th Century, not much written material is available to depict Indian History of all the States. Indian history cannot simply mean history of Delhi and its surroundings. Every State, more accurately every District and tahsil (tAlUk) in India can have its own in-depth histories. Though District Collectorates, maintain some dossiers of the history of the District, the Collectors and their staff have little time to spare on recording events.

I feel that every Indian (or every citizen of this world/earth) should write his autobiographial accounts. Not because he-she will have something to brag about, but because when they record the events of their own life, something else relating to the society around them will also get presented, intentionally, or unintentionally. And those spills-out will provide the material for writing the histories of Districts, States, India, Asia and the Earth.

It is worth recalling what the great poet Late Shri Shri wrote. nEnu saitamu prapancAgniki samidhanokkaTi AhuticcAnu nEnu saitamu viSvasrIshTiki aSruvokkaTi dhAra pOsAnu nEnu saitamu bhuvanaghOshaku verrigontuka nicci mOSAnu.
gist I also added a piece of wood to the sacrificial-pyre of this world! I also added a drop of my tear to this Creation and Cosmos! I also added a foolish voice to this Great Noise of the Universe and carried the Sound ahead!
Following these anguish-filled words of Shri-Shri, I too wish to add my voice to the history of the 20th and 21st Centuries. These additions of mine may not have any tenable or tangible value.
Indira Gandhi too, during her reign got a time-capsule of history, buried into a deep pit with all official festivities. (To continue).

#043 Unaccomplishable Goals chase me day-in and day-out

I am aware that I am suffering from the hounding chases of un-accomplish-able goals.

The first goal is Marxism. This goal has become unaccomplishable because this 7 billion world has drifted far far away from understanding the benefits of Marxism. Everybody, like a fish caught in a net, unable to disentangle, just gyrates and reels. Every step of humans is dictated by the Capitalist daily demands. Besides, uncontrollable habits like alcohol make humans fools of themselves. Hence, they can never contemplate about the benefits of Marxism. It will take several centuries, if at all it happens, for them to become free citizens.

The second goal is atheism. This is partly attainable. But this goal is only a stepping stone to the main goal of preservation of human dignity through an equitable society. Even if the 7 billion people on this earth become atheists, if inequalities of ==income, wealth, access to earth‷s resources== are going to persist, it does not help humans.

Sometimes, I get a feeling that the purpose of my arrival onto this earth, has come to an end. I am not writing this out of depression or frustration. I am writing this out of the maturity and wisdom, howsoever scant they may be, arising out of aging. With receding faculties, a person gradually drifts into a sort of vegetative state, in spite of best efforts to stay connected, relevant and contributing to the society.

I recall the instance of a 95 year old man in Pune, who ended his life (self-euthanasia) after several futile attempts foiled by his children, simply because he felt that the purpose of his arrival onto this earth was nearly accomplished. There was also a feeling that if people hang around longer, like tired out-of-form cricketers unable to decide on retirement, such geriatric vegetative hangers on may have more miseries to face, such as losing one's own near and dear in accidents, catching some teasing-diseases which do not lead to death, but excruciate and torment the body and mind.

If the above views are pessimistic, I regret that I am expressing them, but I shall not withdraw or amend. In spite of these drastic views, I do not support suicides. Nor do I contemplate a suicide.

Shri M.K. Sankaran Namboodri sang in his karnATic vocal music concert, as a part of AkAsh vANi sangIt sammELan, an annual fate of great significance. All India Radio broadcast the concert at 10p.m. on the 10th November 2012.

I do not have sufficient superlative adjectives to describe the glorious singing of Shri Namboodri. bahudhAri (28th mELakarta hari kAmbhOji janyam), mArga hindOLam (20th mELakarta naTabhairavi janyam), bilahari (29th mELakarta SankarAbharaNa janyam), mIra bhajan, pahADi, lAlguDi's tillAna, every item outshone and set great standards.

The violine, mridangam, and ghaTam accompanyists, I am sorry that I could not memorise their names -- Shri BAbu, Shri vADapalli et al, made the concert memorable for a life time.

At Regional level, Shri pOpuri gaurinAth, vocalist from Andhra Pradesh, sang from AkAsha vANi , vijayavADa, on the 9th morning at 9.00 a.m. HIs main piece 'mOhana rAma' of tyAgarAja is symbolic of the great heights to which karnATic Music can be taken to. A divine, heavenly concert.

Hats off to both the teams.

I am grateful to the Linux, Ubuntu, Gnome, Kubuntu, Debi and Debian Community

The Linux Community is symbolic of the socialist society which Karl Marx dreamt of.

This community is neither too small or unenthusiastic. I am unable to furnish a complete list because I am incompetent.


I have, hitherto, nursed a pessimistic belief that in this Capitalist world everything including drinking water and air are chargeable to brim. But the Linux, Ubuntu, Gnome, Kubuntu (and other of similar ilk), Debi and Debian etc are all not only free of cost, but also open source. They neither charge nor hide, their intellectual properties which are in no way less than the hyper-publicized talents of microsoft and Adobe.

It is sufficient that just we make use of the Ubuntu Software Center screen and choose from thousands of packages available absolutely free and without any strings. Or else, just sufficient, if we know how to type 'sudo apt-get install packagename'.

I am not writing all these out of some temporary exuberance of initial successes with Linux and Ubuntu. I am writing after using all those packages for one year. I have spent all this one year free of anxieties about viruses, key numbers for installation or worries about booting or not booting. In one sentence: Ubuntu is very stable.

Unfortunately I do not write much with intent to make much money except recovering my internet access costs. I wish I should be able to make slightly more money, so that I can compensate the Linux and Ubuntu community for their self-less efforts.

TEN likeable inanimate objects - starting with the letter 'b'

A netizen friend has asked : Which is the inanimate object, you like the most. I, instinctively replied : "Sun-baked earth , just before the first rains of the monsoon".

My mind, nevertheless, started revolving and spiralling, on possible other replies. I could find at least ten likeable inanimate objects for each letter of the English alphabet, with the exception of q and x.

I furnish below a list of ten inanimate likeable objects starting with the letter 'b' occurring to mind. Readers may please, if they enjoy it, add their list of ten likeable similar objects, in the comments section below.

1. bamboo flute. 2. buffalo's tail. 3. butter. 4. black sky (cloudy). 5. blue sky. 6. breeze. 7. broom. 8. blade (shaving). 9. bicycle. 10.biographical book (say of : Benjamin Franklin).

How I view at things as a Marxist?

How I view at things as a Marxist? - title of this post may appear to be egoistic or egotistic or boasting or bragging.

Other titles I could have used:

--How we view at things as Marxists? -- I shall be attributing my ideas to other Marxists without consulting them. Hence I cannot use.

--How Marxists ought to/should view at things? --This becomes didactic preaching. Hence, I cannot use.

--How people view at things? --I shall be unnecessarily commenting about others, which should not be my predominant occupation, though I could occasionally use this privilege. Hence, I cannot use.

Thus, I have to write somewhat egotistically.

Live Example
We can recall news reports that the citizens of Aurangabad City in Maharashtra State, India, purchased 150 bmw cars on a single day, i.e. the 14th October 2010.

The Entrepreneurs of Aurangabad were reported to have booked 101 bmw cars on the 21st November 2010. Reason they attribute : Attract global attention of the investment prospects of the Aurangabad City.

A BMW costs even at entry level Indian Rupees approx. 2.3 million.

Prime Minister and his adviser, Finance Minister and the Planning Commission Dy. Chairman, would have been the happiest persons to hear that news.

The London School of Economics, The Delhi School of Economics, the Indian Schools of Business and the IIPM wallas would have been the happy lot to learn that India is glowing with great demand for BMW.

Tatas introduced the cheapest car in India, "Nano". We have the popular Maruti 800 or its variants. Maruti shifted from its 800 to higher models. Tatas are unable to push through its Nano in spite of a low price. There was of course, a belief that it is explosion-prone. Tatas seem to have worked hard and rectified its defect. Yet, they are forced to offer Nano only on instament basis.

People should have upgraded themselves from bykes to Nano, if India is really developing on a 'gradual scale'. Buying an entry level car is an indication of financial well-being and not the crazy purchase of BMW cars.

Aurangabad, originally was a poor city, located in an arid hilly terrain. The last noteworthy Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb was said to have spent his last days in Aurangabad. He was a frugal Emperor living on wages earned by writing copies of Khuran. Nanded, another small City near Aurangabad had Guru Gobind Singh the last Great Sikh Guru laying down his life. Its nearby tourist Centres Ajanta and Ellora are famous for Buddhist painting and sculpture. Everything around Aurangabad should reflect some austerity. The city on the other hand is going to reverberate with the horns of BMWs and the groans of underpaid chauffeurs of the limousines and the moans of pavement dwellers run over by the drunken sons and daughters of the so called entrepreneurs.

What does this reveal? Only 251 persons are going to decide the demand of Aurangabad City. Aurangabad has a population of 1.5 million as per the 2011 Census. Aggregate Demand from Aurangabad should emerge out of at least .5 million of its Citizens and not just 251 persons!

Demand for food, clothing, shelter, old age security, minimum education and health, should be taken care of before encouraging bykes and Nanos, Altos etc. Where is the place for BMWs in Aurangabad Streets?

TWO GREAT TREATS OF SEVEN letter RHYTHM

Ms. Nitya Mahadevan sang in the program 'Nada nirajanam' at SVBC TTD channel of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, on 17.04.2011.

The main item performed in the concert was 'Evaruraa ninu vinaa' a composition of Tyagaraja in the Raga Mohana and tala Misra Chapu.

The mood of raaga Mohana (Raag bhoopali in Hindustani music) is worthy of its name, mesmerising and captivating. It was not difficult for the established singer Ms. Nitya Mahadevan to create the mesmerising environment on that evening.

Misra caapu is a seven beat rhythm unlike aadi taal`a which is a 4-8-16 beat rhythm. The Aadi taal`a (called tiin taal in Hindustani music) is the most popular rhythm in both the forms of music.

Less of mis`ra caapu seven-letter (3+2+2 or 2+2+3 combination) beat rhythm, we hear on stage. Hence, this delight.

This delight has been compounded when I heard the mis`ra caapu on the All India Radio, Visakhapatnam, from Ms. Juttu Radhika on the 17th April 2011, Sunday morning session.

This is also a composition of Tyagaraja in the raaga s`ubhapamtuvaraal`i , 'ennallu urake umduvo cuddaamuraa'. The Hindustani rag equivalent of subhapamtuvarali is 'Hindustani todi'.

Subhapamtuvarali appeals the most, when the intention is to depict a mood of melancholy and misery. The Hindustani todi is mostly a morning raga and is not, therefore, popular in evening stage concerts. Subhapamtuvarali is an all-time raga in Carnatic music.

Subhapamtu varali is difficult to sing or play. An accomplished player can take the listeners to great heights. I regard Ms. Radhika as one such singer, based on her rendering of the subhapamtuvarali.


Both the compositions have been addressed to Rama.

INDIAN TRADING METHODS ABOMINABLE OR -NOT ?

I bought an anti-glare screen guard for my laptop lenovo 3000 n100, yesterday.
Purported Brand : Olinvon.

Manufacturer : TJK IMPEX, 105, Hammer Smith Indl., Mahim W, Mumbai 16. This is said to be in collaboration with Messrs. LEA HIN PTE. Ltd., Singapore.

This screen guard is said to be 'The Scratch and Squint Proof Screen Protector" as per the wrapper.

So far, so good.

It has a printed maximum retail price of Indian Rupees 200/-. A good friend of mine fetched it for Rs. 50/-. He has told me that
this is normally sold in shops for Rs. 150/-. There are at least two intermediate markets (wholesale - semi-wholesale) between Mumbai and my place. We can assume that these intermediaries keep a margin of at least Rs. 5/- each, total comes to Rs. 15/-. We have to presume that the manufacturer sells to his first distributor at Rs. 35/-. Thus, Printed maximum retail price is nearly five times more than the manufacturer's first sale price.

It is true that by printing a maximum retail price the manufacturer is complying with some statutory requirement. The statutory requirement may be aiming at protection of consumers.

The situation is quite obvious. The intermediaries are selling the product at a price which is determined by their whims and fancies or the haggling abilities of the buyers, whichever is stronger at that particular market and time. The manufacturers and traders may have their own problems. But, yet, what makes them to be so slippery?

I would have been filling up promissory notes

The above is a rough sketch of my first teacher. I drew the sketch using 'journal' a linux-based software. I use Ubuntu.

The yellow color, is the towel worn by him to protect himself from sun's heat and light. He used to suffer from some scalp ailment which compels him to continuously protect himself from sun's light. His house used to face west and in the afternoon, this protection was a must.

Time Adverb : 1955 to 1958.
Place Adverb : A village in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, India. 16 degrees N of Equator. 82 degrees East of Greenwich.
Manner Adverb : He used to run his private tuition in his home. There were in all three such schools in my native village.

Subjects taught : 1. Basic Telugu. 2. Basic arithmatic, additions, subtractions, multiplications and divisions.

Fees : Nominal. Almost nil, as far as I could recollect.

Class room setting : Under the shade of a neam tree + fig tree. It is a custom in Indian villages to conduct marriages of neam trees with fig (banian) trees. This twin tree was on the south-west side of my teacher's house.

The teacher used to lie down under the shade of the trees, on a country-cot woven with white cotton tape, head facing south, pillow under his head.

My self and his son we used to massage his legs, one each. The ritual included application of castor oil to his feet and ensuring that it is totally absorbed into the feet through the pores in the skins.

Afternoon teaching ritual :
1. Getting 1x1 to 20x20 multiplication tables by rote. One boy shouts. Others repeat in chorus.
2. Repeating currency multiplication tables in chorus.
Currency in those days : 1 Rupee = 16 annas.
1 anna = 2 ardhan`aas.
1 anna = 4 kaani(s).
1 kaani = 3 dammid`is or old paise.
Repetition method = oka kaani = kaani (one kaani equals kaani).
remd`u kaanlu ardhan`a ( two kaanis equal one ardhan`a).
muud`u kaanlu mukkaani ( three kaanis equal triple kaani).
naalukkaanlu anna (four kaanis equal anna).
so on . so forth.
3. Telugu mother tongue : Getting by rote:

a) Sumati Satakam. A collection of 100 telugu verses.
This is a treatise of ethics. Approx. 13th Century A.D.
b) Vemana Satakam. A collection of 100 telugu verses.
This is a treatise of ethics. Approx. 16th Century A.D.

These two texts in Roman script, with English translation, I have placed on the net.
URLs : sumatisatakamyb.blogspot.com
vemanasatakamyb.blogspot.com.

The first standard Telugu Reader was by name 'kottaamdhra vaacakam' (New Andhra Telugu Reader), published by Messrs. Venkatarama & Co., Eluru.

It had, as far as I could recollect, two short stories:

a) The story of a monkey playfully removing a nail inserted by a carpenter in a wooden log, for facilitating sawing. The monkey died as its limbs were caught between the splits when they came together. The moral taught was that we should not interfere into those affairs with which we are not connected.

b) The story of a person giving milk to a snake regularly in spite of advise from his elders. One day the snake bit him and he died. The moral taught was that we should not help wicked persons ignoring the advice of elders.

I am not sure that I am following these moral stories.

What useful things I learnt, other than rubbing castor oil on our master's feet and preparing snuff for my master?

1. Writing Demand Promissory Notes in Telugu language with all the essential details. (Date, amount, purpose of borrowing, interest rate, name and address of the borrower, name and address of the lender).

The proof that a person was educated in those days : Ability to read and write demand promissory notes.

Villagers of my native village were either borrowers or lenders. Nobody was a zero. 90% were illiterate. Hence, there was a great value for those who could read and write D.P. Notes.

I am now 60. I have not visited my native village during the last 40 years. The situation might have changed now. Printed blank Demand Promissory Notes are sold, ubiquitously, in villages, towns and cities.

Andhra Pradesh, our State, ranks first or second, in farmer-suicides, at All India level. My father and grand-father were also broken farmers. Had I lived in my native village, I would have probably eked out my livelihood filling promissory notes and sale deeds. Am I lucky or were the villagers lucky?

Even as a Bank Officer for about 25 years, my ritual included filling-up demand promissory notes on behalf of both educated and illiterate borrowers. The educated borrowers were not interested to fill them as they had other avocations. They used to spoil the forms, when we insisted that they should fill and sign. The illiterate borrowers needed help because they could neither read or write. They only know just signing their name.

India, as per 2011 census boasts of 74% literacy. What type of literacy this may be? Just acquire an ability to sign?

I shall write about the snuff-making , some other time.

ONE OF THE FINE THINGS WHICH MAKE LIFE 'LIVABLE AND LOVABLE'

Very few people in our country might have watched the ' nAda nIrAjanaM ' on SVBC TV Channel today (April 2, 2011, 6.30 p.m.). Our entire Nation is terribly busy praying the 330 million Gods to bless the Indian Cricket Team win the World Cup.

I am one of the delighted few who have watched the SVBC.

Anuradha Venkata Raman's Bharata Natyam performance lifted my mind from a state of depression.

Srivatsa sang the nATa kuraMji, yamuna kalyANi, siMdhu bhairavi, valaji, kuraMji so well, that I am tempted to rank him on par with the legendary Bala Murali Krishna.

Vivek Krishna was great on the flute both on the regular and the bass versions. Heavenly output from these reeds of bamboos.

Ganesh was great on the mridaMgaM. His rhythms matched the steps of Ms. Anuradha Venkata Raman's footwork (or vice versa), so completely that the harmony mesmerised me.

Mr. Pulakesi's naTTuvAMgaM has contributed greatly to the team's performance.

This team deserves greater recognition than what it is getting at present.

Practice of music and dance in Indian styles of both the North Indian and the South Indian, can keep the performers' bodies well-oiled. They get , I believe, larger benefits than FROM the aerobic exercises of the West. This is because, the literary compositions have emotional content. This divine emotional bliss, I found on the facial expressions and in the subtle body movements of Ms. Venkata Raman.