Two Steps Forward One Step Back

Today, I visited the National Holocaust Museum. I rarely get impacted by exhibitions/ events. However, this museum certainly left a mark on me. The tyranny, the torture, the pain; all hit me like needles. However, the thing that got me thinking was the event of burning books. It raised a question in my mind and I ask the readers –

“Is the progress of Mankind like the frog in the well that climbs 2 steps and drops 1 step?”

History has left few examples of engineering marvels; the construction of pyramids of Egypt, Mayan pyramids, the Great wall of China, the Roman aqueducts. We have even discovered proof of surgeries in ancient period, usage of drainage system by Indus civilization, models of planes and gears that could mimic computers. So what happened to all this knowledge? Did we already know a lot of things that we are inventing today? Or are we simply reinventing? How did we manage to lose this vast ocean of knowledge?

Over the course of history, there have been events when a practice of destroying cultural heritage, beliefs and ideologies involved burning of books. The burning of Baghdad library, Nalanda University, Mayan codices, religious books by almost all cultures, etc are just examples. These events happened in regular interval and every such event burned a rich knowledge of science, architecture, literature. It’s a shame. I wonder what society we would be living today if we never lost all this knowledge? What kind of headstart we would have had?

Thus, mankind’s progress on the wall of “advancement” has been analogous to the frog on the wall that climbs 2 steps and drops 1 step. We have gained a lot but lost a lot as well. Even then, today we have achieved a lot in the field of advancement and we will more. I only hope is that we do not continue burning our knowledge and making our progress arduous.

Warning: Kes (marathi) has been reported when someone has passed out laughing

Before I begin the blog about the trip, I wanted to warn all those who either have a phobia of density or those who fear Yeti. I am not responsible for any side effects that you may have after viewing the picture. If you develop sleeplessness, nausea or nightmares, please pray coz there is nothing that anyone can do.

I request people to take a quick glance at the picture below and monitor your reaction. If you are still stable, then you will be fit to read the trip blog (coming soon).

Note: Please do not stare at the picture for too long. It may cause tears rolling down your eyes from excess laughter, spoiling of your shirt from rolling on the ground or in some cases even weird stares from others around you due to your odd behavior.

Click on the thumbnail below for the picture.

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Got Water?

For years, we have captured and found moon in the water. Today science is determined to find water on the moon.

Finding water on moon could be of great help to us; Right from water for astronauts to first step towards colonizing on the moon. After Chandrayaan 1 found traces of water on moon, NASA planned to punch a hole on the moon.

Idea to find water on moon is an exciting one while crashing a million dollar spacecraft on the moon is not so exciting. But NASA is late in their project. What NASA doesn’t know is that immediately after Chandrayaan found the traces, Indian entrepreneurs started new ventures on the moon.

Silence: An Unspoken Communication

What is silence? Do we know what it is? All we know and hear is breaking of silence. But what do we break when we break silence? Is silence related to space? Do they have a common string that can tell us more than what we know? I try to find the answers but end up with more questions.

Silence is a language. It is a language that is universally known and spoken. Silence is even used in the language we speak everyday. Between every sentence we speak, there is silence. What does this signify? Do we unknowingly link 2 sentences through silence? We call this a pause.

Silence is an effective way to express. When someone stops talking to you, you feel deserted. You feel the force of silence when it is around you. We sometimes deliberately get silent. We go in our shell. I am not a therapist; but I know that when I go in my shell, I close my mind to outside world and open it for thinking. I create a space for myself through silence.

Silence can be considered as meditation. It provides the opportunity to introspect and understand why, when and what. Although we haven't understood the strength of silence, we know that it is powerful. Silence brings calmness and peace. It speaks a lot of things without saying a word. Silence sure has a deeper meaning than what we think.

We hear silence and we listen to the sound of silence. We don’t hear anything else when silence speaks. This is because silence is the loudest sound that we know. It muffles every other sound and it communicates with us everytime we pause and think. Silence has a lot to say but only if we are ready to listen to it.

Silence to me is a form of an unspoken communication and it is powerful.

Adhantari

I came across this poem yesterday. I compiled the pictures from my computer and tried to relate them to the poem. I hope I have done justice.

I couldn't help thinking about a journey similar to that explained by the poet. A journey that can be related by many.

Medicine Ke Side Effects!!!

I am sure you have heard of something called “Restless Leg Syndrome”. It’s a condition of restless legs. All my life, I had never thought of it as a medical condition. I mean seriously. How does someone ever come up with something like this? Someone somewhere was sitting comfortably on a chair shaking his/ her leg. And that’s when it occurred to them!! What about Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)? I read the symptoms of that and I can relate to every single one of them. But I am not a hypochondriac and neither do I have ADD (I don’t think anything like that exists)

Who comes up with such diseases? And to my surprise (or probably not), there are medicines for these things as well. Seriously, if the name of the disease doesn’t scare you off, then the medicines should.

Mirapex is a well known drug for RLS. Here are some of the side effects of the medicine and keep in mind that some of the symptoms are hilarious (highlighted). Picked from the following website “http://restless-legs-syndrome.emedtv.com/”

• Low blood pressure when suddenly standing or sitting up
• Involuntary body movements, such as tics
• Nausea
• Insomnia
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Weakness
• Abnormal dreams
• Headaches
• Hallucinations
• Falling asleep during the day, sometimes without warning
• Feelings of internal restless or jitteriness
• Strong, uncontrollable muscle contractions
• Any abnormal muscle movements
• Severe dizziness or fainting
• Muscle pain
• Any vision changes
• Difficult or painful breathing
• Problems with impulse control, such as gambling, hypersexuality, or binge eating
• An unexplained rash
• Hives
• Itching
• Swelling of the mouth or throat
• Wheezing
• Difficulty breathing
• Memory loss
• Loss of appetite
• Arthritis
• Bursitis, a painful joint condition
• Confusion
• Constipation
• Decreased libido (sex drive)
• Weight loss
• Dry mouth
• Fever
• Water weight gain (fluid retention)
• Impotence (erectile dysfunction or ED)
• The flu
• Nasal congestion
• Pneumonia
• A runny or stuffy nose
• Frequent urination
• Loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence)
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs), such as a bladder infection

So to get rid of restless legs, you have to risk the laundry list of side effects. Take a look at the commercial below. This is for another famous sleep aid medicine. This is a 60 sec. commercial with 35 sec. of side effects.

So next time you are accused of gambling or forgetting something, you know what to blame it on.

Happy Rakhi!!!

Rakhi is a popular Hindu festival which gets its name from the sacred thread that sisters tie on their brothers wrist. The festival marks the brother-sister relationship like no other and no place anywhere.

For years, Rakhi has been a symbol of trust and protection between siblings. The Nobel winning poet Rabindranath Tagore used the occasion of the Rakhi as a community festival to spread the nationalist spirit among people from different ethnic backgrounds. Rakhi also has several stories that include mythological and historical characters like
- King Bali and Goddess Lakshmi
- Lord Krishna and Draupathi
- Alexander The Great and King Puru
- Rani Karnawati and Emperor Humayun

Thus for centuries the word 'Rakhi' was recognized as a pledge towards a amicable and harmonious society and as a symbol that involves a bond of life-time practice of moral, cultural and spiritual values.

Until, this happened.....

Happy Rakhi!!!

Time as explained by Prof. Brian Cox

Particle physicist Prof. Brian Cox asks a simple question, ‘What time is it?’

This is a brilliant documentary about the journey of Prof. Brian Cox to answer this simple question. The quest includes several ancient beliefs, cultures. It also includes the most sophisticated and modern atomic clocks. However, the most intriguing part was his discussion with mathematician Neil Turok who provides the most fascinating theories of time. Overall, it’s a great episode that I watched on Science Channel last night.

So anyone who loves the geeky topic of space and time continuum should not miss this one. I love the way BBC puts it on their website.

“’What time is it?’ It's a simple question and it sounds like it has a simple answer. But do we really know what it is that we're asking?”

Flatulence on Flight and a Minor Earthquake.. Any Relation?

I experienced my first ever earthquake. At midnight on July 6th when I was watching the Michael Jackson remembrance show on MSNBC, I heard a rumble. It was louder than a thunder but softer than a blast; something like a Harley starting right outside my door. Within fraction of a second, my whole house shook, windows rattled and furniture squeaked. It lasted for only couple of seconds and then everything went back to normal. My first reaction was a lightening and thunder. However, the skies were clear and there was no lightening for sure. The immediate next reason that hit me was an earthquake. Earthquake in Richmond!!

I called my friend in California and told him my experience. He laughed and joked that it was just my stomach rumbling for some food (he thinks that I starve myself). Could it be a rumble in the tummy? Actually, it could have been. Not in my tummy but certainly someone in Richmond. My guess was the unknown person on my flight to Richmond.

Two hours before midnight (night of the quake), I had boarded a flight to Richmond. The flight was full and everything seemed fine until the flight door closed. As the flight was ready for take off, I smelt smelly flatulence (fart for most). Disgusting will be a mild word for this. I had to hold my breath and nearly choked myself to death. I looked around and saw that several other passengers were having the same reaction. A scary thought came to my mind. Is this the end or are we going to be in this gas chamber for the next 90 minutes?

My fear turned into reality when the next dose of nitrogen, ammonia and possibly all smelly gases was released. By this time, I could hardly breathe and was holding my hands tightly over my nose. The lady sitting on the other seat removed her perfume and sprayed it all over her nose for quick release. Few air particles from her perfume soothed the air a little bit. However, the smelly fart won the contest and in no time, we were drugged with the smelly fart again. In the air tight chamber, we had no escape. I am sure the person who was the origin of the flatulence wouldn’t have revealed himself/ herself by getting up and using the flight restroom. It would be too embarrassing by now.

As soon as the flight landed, most of us were ready to break the window and smell fresh air or run out fast. But we couldn’t do either as we sat at the rear of the plane. I hate the word “rear” in this case. Anything to do with rear is just obnoxious. The 90 minutes on the flight were a torture and a ride for all of us to the time of holocaust. I pray and have sympathy for the victims of the gas chamber; more so now than ever.

The time between our flight landing and the earthquake was approximately 60-70 minutes; enough time for the smelly person to reach home. So was the 2.3 magnitude quake a result of strong release of air and gas from the smelly guy? When we thought that we were out of danger, the smelly person released the bio weapon with earth shaking consequence.

My first encounter with earthquake will be remembered for more than 1 reason.

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