My trip to Agumbe

The hostel is an eerie quiet with all most everyone having gone home for Diwali. With too many people around you are sucked into a kind of humdrum existence and it’s only once you’re alone does one have time to think and introspect. Here on one such day I present to you a travelogue of my trip to Agumbe.

I left here (college) late on the evening of Friday the 29^th of October accompanied by three of my friends. We boarded a local passenger train to a place called Palakkad (also known as Palghat or the Gateway to Kerala). Palakkad is the first major town in Kerala whilst entering it from Tamil Nadu and incidentally it’s a place I call home too (besides Delhi of course). After supper at Palakkad, we boarded the West Coast Express at the Palakkad Junction railway station and reached Mangalore Central Railway station early on Saturday morning (5:30 am). From there we caught a bus which took us to a town called Udupi which is situated about sixty kilometres to the north of Mangalore. Udupi is a town famous for its excellent South Indian food and especially, its sweet sambar. Unfortunately we could not partake in the luxury of a delicious breakfast at Udupi as we were pressed for time. After a quick bite we headed off to Agumbe.

To put things in a better perspective Agumbe is sixty kilometres from Udupi. After completing two thirds of the journey we crossed the village of Hebri and ascended into a very steep climb with a series of tight hair pin bends. On surviving three quarters of hour on the hilly road we finally reached the village of Agumbe. Upon reaching Agumbe we headed off to the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) base camp.(http://maps.google.co.in/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107726479902280188831.000495433acb4d1b03288&ll=13.151702,75.333252&spn=1.136657,2.705383&z=9)

The ARRS was set up in 2005 by the renowned herpetologist Romulus Witaker. Agumbe is known for its high density or snakes and is also known by its apt sobriquet, ‘The Cherrapunji of the South’. On an average it records the second highest rainfall in India. Incidentally the filming for the famous tv series on the ‘Malgudi Days’ was done at Agumbe.

After a slight detour where I lead my friends astray, we finally reached the ARRS at around a half past eleven. We met a few of the researchers out there and understood what kind of research work is being undertaken at the centre. We learnt about the King Cobra telemetry project aimed at understanding the habits of Kings and how they are evolving in order to survive co-habitation with humans. A project to learn about burrowing habits of scorpions (how long they burrow, why they burrow etc). Besides these projects we also learnt and discussed about various other projects including, some studying the Seetanadi River, the amphibian bio-diversity, weather monitoring to understand the impacts of climate change et cetera.

We observed a project aimed at studying as to why Flying Lizards (Draco dussumieri) show FSSD (Female-Biased Sexual Skewed Dimorphism); i.e. females are larger than the males. This phenomenon is quite rare in lizard species. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_dussumieri). We spent a good three quarter of an hour with the researcher studying lizard behaviour by observing the habits of a courting lizard pair. We then went about exploring the base camp and searching for snakes around the base camp for a couple of hours; in the end all we found was just a Green Vine snake.

 

From the base camp we went to a waterfall called the Jog Gundi falls.  After spending five minutes there, our auto driver told us about another waterfall called the Onake Abbe falls (pronounced Onkebee). ‘Onake’ means a pounding stick which is used to pound grains in villages. The falls look like a thin stick falling from up above. Our auto driver warned us about a two and a half kilometre trek with an abundance of leeches. This warning just wasn’t enough to prepare us for what was to come, neither the leeches nor the sheer beauty of the waterfalls. Enduring the wrath of these blood sucking creatures was well worth it because of the sublime and picturesque sight from the top if the falls. Standing two feet away from the precipice with the whole valley below you gives you a feeling that nothing else can compare with. What we thought as five minutes of gazing into the valley below actually turned out to be an hour. That by far exceeded our original intention of spending a quarter of an hour at the falls.

By now it was five in the evening and we decided it was time to head back to the main road in order to reach the Sunset point in time for the sunset. Imagine a sunset at the highest point on a mountain with a sun setting into the sea (Arabian Sea) at the horizon. Below you are forests as far as the eye can see and the sky is dotted with approaching clouds; a harbinger of rain later in the evening. The sun looks a majestic red orb and its rays are interspersed with the clouds painting the sky like a work of art that can be equalled by none. Such was the sunset at Agumbe.

It broke my heart to leave, but my friends at friends at Manipal awaited my arrival and so the departure had to be made. I left with a promise that someday I’d be back at Agumbe maybe working at the ARRS on a research project (a butterfly biodiversity or a snake mapping project perhaps). Until that day comes I must remain content dreaming about the majestic Agumbe sunset I once saw.

For the photographs of this visit please visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=302861&id=653528713&l=2fe05cf61a

  

P.S: As a child after every school trip or journey out of town, my parents always told me, ‘Son, please do write a report on your most recent travel/expedition.’ As any dutiful son would do, I quite wilfully disobeyed them. So here I am with my first write up about a trip which has not been forced upon me. To my parents I could add, ’It’s okay, some children just learn late.'

P.P.S You could click on the photographs to get a better look at them. Except one photograph none of the pictures below were taken on this trip. To have a look at the photographs taken on this trip please click on the above mentioned link. 

A common ground yellow

A tiger

All photographs courtesy Mukund P Rao

Poem: A Secret Enigma

A Secret Enigma

There are secrets behind everything,
Every face and every smile,
Each action of yours or mine,
Secrets, they shroud each and every thing.

As I look into that damsel’s eyes,
There lies a secret behind why last night she cried,
And now when I turn to look at a friend of mine,
There is a story behind that long drawn sigh.

As I gaze upon the mountains tall,
There is a story and secret as to why they’re there,
And buried under them are fossils from a sea long dead,
To unravel it be inquisitive,
And enquire how, why, when and where?

There is a secret behind why she’s a troublesome child,
An abusive father,
Or an absent mother?
There are always secrets,
And secrets explain everything.

There is a secret behind everything,
The world and why it was created amongst other things,
Does God exist or does She not?
Is there a pattern behind our flow of thoughts?

The intricacies in the web of life,
What holds it up and keeps it alive?
Does the universe hold planets just like earth,
Or are they so plentiful that there is no dearth?

Some secrets are meant for hiding,
While some are shared between a you and me,
Some secrets remain because there is no proof,
And no one has cared to uncover the truth.

But secrets are meant for keeping,
As long as it’s good they do,
And after all, secrets are secrets,
What fun would it be if everyone knew?

Mukund Palat Rao (November 11, 2010)

Poem: A day in Dehlee

The Red Fort

A day in Dehlee

Dehlee’s joggers are the first to wake,
Running past old tombs maybe at the Hauz Khaz Lake,
Then cometh the sabzi wallahs on their ponies or hand drawn carts,
Aaloo bees rupaiya kilo, bhindi chowbeez rupaiya,
Not too far behind is the fruit man,
Kele, angoor, santre aur aam.

Still later when by the watch it’s ten,
‘KABAADIWALEEY’ is the cry you’ll hear,
Every day these men cycle up and down,
Help recycle all the newspaper waste in town.
After this when the time is noon,
You might hear a faint twang, twang, twang,
Signalling the arrival of the mattress man,
Playing upon his Jew’s Harp,
He’ll open up your mattress and fluff it up.


Taaze taaze phalse,
Thande meethe phalse,
Shrieks the hoarse voice of a white turbaned man,
While behind him you might hear,
A strange dhun played on the been,
O! Just hear them come, the snake charmers,
They bring with them scorpions and cobras,
That’ll amuse your children.

Maybe instead of the charmers might come the dancers,
With their bears and monkeys,
To the sound of the dumaroo,
They’ll do their little jig and jump through hoops.

Sometimes they come,
The Saadhus and the Sufi mystics,
Once came a man and an owl, with prophetic messages,
Said they descended from the misty Hindu Kush,
As he sat in the bazaar in a meditative trance,
Answering your queries about your future or finance.

Oh! And how may you forget the dhobiwalas,
They are the secret to Delhi’s clean clothes,
Those shirts’ and salwars’ prefect crease,
Are a result of paying the Dhobi-boy’s fees.

By now it’s evening,
The camembert Delhi sun is now a big red orb,
Your neighbours might come over for a cup of chai,
While you sit and rest upon your charpoy.

The moon has risen, and the sun has set,
But the chowkidar isn’t ready to sleep just yet,
Tuk, Tuk bangs his stick on the pavement,
Ready to warn passing thieves of his guarding commitment.
With every passing hour he grows dreary,
And chowkidari till six a.m had makes him quite weary.
But now again they do rise through the thick mist and fog,
The runners on their early morning jog.

The whole rigmarole begins once again,
And as it has now for centuries past,
Every hour brings with it a different visitor,
And you can be quite content just being a spectator.

This is Delhi,
(Yeh Dilli hai),
Aur yeh sheher nahi yeh mehafil hai,
Every day the play repeats itself once again,
The characters may change but the script’s the same. 

Mukund Palat Rao (October 17, 2010)

                                                                 

LEFT: The Safdarjung Tomb   (Safdarjang ka Maqbara)    RIGHT: The Qutab Minar

The Rashtrapati Bhavan

The ruins near the Hauz Khaz Lake

The Jama Masjid

There is a feeling that the nouveau rich Delhi population no longer cares for the old ways. But well sigh..

Maybe it was all part of the play script written with Delhi as the protagonist and all the transformations that she has undergone. The poem is an expression of some of the reasons why I love Delhi.

P.S: All photos courtesy Mukund P Rao

The Latest!

So here I am, back with a new poem. This time I've made an effort to add more of my pictures to the new post. The new name of the blog 'Wandering and Pondering', gives me more freedom to post pictures of my wanderings.

Poem: A Man atop a Mountain

A Man atop a Mountain

Sat a man atop a mountain,
And looked around to ascertain,
Whether there still lay a chance,
That we’d wake up from this trance.

To his left there were railway tracks,
Elephants crossing it were oft subject to train attacks,
The forests all around, high and near,
For timber and agriculture had been cleared.

Every snake spotted was beaten,
With clubs, sticks and batons,
(The crow-pheasants, kingfishers and the paradise fly-catchers,)
Those were once seen aplenty,
Weren’t sighted as often lately.

All the rivers and streams had been damned,
By sand mining, water pollution and the large dams,
While into the ground we drilled deeper and deeper,
As the confined aquifers receded further and further.

This did leave him quite aghast,
But he realised that all was not yet lost,
There still remained trees to cut and elephants to kill,
And ground water and oil wells to drill.

The fly catchers and pheasants still were seen,
Even though not as oft as it had once been,
The leopards, snakes, and tigers still were spotted,
Even if it were only to be hunted,

Things are bad,
But do not be sad,
Let’s be the change we want to see,
After all it’s drop by drop that you make the sea.
 
We humans have been blessed with everything we need,
Maybe just not enough to satisfy the greed,
But as long as you have everything you really require,
Then what pray is the reason for all these selfish desires?

Mukund Palat Rao, 24th September ‘10

All photos courtesy Mukund P Rao

The latest on the blog.

So here is the latest news on the blog. As you might have noticed the name of the blog has been changed. The blog is now called Wandering and Pondering. The explanation for the name is given at the top.

A few lines of my poem Accusations of a Caged Leopard have been edited and modified. This was done after I received some feedback which alerted me to an instance where there was an improper use of language in the poem. Thank you for your valuable feedback. To check out the edited version of the poem please click on the link below  http://mukundpr-mytheories.blogspot.com/2010/06/poem.html

Warm regards to all of you,
Mukund

Poem: A Dog's Life

All photos courtesy Mukund P Rao

                     A Dog’s Life

Amongst the sights that you see oft,
Here is one I like a lot,
And pray if you enquire as to what it is,
Here would be my reply,
‘A dog with a dirty tail.’


Jeez!
What is it about a dog and its hind quarter,
That evokes in me such mirth and laughter?

Imagine yourself as a dog,
On a hot and dusty summer noon,
The sun is blazing; your throat is parched,
And your paws are scorched.
Then all of a sudden as though a gift from God,
Beside the road you spy a puddle,
And there you go and jump and play,
Maybe sit down and take a nap for the day.

Aah!
What bliss,
As you feel the coolness engulf you,
You look around and notice people envy you.

A strange joy spreads across my heart,
When I see a dog take such a delightful bath,
And especially when a dog all wet and wagging tail,
Comes upto you and drenches you like an upturned pail,

A Dog’s life on days such as these,
Is one of relative ease,
And I would quite willingly trade,
Our places, so that on that puddle I could have laid!

Mukund Palat Rao (September 7, 2010)
  

P.S: If you live in Delhi and are inspired by my poem, right now isn't exactly the best time to go and jump in a puddle and have a siesta there. Might end up with dengue. 

कविता

Here is my first try at writing poetry in Hindustani (Hindi + Urdu) which I feel is the lingua franca  of N. India and not the Sanskritised version of Hindi which a few people are trying to popularise now. 

Photo courtesy Mukund P Rao

 

ख्वाहिश

हम चल रहें हैं किस राह पर? 

भूमी और ज़मीन को कर दिया है हमने नष्ट 

बिना पानी के साथ कर रहें है हम कष्ट | 

अपने ज़रूरतों को समपूर्ण करने के ख्वाब में

सभी वृक्षों को हमने काट दिए  

और जानवरों को मार दिए | 

एक महापुरुष ने कहा था 

रखो तराज़ू के एक तरफ़ धरती और दूसरे पे सोना 

छोड़ देंगे हम धरती 

और चुनेंगे हम पैसा और सोना |

छोड़ देंगे हम धरती 

और चुनेंगे हम पैसा और सोना |

क्या हम असल में हैं इतने लालची?

अब  रही नहीं हम में अपने भूमी की फ़िक्र या परवा

बस हमें दिखता  है पैसों का जलवा |

जब हमारा जिस्म जल गया हो

तो इंसान कैसे रहेगा?

जब हमारा जिस्म जल गया हो

तो इंसान  कैसे रहेगा?

(तो  सोचिये फ़िर) जब हम  वातावरण को कर चुके हैं इतना प्रदूषित 

तो ज़मीन पर जीव-जंतु कैसे रहेंगे जीवित |

जब हम  वातावरण को कर चुके हैं इतना प्रदूषित 

तो ज़मीन पर जीव-जंतु कैसे रहेंगे जीवित |

येह तोह खुदा की मेहरबानी है  

कि सब दुर्घटनाएं अभी तक रहीं है सीमित|

पर वक़्त निकलता जा रहा है

और वक़्त-ए-बदलावट है अब

चलो मिले हम सब

अपनाये एक नयी दिशा और दृष्टी |

यह कठिनाई नहीं है सिर्फ़ हिंदुस्तान की अकेली

पर फ़िर भी मुझमे पूरा है विश्वास 

सभी मुल्कों के लोग मिलके करेंगे कुछ खास

और दो सो साल के बाद लोग सुनाएंगे यह पहेली

कि कैसे उनके पूर्वजों ने अपने बुरी आदतों के खिलाफ़ जंग जीत ली |

मुकुंद पालाट राव  ( १५ ऑगस्ट, २०१०)

Poem: A lady on the train

A lady on the train

Once upon an evening fair,
I hopped on a train once I’d paid my fare,
Beside the window there was a lady there,
All wild, unkempt and scraggly hair.

Some said she was mad,
Others insane,
She had a look that was quite inane.
I thought maybe in life she tried, failed and gave up in vain,
And this was a way to hide her pain.

It appeared as though she conversed with someone behind my back,
But I turned around to find no one there.
Who was it then she conversed with?
Maybe strange, lost forgotten friends,
Or perhaps old lovers, now no more?

I caught a waft of my neighbours’ talk,
Whispers of drugs and alcohol,
There I sat and tried to add it all,
But to me it made no sense at all.

What if she actually saw,
People behind me who weren’t there at all,
Was hers the reality I wasn’t living in,
Dead people, ghosts, elves and djinns.

Did she live on a higher plane,
Which made us mortals think her insane,
Perhaps all her troubles and fears were real.
And there were wounds too deep to heal.

All things that don’t conform to our ideals,
We have been taught to castigate,
To look down upon with disdain and hate.

However if we took a lighter stand,
Lent a listening ear, and a helping hand,
I think we’d be better able to understand,
The world is not just from where we stand.
Mukund Palat Rao (July 29, 2010)

Poem

So with the memories of Delhi (college holidays) still in my mind, here is a poem inspired from a situation in the Delhi metro.














The tale of two ladies

They sat on either end of the aisle,
Exchanged an ever so polite smile,
(The lady on my left), had a look of wonder,
(Perhaps she thought), could she ever be like the one seated yonder.

A pair of netted stockings and a black leather pouch,
Accompanied by a low cut velvet blouse,
A shiny new silver mobile phone,
And a sparklin’ faux diamond brooch that shone.

On either hand there was a blue glove,
That covered the elbow and extended till a little above,
And then there was music on her i-pod’s ear phones,
(That to me seated beside her, sounded like a cacophonic drone.)

To complete it all there was red sling bag,
And a short blue jean, which was more of a rag.

Now I present the other maiden just as fair,
Perhaps she hailed from the dunes of the Thar.
She had big dangling silver rings on each ear,
And beautiful hazel eyes with a look so queer.

Atleast a fifty bangles adorned each tanned arm,
All in all it had a rustic village charm,
Her head was covered with the bright red choli she wore,
But her face was beautiful, of that I’m sure.

I imagine she felt,
A mixture of disapproval and admiration,
Disapproving the other girl’s poise,
Ánd her risqué attire,
But I’m think she was quite mired,
Because these were the very things she did admire

But as our little journey came to an end,
She too made her little conclusion.
‘Maybe in my English I falter,
And I do not wear such risqué clothes,
No doubt she is beautiful,
But I’m beautiful in my own way too!’
Mukund P Rao (July 22nd ’10)

The beauty of the night

The beauty of the night

(PART I)
There is a beauty in darkness,
It is mysterious,
It hides and only partially reveals,
It softens tones, and mellows stones.

There is a beauty in darkness,
You see the stars and the moon,
As you o’er your damsel swoon,   
And watch pebbles in a stream reflect the moon.


Light causes a naked exposure,
And things are best when not all is shown.
Romanticism starts only after dusk,
Once light has begun to sombre tones.

(PART II)
In the city there is always light,
As you look up at the sky at night,
All you see is a yellow light,
that to your eyes feels like a bite.

There isn’t a vision of black anymore.
In the days of yore,
The stars were uncountable,
But it ain’t so any more.

The smog and all the pollution,
Clog our vision,
And the perpetual lighting of our vibrant life,
Have caused our lives to be full of strife.

(PART III) 
I do wish I could run away,
Go back to the age of nine again.
In a village I watched all the stars that shone.
In the darkness of the night,

All you heard were the croaking toads,
And not a man was seen down on the roads.
Now the woods have gone,
And the jungle is all a concrete mess,

Every night at eight,
The lights come on and its day again.
Maybe go back to a time,
When night and day were different things,

Night always had a different charm,
As every night it told me new secrets.
My friend the Moon,
And my sister Venus,

Talked for hours on end, every night,
Until the sleep fairy came and said Goodnight, sleep tight.
Every night now when I look at the sky,
It is full of dust and smog and ash.

My old friends are still there,
But it is all now more of a haze.
I wish I could run back,
To a place where the night ain’t light, and burning bright!
Mukund P Rao
(July 10, 2010)


To read more about the problems night lighting causes please visit
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100707/full/news.2010.339.html

Poem

 












Accusations of a Caged Leopard

In my sleep,
I begin to weep,
For I remember being in the wild,
Forever, with a hunger mild.

Here they feed me every day,
Dawn, dusk, night or day,
Give me all the choicest meats,
And when I’m good, lots of treats.

Back in the jungle I did not know,
What I’d eat till it’d show,
Sometimes I’d wait days and days,
When in a daze, I’d spy a rabbit’s face.

And then I’d leap and chase and dart,
Until the rabbit was a dinner tart,
Now in my cage I just sit and sleep,
And dream about my days in a forest deep.

And,
Everyday I pace up and down,
In my cage with a lonesome frown
My life is confined to an eight by four,
And sleeping on a metal floor.

First they came and cut the trees,
I saw and said I came in peace,
Needed to go two miles south,
To the forest by the river’s mouth.

Instead they threw their sticks and stones,
And betwixt all my painful moans,
With a needle came a man and made a jab,
And took me for tests in a lab.

Now here I am in Central Zoo,
Better known as exhibit two,
And,
Everyday I pace up and down,
In my cage with a lonesome frown
My life is confined to an eight by four,
And sleeping on a metal floor.

Mukund P Rao (June 3, 2010)

Name change and a hiatus

The name of the blog has now been changed from 'Random Observations and Theories' to 'Thoughts and Theories'. I felt that 'Thoughts and Theories' is more apt as a title because of my poetry becoming a major component in the blog. When I started the blog I  didn't intend to write so much poetry but now that I do, I think the word Thoughts is better than Random Observations.

Due to my exams, which commence next week I will not update the blog for a  period of 2 weeks. Lots of you have said I've filled your facebook inbox with unread messages. So here is time to read the blog..

      

Poem: A flash of light

A flash of light

You hide a little, behind a misty cloud,
And then all of a sudden light the world,
And then go back,
and hide again.

The tension in the air is palpable,
The rustling if the leaves,
And the dancing of the trees,
all indicate you presence,

Then again you reveal yourself,
Flash another million watts,
Whilst I searched for the perfect timing,
You moved on and I missed another shot.

Our relationship is always an up and down,
Sometimes the timing is perfect,
Just like the lips coming together before a kiss.
On the other hand sometimes it’s a total miss.

When I try to capture you,
You grin at me from behind my back,
And by the time I turn,
You are no longer there.

Dear Lightning!
We always tend to try and control everything,
But you remind me,
How things are always unpredictable,
But with patience love and dedication,
In the end you’ll always get the perfect shot.

Mukund P Rao (April 29)



(P.S Here are a few of my efforts to photograph lightning. Unfortunately my camera hasn't been working the past few months but with the rains here tonight, I felt this urge to take pictures. Thus the poem.) 

The Curious Case of a Dog's Pronouns

Ever noticed the difference in a person who owns pets or likes animals and person who does not own a pet. The difference lies in the pronouns they use. A person who owns a pet will generally refer to a pet by using the correct sex. For example if you own a dog and a guest comes comes over. If the guest also owns a pet they would ask you, 'What is her/his name?' On the other hand if a person who doesn't own a pet comes then they'd say, 'What is its name?'

It is very easy to figure decipher if someone owns a pet or not because for a person who does own one, the pet is always a part of the family. So the pet/animal would always be referred to by the appropriate pronoun  which is either he or she.

Poem-Mukund P Rao

Back where I belong..
A long time ago,
I was here,
but ‘twas so long ago,
my memories are now like mist and fog.
 
But in that blur I do remember,
green grass and an ol’ wooden house,
and also a scary one sided bridge,
over a stream into which I thought I’d fall.
 
After thirteen years when I do go back,
to the place I once belonged,
so much has changed,
but yet, some of it has remained the same.
 
A weird sense of déjà vu passes upon me,
I feel I have been here before,
but it was so long ago,
I don’t remember most things anymore.
 
The house is there,
in shambles,
the stream is there,
all dry.
 
All the green has turned to yellow,
and the trees are now all dry.
I feel the sun blazing down upon me,
and feel I just might cry.
 
Through the neglected fields I walked,
through which I once had run, I heard a cello behind me,
as it played a sad welcoming song.
reminding me that I was back where I belonged.
 
Maybe I shouldn’t have come back here,
and let the sepia memories remain faded,
so that all things would be as I imagined,
and the truth I never would see.
 
On the other hand maybe,
'twas good I went.
To see for myself how things really were,
and then comfort myself and say,
‘I have seen the glory days’.


Mukund P Rao
April 18, '10

The Project Paradox

The Project Paradox

Many a time a student is oft faced with a complex situation where he/she is supposed to do a project as a part of a group. Now the problem is that the all the other group members refuse to work and time is fleeting and the submission date is around the corner.

What does the student do?  Does he or she sit and do the whole project alone or does he or she just do their part of the project. If he or she does the whole project alone then it is done with the realisation that the project is being prepared whilst all the other group members are 'busy' having fun. On the other hand if he or she decided to only do his or her part then it is at the risk of obtaining less marks in the end because the project as a whole below par.

So what would you do?
Who you toil hard alone, knowing this time could be better spent or would just do your part and reconciling to getting poor marks.

Now a scientific explanation to solve this problem would be that doing the project alone would help you in the long run. You will learn the topic (/software/concept) much better because you are doing it alone and also putting in much more effort.

Looking at the problem from a different perspective you might feel ten years down the line who will care about how many marks you got for this project. You might still remember the amazing party you attended instead of doing your work.

Unfortunately on this hot April night, with no exciting parties in town, I'd rather finish this scientific proposal presentation. I don't exactly like the idea of making an arse of myself on stage on Monday.

I just do hope that someone does return the favour 'in the near future'.

Poem-Mukund P Rao

Let the journey be the aim

Sometimes in life we wonder,
where this quest might lead us?
and when we sit and ponder,
we find we haven’t an answer.
All our lives we always work,
a destination in our minds.
How ‘bout once you drop the aim,
and let the journey be the final aim.
Sit back and then relax, live every day,
knowing, God paid you to play today.
Life will move much slower then,
and you can drink it to the lees.
Enjoy every moment then,
and do not worry about what will be.

Mukund P Rao

Written while I was supposed to be doing a humanities assignment and my mind wandered a bit.

P.S. I never worried about getting the vase shape for the poem. It wasn't my destination. I just wrote the poem and the shape just came along the way. I did alter a couple of lines at the end though but most of it happened on its own.

In the near future: Prophecy of a status updating compulsion

We live in an age in which everything we do in our life is portrayed on our facebook (and twitter) status updates. We get to know about what our friends are doing because they keep changing their status'. In our age, having over five hundred friends on facebook is commonplace . In case one of the five hundred odd friends stops updating their status no one would figure out what has happened. Thus we might reach a time when, if we shut down our computers and walk away on a (facebook) hiatus for five days facebook might automatically assume that you are no more, and update your status saying XYZ is no more.

(This is obviously assuming that we become compulsive status updaters, and keep updating our status' at the drop of a hat.)

The habit of updating out status might become so compulsive that we might start implanting micro-controllers below our vocal chords, which are remotely connected to facebook and twitter. These chips will have voice sensors that sense what we say. Depending on what is said, it updates our status. There is a real possibility that we might become automatic status updating cyborgs. To understand how these chips will automatically update our status consider the following conversation.

Friend: What are you doing?
Mukund: I just finished watching 'Up in the Air'.

Facebook will then read: Mukund just finished watching 'Up in the Air'.

or

Mukund: I'm going to meet my girlfriend for coffee.
Facebook: Mukund is going to meet his girlfriend for coffee.

Obviously this system will need to incorporate privacy features where some things can not be written on the update. I'm pretty sure that these issues will be evened out.

Tomorrow is today's future, so tomorrow is almost upon us. We'd better be prepared for what might happen tomorrow.

Poem-Mukund P Rao

Atonement

We were so good together,
You and I,
our frivolous laughter and sounds of joy,
still ring in my ears.
Oh!
How I yearn those years.

There were days when we sat together,
watching dusk turn to night,
by the beach or beside a brook,
whilst I sipped my coffee and read a book.

Your presence was always comforting,
like air for my sustenance,
or water to quench my thirst.
but,
Alas!
Those days have come to pass,
I leave my house,
But to you sans glance.

You bide your time,
and sometimes give a gentle nudge,
remind me of my past transgressions,
and yet give me another chance

Yet that too I spurn,
and I let you burn to cinder.
slowly as you can bear it no longer,
tornadoes start to churn the ocean,
volcanoes spew ash into the sky,
and the entire earth begins to shake and groan.

I do wish I could help you Mother,
I do try so very hard,
Mother Nature!
For our trespasses,
do forgive us,
for we are ignorant
and we know not what we do!

Mukund P Rao (March 26)

Poem

An Uncle of mine sent this poem to me recently. Thought I should share it.
I think in the span of the one page the poem covers, it summarises how we should live our lives.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann (1927)

Originality and Plagiarism

Can There Ever Be a Truly Original Work?
We always talk about people coming up with an original work, but can there ever be a truly original work?

Let us take the example of a writer, before he or she starts writing they think of a plot. At this stage itself the originality is lost because they think in a language (say English). When you think in English you are using the idea of a language that has already existed before. So actually this thought itself isn't original.

If you imagine you are an author and you have created your own language then what are your options while writing your book?

Either you would use a pen and start jotting down your ideas on a piece of paper or you might type it on the computer. The very act of writing using a pen is not original because it has been taught to you by someone else.

So the only way we can have absolute originality is to take a group of humans and transport them to a different planet and ensure that they have no contact with the rest of the human race. Then whatever is developed will be original.

This is an interesting scientific experiment because we can then learn about how we evolved into what we are today, and other things like how languages evolved. There again is a small problem though: During the course of our evolution even tough some of what we did was original, some of it wasn't. For example we learnt lots of things from nature, by imitating how other animals behaved. Thus perfect originality can only be obtained when as a part of a gigantic scientific experiment

a whole new planet was created just for this purpose.

There is a chance that even earth might have been created a part of a similar experiment. Still waiting for the results of my study...(Which isn't original)


In the meanwhile here are a few interesting quotes on plagiarism.

When 'Omer smote 'is bloomin' lyre, He'd 'eard men sing by land an' sea; An' what he thought 'e might require, 'E went an' took--the same as me.
Rudyard Kipling
(When Homer smote his blooming lyre, He'd heard men sing by land and sea; And what he though he might require, He went and took--the same as me.)


The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
Albert Einstein

Copy from one, it's plagiarism; copy from two, it's research.
John Milton

Crunch Time Theory

Ever noticed how we can always finish work when we are in a tight situation, whereas if the need for completion was not immediate the work never seems to progress. A common example is how one can finish chapters and chapters of lessons the night before the exam. While on the other hand if one tried to study even one of those lessons a week preceding the exam, the progress would have been so slow that even the metaphor of 'snail's pace' wouldn't justify it. The reason obviously is the body generating adrenaline which helps it get excited about the job at hand by increasing the heart beat rate, increasing blood flow, suppressing sleep etc.

A possible method that might be utilised 'in the near future' so at to finish projects as fast at possible might be found in inducing a state of hypnosis. This induced hypnosis will help people get psyched about the task they need to complete by making them believe that disastrous consequences will occur in case they fail to complete the task by morning.

This technique could be used especially by people like scientists and writers who don't have a strict deadline for the completion of their work. Yet they face moments where because of lack of motivation or energy(/enthusiasm) they stop working effectively.

Ever watched the film, 'The Day the World Stood Still'? It was a waste of money watching it in the theatre except the how it brought out the fact that mankind is willing to change only when their existence is pushed to the very brink.

Using that idea, a possible solution to help solve major global crises, is to make people believe that the threat is immediate. Saying things like the glaciers in the Himalayas will melt by 2050 or there will not be potable water by 2080 is not going to work. The change needs to happen now before its too late and we'd better start believing it NOW!

In the near future

The Peak Hour Law

In the near future, I feel there will be a time when the 'off-peak' hours will become the new 'peak' hours. By peak hours i mean the time of the day (/night) when things like traffic and the number of people are expected to be at their maximum(zenith).

It will be so because already we always hear people saying that they are going to leave for office half an hour earlier so that they don't get stuck in traffic. Or as to how someone is going to take the early morning flight or train as they are less crowded.

I feel that soon every body might start to do the same thing and so, people will start doing things at the off-peak hour. Thus as everyone starts doing things at the off-peak hour, the off-peak time will become the new peak time. So eventually they will end up in a situation where they are no better off as compared to what it was before.

so my advise to everyone is to just carry on with things the way they are at present!

My Blog:An intro

The objective of my starting this blog is to pen down the various theories and observations I make about life. I start formulating weird concorted theories while I am idle or bored. I then had this idea: How about actually putting what I think into words. So here I am starting my own blog.