Inquilab Zindabad.... ?

Hundreds of people thronged the India Against Corruption rally in Hyderabad today. People, who were responsible adults and youth, in support of Anna Hazare 's Jan lokpal bill. The atmosphere was electrifying and slogans all around.
I was taken aback when I heard a guy of around my age ask his friend "What exactly does Inquilab zindabad mean?"
We have , of course, heard the slogan hundreds of times in patriotic movies. This might be the most commonly used ( or misused!) slogan in Indian History.
The slogan means "long live revolution". It is an Urdu phrase. Some people say it is Arabic in origin, which too is right, because Urdu itself originated from Arabic and Hindi, in the soldiers' camps around Babar's fort in Delhi.
It was Maulana Hasrat Mohani who used the term first but it was hugely popularised during the freedom struggle by members of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association including Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad, Sukhdev, Ashfaqullah Khan and Ram Prasad Bismil. These names were immortalised in our youths' memory by Rakyesh om prakash mehra's movie Rang De Basanthi.
Hasrat Mohani was one of India's unsung intellctual heros.
Did you know that Maulana Hasrat Mohani was the first person in Indian History who demanded 'Complete Independence' ( Azadi-e-Kaamil) in 1921 as he presided over an annual session of All India Muslim League?
He was a protege of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, whom he admired very much.
Let us raise our heads today and say that we are proud to be born in this country....
Even if one in every thousand of us who uses this term, knows the name of Maulana Hasrat Mohani, it would make me immensely happy.
Hasrat Mohani Zindabaad..... Zindabad.

RIP Amy winehouse

Amy Winehouse, an immensely talented singer, was found dead at her UK home last week, at the age of 27 years. She never could achieve the greatness her talent was worth of.
I just wanted to say a few things. The views in this blog are my own, and the picture is from the internet.

A few incidents in Amy's childhood ( "young Amy also took to a constant habit of singing to the point that teachers found it difficult keeping her quiet in class." " but was allegedly expelled at 14 for "not applying herself" and for piercing her nose" ) indicate that she suffered from ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Syndrome.

ADHD people can be found all around you.
They are immensely talented, but never seem to rise to their true potential.
These are the people of whom you usually think "If he was more serious, he could go places, but he is so unstable".
They seem to infinitely postpone work, but are really awesome at whatever they try.
They can do multiple things at the same time with great ease.

But they do have a lot of negative charecteristics too...
ADHD people never seem to finish work within deadlines.
They usually don't remember birthdays & anniversaries.
They don't remember silly tasks of buying milk or picking up the laundry.
ADHD people can't focus when you are talking to them in person and seem to drift away... etc etc.

THESE PEOPLE ARE MORE PRONE TO ADDICTION THAN THE NORMAL POPULATION!!! I WAS PART OF A RESEARCH STUDY ON THE SAME TOPIC, AND WORLD WIDE RESEARCH HAS PROVED THAT ADHD PEOPLE ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO ADDICTION.

The reason I am writing to you all is to try and understand that Addiction is not morally wrong. It is a disease with roots deep in the development of the nervous system. Amy Winehouse succumbed to the apathy of the world that never tried to recognise that she needed help, but pointed fingers on her "filthy habits"

There might be many in the world around you, addicted to alcohol, smoking, or drugs. Please try to sympathise with them that THEY CANNOT QUIT EVEN IF THEY HAVE A MOUNTAIN OF WILL POWER because this is not a habit. IT IS A DISEASE. try to motivate them to take up treatment. Thousands have gotten rid of addiction with treatment. But this is not a one shot miracle. Treatment to addiction goes on for years, like any chronic disease ( like diabetes - "sugar", or hypertension - "blood pressure")

Try to sympathise with addicts and motivate them for treatment.

May Amy's soul rest in peace.

Happy birthday to you Guitar tabs

This is a very easy to play tab for the first four lines of "happy birthday to you" tune.
I found it on Internet and changed the third line by what a few notes that I found suited better.
Play it for fun, for your loved ones :)


E--0--0--2--0--5--4--
B--------------------
G--------------------
D--------------------
A--------------------
E--------------------
happy birthday to you

E--0--0--2--0--7--5--
B--------------------
G--------------------
D--------------------
A--------------------
E--------------------
happy birthday to you

E--0--0--9--9--5--5--4--2--
B--------------------------
G--------------------------
D--------------------------
A--------------------------
E--------------------------
happy birthday dear mommy

E--10--10--9--5--7--5--
B----------------------
G----------------------
D----------------------
A----------------------
E----------------------
happy birthday to you

Memories restored my life....

There was something missing in my life.
I had everything one could wish for. A truly awesome family – parents who understood me perfectly (though sometimes mom pretends she doesn't), a brother who is always fed up of doing my chores, a nice career record (though I am currently unemployed by choice).... Still, there was something missing.
For a long time, I thought my ADHD was the reason why I don't feel happy enough, or why happiness doesn't last for long. I was soon searching for that unknown quantity (henceforth referred as x) in life.
I was having a nice gig going on in delhi, but came back home hyderabad, in search of x. Hardly six months at home, I was again feeling restless though I was earning well in a big corporate hospital .
About a year after returning home, I shifted base to CMC vellore in a research position. My life was superb there. I made friends I'd never dare to forget. But maybe x was still out there.
But then, I got my appointment letter from NIMHANS for a post in Psychiatry. And I then shifted to Bangalore in search of x. I spent the most enjoyable and productive six months of my career in NIMHANS and came back home, as I wanted to do my Post graduation this year (maybe PG was x???).

A chance meeting with friends from my college (before MBBS) brought back so many memories of life. Life was truly happy back then...
Back then, I didn't care if an x existed, if at all. Those memories asked me to introspect. What was the x I was searching for? Did it exist at all? Or was x something I had back then, that I had lost somewhere down the line?
After a long thought, which included falling asleep twice while on FB, I realised something as I was trying to pull my cousin's leg over her cooking on FB, it dawned on me!
X was my innocence. It was present in my smile that I had when I slipped on the stairs. It was in my stubborn attitude, when I starved myself, until a friend stopped dieting and started eating (does that qualify as satyagraha?). It was in my confidence when I consoled friends that we would overcome any problem in life.

I THINK IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US THAT WE ALWAYS SAY “THOSE DAYS WERE AWESOME!!!” . Have you heard anyone say “those days were bad! I am better off now.”
Because people no more are satisfied. They think they know so much already that nothing feels to satisfy their quest for knowledge any more.
My life is restored now. I am able to enjoy the small pleasures of plating cards with my family, watering the plants, feeding the fish, and cycling around my area.
And all that credit goes to my memories.
Thanks to all my friends and family who made these memories so sweet.

ICET 2011 AP entrance paper and key : discussion

Am posting bits and answers from ICET 2011 paper. The Q paper will be uploaded shortly.
Please join in and comment if you find the answers different from what i have put up.

Synonyms/ meanings, terminology:

1. insatiable
ans: unable to be satisfied

2. knick knack
ans: small ornament

3. haughty
ans: disdainful

4. grandiloquent
ans: pompous

5. conitguous
ans: adjoining

6. homogenous
ans: parts or people of similar type

7. benchmarking is
ans: setting a standard for performance

8. HTML is
ans: Hyper Text Mark Up language

9. GPS refers to
ans: Global Positioning system

10. Job specific tests that are designed to predict the potential of an induvidual to perform tasks are called
ans: aptitude tests

11. A section of a govt. dept. in charge of a particular activity is called a
ans: wing

12. which of the following is not an input device
ans: printer

13. the technique of creating a series of graphic frames to give an appearance of continuous movement is called
ans: animation

14. A deed is
ans: a legal document

15. The concept of "gangplank" implies
ans: doing things through proper channels

16. The installation wizard in windows cannot
ans: guide through screens

17. The three countries have signed a __________ pledging to work together in the health scheme.
ans: memorandum

18. The judge promised to ________ the injustice done to him.
ans: redress

19. when the accident happened, the car was speeding down the _________ highway.
ans: deserted

20. He was _________ from the country when his visa expired.
ans: deported

READ passage related to MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES, HOWARD GARDNER THEORY

21. What does "Kinesthetic" mean?
ans: sensory? OR IS IT DYNAMIC???

22. What type of intelligence do people who can think in pictures have?
ans: visual

23. What does trouble in understanding poetry mean?
ans: you have not developed this special skill

24. How many intelligences does Gardner speak of?
ans: eight

25. Inability to perform a certain task indicates lack of
ans: task-related intelligence

READ paragraph related to STAMP COLLECTION

26. A stamp has
ans: an inherent fascination

27. A journey of a stamp is into
ans: the past

28. The passage is a contemplation on
ans: the usefulness of collecting stamps

29. Stamps take us through
ans: history

30. Stamp collection profits one to
ans: keep out of mischief

READ PASSAGE RELATED TO MUSEUMS IN THE MODERN AGE

31. Museums are different from heritage centres, theme parks etc because they deal with
ans: original objects

32. According to the passage, the "provision of loan boxes of objects" helps museums
ans: make objects accessible to more people

33. The "real thing" refers to
ans: authentic displays

Dil ka Bhanwar kare pukaar.... pyaar ka raag suno... pyaar ka raag suno re.

click here to listen to the song


Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukaar :
Movie : Tere Ghar Ke Saamne
Singer(s): MOHMMED RAFI
Cast(s): Dev Anand , Nutan

Hindi Lyrics:

Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukaar
Pyar Ka Raag Suno
Pyar Ka Raag Suno Re

Phool Tum Gulab Ka Kya Jawaab Aapka
Jo Ada Hai Woh Bahaar Hai
Aaj Dilki Bekahi Aa Gayee Zubaan Par
Baat Yeh Hai Tumse Pyaar Hai
Dil Tumhi Ko Diya Re
Pyar Ka Raag Suno Re...

[ Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukaar }

Chahe Tum Mitana Par Na Tum Girana
Aansoon Ki Tarah Nigah Se
Pyar Ki Oonchai Ishq Ki Gehrai
Poochh Lo Hamaari Aah Se
Aasmaan Chhoo Liya Re
Pyar Ka Raag Suno Re...

Is Haseen Paar Pe Hum Na Baithen Haar Ke
Saaya Banke Saath Hum Chalen
Aaj Mere Sung Tu Jhoome Dil Ki Aarzoo
Tujhse Meri Aankh Jab Mile
Jaane Kya Kar Diya Re
Pyar Ka Raag Sunoo Re...

Dedicated to a dear friend Sho!!!

Me and the Library

Every 3 out of 4 people in this library are asleep (that includes the staff and me too). Am sitting in a private library where only people who are preparing for PG entrance(MEDICAL) and those studying for CA exams are allowed to join, at a small fee (500 rupees/ month - which is not even close to being small , keeping in mind that I am unemployed now).
My eyes refuse to stay open, and my body lurches forward to let me sleep on the table. I start having doubts that whether the muscles of the back and eyes are involuntary, when my brain sends a alarm.. which says "Abhishek!!!! Wake up!"...
Me and Libraries never got along well... I still remember going to the "central library" in my college only when I wanted to sleep , and my roommate nicknaming harrisons' textbook of medicine as "alprax".
The best part of the library is that I can sit and study in the huge garden in front of it. In this garden, I've seen squirrels, garden lizards, and Sparrows (I really thought they were extinct!!!)
The cool breeze, the softness of the grass, the smell of soil when the garden is being watered.... these are really small things that make me happy. I am looking at the line of ants trying to carry food. Am amazed at their industriousness. Don't they get lazy like people???
Don't ants bribe other ants to escape from work?
Don't ants make excuses to escape work?
Well, why is it that people hate work so much??? (Actually why do I hate studying so much?)
Suddenly I hear a very loud distinct voice from the skies above, "People don't work hard because I take special care of them. They are just following the rule of natural selection "survival of the meanest- lazy- buggers" .
My neck starts paining as I crane to try to look for the source of the voice, and I snap out of my beautiful dream into the sleepy library.

Whoever said that sleep is not contagious, has never been to a library.