Kya hai "Sab se Jyaada?"

Thanks to the ever inspiring poet and study-mate at NIMS Library, Dr Arun Rathi (alias Kaviraaj) for poking me to write something... Wrote this in the library yesterday :)

हमने तुम्हे चाहा रब से ज्यादा !
तुम्हारी कदर की सबसे ज्यादा !!
तुम लाख कहलो झूट के हमने तुम्हारा दिल तोडा !
तुम्हारा झूट न होगा भारी हमारे सच से ज्यादा !!
हाए, ज़माने से डरती हो खुद से ज्यादा !
तुम्हारा राज़ जानता है कौन मुझसे ज्यादा?
हमारी वफ़ा तुम्हारी बेवफाई को हरा चुकी है !
तेरा दिया दर्द कभी न होगा मेरी इबादत से ज्यादा !!

Please do pardon any incorrect spellings. I am an average student who just managed to pass Hindi in school :)

అల్లసాని పెద్దన్న పద్యము

కలనాటి ధనములు అక్కరగల నాటికి దాచ కమలగర్భుని వశమే ,
నెల నడిమినాటి వెన్నెల దాగునె గాది లో పోయ అమవస నిశికిన్ .

Allasaani peddanna was a great telugu poet, credited as the author of Manu charitra and titled as andhra kavitaa pitamahudu (grandfather of telugu poetry).
The above padyam is from one of his works. It means:

Is it even possible for God to save the riches of an affluent day till the day of need,
Does the Full - moon's light, if stored in the safest of places, stay till a no- moon day?

With thanks to my dad, who taught me this.

Compromise career to settle down faster??? I won't!!!

I understand that there are many cultural differences between Indians and the West. But why is it that "settling down" at a younger age so very important in our country?
At 26 years of age, I feel I have had a lot of fun :)
I roamed a lot of places, worked at different places, learnt new languages, made new friends, and did ALL that a guy would dream to do (lol not all... don't misinterpret!!!). The best part of all this was the happiness I had when I was doing all these.
I met an old friend a few months ago (let's call her Kay to cover her identity) and asked her what she was doing. She said she joined her M.D. in pathology...
This girl was an academic genius. She was very determined and industrious, and always had wanted to be a paediatrician.So, I asked her what drove her interest towards pathology. She was a little uncomfortable in the beginning, and answered "I had to settle down.. and was not willing to waste another year preparing."
I was shocked! I think life is to be lived, experienced. The falls and the rise of a person in life are the things that make a person. I cannot compromise on my dreams just because I have to "settle down"!
I have seen the miserable state of medical PG entrance in my state, and do agree that justice is being denied to the deserving. But dreams are not to be compromised... for anything!
There were points in life when I used to joke that choosing to be a doctor was one of my worst mistakes in life. There were situations when I sincerely felt the same. But being a doctor was my dream, and I made that dream come true! The satisfaction of being able to achieve my dream surpasses all the negatives that come along with it. (Poor family life, no time for self, modest pay packs are a just a few to name).
I tried to reason with my other friends if Kay was right. Many said she was, in view of the current state of the medical graduate in AP. But will she really be happy if she doesn't do what she likes?
Why do we have to compromise our happiness in life to settle down? Why do people live their life in such a haste? Why cant you postpone your PG for an year, and rather join a branch of your choice later?
People give me lot of reasons
> Getting late for marriage. (That's by far the commonest :P )
> Family financial pressures.
> Not willing to waste another year, especially because they might not get even this seat next year! Etc... etc...

I have always opted to tread the path shown by my heart, because it gives me immense pleasure. Compromise always comes with a burden. And in the case of career, compromise can bring a lot more than pain. I cannot say Kay is wrong, but just that my view is different. Happiness in doing what you like is far more important than anything else in life!

P.S: Wanted to share this because Kay is currently taking treatment for depression, has abdicated her seat (because of which she might not be eligible for the next year's PG entrance), and am trying to convince her to try for DNB paediatrics.

Daasaradhi karunaa payonidhi

One of my dad's favourite padyas from Daasharadhi shatakam. Written by the great Poet and devotee of Lord Sri Rama, Shri Ramadasu

Muppuna kaala kinkarulu mungita vachchina vela,
rogamul gopparamainacho kaphamu kuththika nindina vela,
Baandhavul gappina vela,
mee smarana galguno galgado naati kippude,
Tappaka chetu mee bhajana... daasaradhi karunaa payonidhi.

When death's messengers arrive at my doorstep,
When in disease phlegm fills my throat,
When I am deserted by my relatives,
I may not be able to recite your name,
So let me sing your hymns now.. Hey! Son of Dasaradha! An ocean of compassion!

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