Why do they teach 'History and Civics'

Here is a direct rip-off from the website of ICSE Board (India) on why do they teach History and Civics to students of Class X and Class XII. 

CLASS X (ICSE BOARD)

                                                                                    CLASS XII (ISC BOARD)

Sunday pleasure readings

What is science?
Science is broadly understood as collecting, analyzing, publishing, reanalyzing, critiquing, and reusing data.
source website : Open Science ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_science )


Definition of Transparency :

Transparency, as used in science, engineering, business, the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Transparency is operating in such a way that it is easy for others to see what actions are performed.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparency_(behavior))


        Transparency can be defined as successful two-way communication about public policy.  The institutional arrangements that make it possible reflect national culture, history and values.
However, transparency starts from a core set of measures that are so fundamental as to
be almost indistinguishable from governments’ basic legislative, administrative and
fiscal functions.  Core measures help to ensure that people who are affected by policies
know about them and can respond to them.  Guidelines for good transparency practices
have emerged in the fiscal and regulatory areas.  (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/45/22/2506884.pdf).


What is Plutocracy ? :
Plutocracy (from Ancient Greek ploutos, meaning "wealth", and kratos, meaning "power, rule") is rule by the wealthy, or powerprovided by wealth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutocracy

Examples

One modern, perhaps unique, formalised example of a plutocracy is the City of London.^[1] The City (not the whole of modern London but the area of the ancient city, which now mainly comprises the financial district) has a unique electoral system. Most of its voters are representatives of businesses and other bodies that occupy premises in the City. Its ancient wards have very unequal numbers of voters. The principal justification for the non-resident vote is that about 450,000 non-residents constitute the city's day-time population and use most of its services, far outnumbering the City's 9000 residents.^[1]

The municipalities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake Florida are both owned and governed by The Walt Disney Company, by state statutes. The only landowners are fully owned subsidiaries of Disney, and right-of-way for state and county roads, and the only residents are Disney employees.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutocracy )

What is Privacy ? :
Privacy (from Latin: privatus "separated from the rest, deprived of something, esp. office, participation in the government", from privo "to deprive") is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively. The boundaries and content of what is considered private differ among cultures and individuals, but share basic common themes. Privacy is sometimes related to anonymity, the wish to remain unnoticed or unidentified in the public realm. When something is private to a person, it usually means there is something within them that is considered inherently special or personally sensitive. The degree to which private information is exposed therefore depends on how the public will receive this information, which differs between places and over time. Privacy partially intersects security, including for instance the concepts of appropriate use, as well as protection, of information. Privacy may also take the form of bodily integrity. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy#Privacy_law)

More reading on what is privacy (http://www.privacy.gov.au/aboutprivacy/what )

Disclosure of an undisclosed information about a person in the public domain constitutes a breach of privacy.






What is Secrecy ?

Secrecy (also called clandestinity or furtiveness) is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups, perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.

Secrecy is often controversial, depending on the content of the secret, the group or people keeping the secret, and the motivation for secrecy. Secrecy by government entities is often decried as excessive or in promotion of poor operation; excessive revelation of information on individuals can conflict with virtues of privacy and confidentiality.

Secrecy in Sociology : Humans attempt to consciously conceal aspects of themselves from others due to shame, or from fear of violence, rejection, harassment, loss of acceptance, or loss of employment. Humans may also attempt to conceal aspects of their own self which they are not capable of incorporating psychologically into theirconscious being. 

Views on secrecy

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Secrets

Excessive secrecy is often cited^{[citation needed]} as a source of much human conflict. One may have to lie in order to hold a secret, which might lead to psychological repercussions.^{[original research?]} The alternative, declining to answer when asked something, may suggest the answer and may therefore not always be suitable for keeping a secret. Also, the other may insist that one answer the question.^{[improper synthesis?]} Nearly 2500 years ago, Sophocles wrote, "Do nothing secretly; for Time sees and hears all things, and discloses all." And Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha, once said "Three things cannot long stay hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth".

websource : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secrecy

About nature of man as a theorist , and the "fundas"

All people like to give , what the a teenager's jargon is called , "fundas". Man as a natue's creation ,has the ability to theorise everything. How different is this great anthropological observation  from the statement of a teenager on giving "fundas". hardly any. If we examine more microscopically, what each man does is not called giving his theory, rather he is giving is own 'funda'.
Further, I often think that since all of us, each of us , have our own funda on everything, the real genius from amongst us is the one who can create a "theory" from all the conflicting fundas that each of us has given. A cogent, robustly argued, 'theory", a finished product from the brownian movement of "funda" particles, which combine up to form a substance , a solid.
 Most people like to give fandas, but only the rare ones can take the effort to collate all the fundas and create a theory out of it. They are the real genius.
  Thus, i hearby, create a difference between a "funda" and  a "theory" by my authority of a freeborn man who as a nature's will has been awarded a power to give his own "fundas".
:-).
:-P.

The great challenge in law and commerce in a democractic set-up

Our democratic systems are always vulnerable to being abused against us only.. Whenever a nation adopts principles such as  freedom for all, secularism, liberty, ..etc ..IT MUST ALSO ADOPT INSTITUTIONS TO ENSURE THAT there is no abuse happening of these procedures. The biggest challenge before a free-will stemmed Democractic Country is to ensure the preservation of free-will. It is very difficult to make out between Free-Will stemmed conracts and the Co-erced Contracts.. AS MUCH DIFFICULT AS BETWEEN A RAPE AND A CONSENSUAL SEX.!

About the means of fulfilling man's interest in the future

Man's interest in the event of Future is fulfilled through 3 possible means:

 1) Prudence : When man's today's action are governed such as to avoid a possible negative outcome which has been observed in a similar situation in the past.

 2) Anticipation: a scientific method in which the future outcome is predicated basis the rate of action happening today, or the psychological behaviour pattern already studied. The method involves use of natural sciences- mathematics, physics, psychology, etc.

 3) Fortune telling: unscientific methods which involves undefined,unproved theories in palmistry, astrology, numerology, etc. This method often involves artistic skills from specially bestowed people who we are required to believe in.

Micro-level and Macro-level of observing a situation

There are two levels of observing a situation. One is micro-level and the other is macro-level. A man is born to observe in a natural manner, that is through his physical organ of eyes, a scene which is the micro level of observation, that is, physically as he sees in through his eyes. The limitations of micro level observations are : It is like when we are driving on a road we hardly realise when and where we have rounded a turn to change our direction. We see things only from a local perspective and do not relate each round in the road with reference to the previous heading we maintained, most commonly because we do not even feel the round or a bent in the road happening. Often the bends are designed to slowly turn us around in order to prevent an accident in the road. And that is what happens in the micro level observations.

In a macro level, a man has to keep a mental image of the map of the area, that is, a top side view of the zone, and then relate his own headings at each of the courses he has to do while reaching his destination. This is macro level, or "the big picture" of the situation, which the English often keep calling on us to look at whenever any problem situation arises. Macro level observations require great deal of imaginations skill from a person which is often developed through driving and travelling.

 Indians being a non-exploring community, are generally lacking in the macro level observational skill. The rural indians are more definitively a lot.

Sansmaran, TV Serial, 1995

English: Reminisces. Sansmaran Is a Doordarshan TV Serial, broadcast in India in year 1995. This is contained in IMDb Sansmaran , 1995. It was Directed by Kannada Director, T.S. Nagabharana, whose other popular work is Tenalirama.

Plot

The serial is about a South-Indian traditional Kannad family whose son has found a job in the USA. This is a narration based story , from the point of view of the old hindu man, whose son is working in the USA. He and his wife go to the USA to meet their son. The son takes them for a trip of the USA wherein the Disney land features. The old man compares the freedom and enjoyment of life in America with his life back at home. It slowly becomes a comparison of the cultures of America and India. In summary, the old man also diagnosis the shortcomings of his native culture after viewing it from the eyes of another culture. Thus, the narration is a broadening of horizon story of a Hindu view point. This serial was telecast around 1995 , at the time Indian Economy had just started to open to foreign investments and Indians were just beginning to dream of going to America for job merged with tourism. Perhaps the congestion of life in India has started to strangulate their thinking. It was coming of age serial which revered the view about the open-ness of American Culture for the people of older ages whose sons were just beginning to find jobs in IT multinationals and were being sent abroad, to the US, on assignment. It was starting to bring them not just money , but also a cultural escapade to their parents who had spent their lifetime in miseries of Indian life only for the well-being of their children. The american culture of open-ness had started to find acceptance not just in Indian youngsters but also in their parents, creditable to the success of this tele-serial.

Essay on Criticism ..by Alexander Pope ..General Outline

I came across a very beautiful poem, Essay on Criticism , by Alexander Pope. Here i a attempt to put my understanding of the poem. 

In order to do the paraphrasing, I searched a little bit on the net and found the following 'general outline' helpful for proceeding in my work. Over here I produce that General Outline:

By : Walter Jackson Bate

The Essay on Criticism is more profitably introduced by a topical summary of its themes than by an analysis of its premises. For its premises and aims are those of the entire neoclassic tradition. And the poem itself is a statement or summary of them rather than an individual argument or analysis. The essay may be described as falling into three parts, with the following subdivisions:

I. General qualities needed by the critic (1-200):

A. Awareness of his own limitations (46-67).

B. Knowledge of Nature in its general forms (68-87).

1. Nature defined (70-79).

2. Need of both wit and judgment to conceive it (80-87).

C. Imitation of the Ancients, and the use of rules (88-200).

1. Value of ancient poetry and criticism as models (88-103).

2. Censure of slavish imitation and codified rules (104-117).

3. Need to study the general aims and qualities of the Ancients (118-140).

4. Exceptions to the rules (141-168).

II. Particular laws for the critic (201-559):

Digression on the need for humility (201-232).

A. Consider the work as a total unit (233-252).

B. Seek the author's aim (253-266).

C. Examples of false critics who mistake the part for the whole (267-383).

1. The pedant who forgets the end and judges by rules (267-288).

2. The critic who judges by imagery and metaphor alone (289-304).

3. The rhetorician who judges by the pomp and colour of the diction (305-336).

4. Critics who judge by versification only (337-343).

Pope's digression to exemplify "representative meter" (344-383).

D. Need for tolerance and for aloofness from extremes of fashion and personal mood (384-559).

1. The fashionable critic: the cults, as ends in themselves, of the foreign (398-405), the new (406-423), and the esoteric (424-451).

2. Personal subjectivity and its pitfalls (452-559).

III. The ideal character of the critic (560-744):

A. Qualities needed: integrity (562-565), modesty (566-571), tact (572-577), courage (578-583).

B. Their opposites (584-630).

C. Concluding eulogy of ancient critics as models (643-744).

The best captain i sailed under

This is in response to a Facebook community topic raised by someone. He wanted seafarers to describe the qualities of the best masters they had sailed under.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What did you like about the best Master you sailed with? And flip the question around and tell us what you disliked in the worst? No names . Just adjectives!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Good master = high knowledge, which imbibes in him polite-ness. 
I want to make this clear because high knowledge may also translate into eruditism - show off of knowledge.
Good behavior and good virtues result out of intuition
developed through erudition and scholarship.  'cool as cucumber, rock
solid, never panicked' , all should result from a balanced growth of
knowledge and the experience. 

A relatively young person , around 31yrs age, on his second command was one best master , in year 2001. 

Oldies have good experience , outdated knowledge, youngster are
inexperienced. Oldies have advantage of talking out with various
authorities with lots of ease. When the mate is experienced enough, a
combination on board with a senior master, helps.
New ships, better conditions, better systems. Less works, empty minds, devils workshop! It is often in this type of climate that people begin to find time to get involved into each other. Senior ranks ofte develop a penchant, a psychiatric trouble truthfuly, to go after people, one or many. They never realise this but that is how it has been commonly felt. In these conditions erroneous philosophies breed. Wrong conversations, wrong dialogues, wrong rhetorics, wrong cultures sprout up, absorbed by wrong students and later pratices and promulgated as the practical or maybe the right knowledge. 
Therefore it is essential that the senior ranks should have a hobby to follow if the have to maintain their good state of mind, an eventually a good culture on board.

In summary, Management ranks should stay DETACHED- that is, not much involved into persons for shipboard works. This helps in balancing various emotional turbulence that nature of work brings about.  However, a personal connection with every crew on affairs which maybe not ship-work related, helps in motivating and keeping the morale high of crew members.
Detachment, in Bhagvad Geeta described as 'nirmoh', is an important quality. It can also be understood as objectivity in conduct and decision making.
Data is collected with objectivity, both sides heard, and then analysed with
empathy,that is, applying emotional understanding for all parties. Rare people can
exercise such conduct. 

My best master perhaps had this quality.

Open Reflection on Collective Thinking

The following extract taken from the Occupy Wall Street Movement Website:
http://takethesquare.net/2011/07/31/quick-guide-on-group-dynamics-in-peoples-assemblies/


Open Reflection on Collective Thinking
While we would like to share our impressions so far, we encourage you to continue to reflect on and debate these impressions as we feel that Collective Thinking is an essential part of our movement.
To our understanding, Collective Thinking is diametrically opposed to the kind of thinking propounded by the present system. This makes it difficult to assimilate and apply. Time is needed, as it involves a long process. When faced with a decision, the normal response of two people with differing opinions tends to be confrontational. They each defend their opinions with the aim of convincing their opponent, until their opinion has won or, at most, a compromise has been reached.
The aim of Collective Thinking, on the other hand, is to construct. That is to say, two people with differing ideas work together to build something new. The onus is therefore not on my idea or yours; rather it is the notion that two ideas together will produce something new, something that neither of us had envisaged beforehand. This focus requires of us that we actively listen, rather than merely be preoccupied with preparing our response.
Collective Thinking is born when we understand that all opinions, be these opinions our own or others’, need to be considered when generating consensus and that an idea, once it has been constructed indirectly, can transform us.
Do not be discouraged: we are learning; we’ll get there: all that’s needed is time.




But surely there is something happening out there.!
There is Anti-Corruption protest in India, there is Arab Springs,  There is Indignados in Spain and Italy, Jasmine in China,

I am...

I am basically a creative person. I often catch myself drawing odd


sketches on a piece of paper, or even a whiteboard. I keep good

interest in music, I like to hum and even sing; and yes, I do that in

full view of the public not in some dark cornor or only in a bathroom.

I am quite restless and often wake up in the middle of the night to

read something and to write something, much as this blog I am writing

right now. I compose as I think on something. I think, I like to think

on various topics not because they interest me, but because I am

restless. I make admission of that. I do not know what that might

amount to mean. I have brains working hard and in overdrive. I think

of arguments and the ways to resolve them. I think of their resolution

as I begin to polish my areas of logic in the grey matter. I think of

art and also of logics. I also write small computer programmes often

times at night. So , that's how my brain works. Logics, flowchart and

algorithms of an event circle my thoughts on almost every topic. I

think of history and that's what I love to read. history builds the

flowchart and algorithm of event we see today in its fragmented form.

I don't like to see in isolation. I like to think in Integration. I

evaluate and deliver verdicts. I like to compare. I reject things

being different from each other. I think philosophy connects them all.

I think there is brahma, a cosmic theory that connects all matters to

each other, a theory of everything. I like to read stephen hawkings. I

like to read daniel coleman. Like tom friedman, like bart kosko. I

read them all. I read Wikipedia and the encyclopedia and Encarta and

the brittanicas.

I don't like to live life in a specific cast. I carve out new shapes

and the new outcomes. I act to react. I act basically because I am

creative. I react because I don't appear to live in a cast. I am not

reactive , I am creative. People are reactive , who live in a specific

cast. Who give responses to a specific query of logic in a specific

way. I create, so new answer come out. But since they don't match the

responses of the predetermined cast, its me who appears to be

reacting. I am cool and peaceful. I have patience to teach and to

tolerate. People appreciate my teaching instincts and my skills. I

understand a learner's pain and dilemma and innovate ways to resolve

them. I like to help and spread the light of knowledge which I have

earned by my personal effort with hard work. I am a man. A man who

theorises everything he sees or believes, I am not dumb to just accept

what I am given to accept. I agree and I strongly disagree. I reject

and I also make amends.

I am a thinker . I am not a plain listener or an agreer. I am a

leader not a follower. I formulate results , just don't accept them. I

can dare to reject things right from it's origin thought. I arrive at

answer on my own and like to tally it with that of the world. I belong

to this world because my answers match those of other thinking men

around. I am not any ordinary man living life a with street smart

philosophy. I am a long time striker. I am not virtuous , I am logical

, who derives the logic of actions which people call the virtues. So I

appear to be virtuous. I have new unheard answers and explanations ,

and in plenty. I am not moral, but ethical. I see ethics as the

product of laws of nature. I live between plants and animals to know

the laws of nature. I know nature is cruel and that human emotions

defy cruelty and demand love. I know emotions are natural too and

humans and mammals have this unique gift. I know only mammals suckle

their young one and mothers do it out of love due to nature's call.

Fathers look after children out of nature's call . Emotions are gifts

to higher species of animal life. So I respect emotions . I carry them

in plenty and in variety.

I am sensitive, as I wake up early in the morning when temperatures

change, and then I like to take a stroll. I go back to sleep when

temperatures turn back in little warmer around noon. I sleep small and

frequent. I don't sleep hard and long. I am virtually always awake. I

don't get disturbed by sounds and discomfort. I can accept discomfort

for some durations. I sleep like a labourer , small, in-gaps work

sleep. I take a morning stroll almost everyday. I like to sit in

toilet and talk to mirrors. I am apparently an absentee and skiving

from work. But in my believes I work really hard and really honest. I

often expose the rights and wrongs in what people often just do up. I

think of my work and train myself on it. I am therefore explosive and

not easy to meet with. I am confined and don't like to disturb people.

But I am a nonsense to authorities because I often refuse to just live

it up. I settle and unsettle the authority of a person. Therefore they

like me and most of them dislike me, I am very very sensitive to issue

of personal freedom and therefore highly democratic . I demand and I

grant. I am Political. I am not among those who fear the consequences

of excessive freedom of untrained uncivilized human. I believe in

civilizations and know that it comes from training up people. But the

mass training doesn't happen by exercising control but by

demonstrating out how to do it. I know of methods for mass recruitment

and training. I don't select a few. I select all. And carve out the

rare wise ones who can lead further up by demonstrating. I touch the

heart as I touch their dilemma. I read their minds.

Am I a liberal democrat?

To the mentor of my Dharma

19th Dec, last year (y. 2010) He passed away due to cardiac arrest. He was a businessman, and politicio-- but for the world. to me he was the father of my old school time chum, who was my mentor too, someone who teach us but by showing the door to some subtle knowledge, to have the choice of walking along by our own enhanced options, through our own self-enquiries.
Someone who was more than my own father, someone the Guru of life. Someone who taught us Dharma-- someone who lifted us from the common man's domain of Morality-living, in to the domain of Ethical-living, where things are more cris-crossed and arguing. He was the Brahman of my life-- the one who introduced me the fact that understanding Brahma is most complex thing one can attempt -- and something which come only from one's constant Karma, no matter good or not-- the ethics.  Dharma churns out as one proceeds along the path of karma. Ethics become the source for general prudence in the journey of life.
How else would a person from my set-up rise up to think of doing what none of my fellows do or accept. A personal self-awkening was a spontaneous process which happened way back after senior secondary education. But it needed a mentor to find its direction. It needed someone to let balance between the arts and science. The self-awakening was triggered by constant presuring in the field of sciences and logics. An observational and tatse-ful view into Arts was starving. He showed the door to the new long path of appreciation of Arts. That Nirmoh- or Objectvism is the key point to follow both Logics and the Arts is hard to understand until one meets his mentor. For emotions are so much in us that they are the hardest to overcome. Truest justice with Arts and Reason cannot happen without an elaborate view from the Ethical standpoint. Ethics-- a peak which is far above the Morality peak which most human dont even strive to achieve. Ethics don't judge actions to be good or bad. For Ethics are the consequence of Action. Ethics look for Intentions. Intentions which are then the outcome of the greatest gift to humans - the emotions. The whole round journey from Emotion-less-ness (Nirmoh, or Objectivism) to back to Emotional self.
It is upto this point that highest of peaks can a person climb, while on surface, he is busy doing the mundane works of life.
He was the Brahman on which depended my beliefs.

Re-searching Varanasi in my voyage

Re-searching Varanasi in my voyage:
1) Microsoft Encarta described Varanasi as one of the oldest surviving cities on Earth today. Its history is claimed to be over 3000years old. Also, it was City, not a village or Just another human settlements. Jericoh , in Israel , is the oldest Village.
2) Lord Shiva, one of chief gods of Hindu mythology, is said to have chosen Varanasi for his final settlement after his marriage with Parvati.
In equivalent terms, the story sounded to me like - a software engineer chosing to settle in Noida, or Newyork after doing lots of on-sites in many parts of the world. We know on what all basis a man decides all this. More, when he has married a rich beautiful girl for his wife, who comes from, say Uttranchal. :-D. The best and finest cities possible. That was Varanasi for a choice in those times of Lord Shiva.
3) Varanasi flourished as centre for arts ( there are two schools of Kathak dance as per Indian beliefs, Benares and Jaipur), Spirituality ( centre for religion, many of the oldest scriptures are suppose to have been written here, Tulsidas's Ramayan being one most recent ones among many) . Chandrakant Santati by Deviki nandan Khatri has its plot revolving around the fort of Ramnagar,and Chunar. Kabir was from this city.
4) Varanasi was a centre for accomplishments in art related fields. Bismillah Khan- the shehnai player is from Varanasi.
5) it was the centre for researches into philosophical matters. Lord buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath in Varanasi. Buddhism and its philosophy are today treated as the first truest contribution to the field of some practical philosophy by Hindu religion. Buddha taught about the Middle path, and how to live a peaceful happy life. His language was of the common people.
Before him, most of the philosophical contributions by Vedic religion were slowly turned into story of some mystical gods, like Ramayan and Mahabharata, which the traders on the famous Silk Route did not take much interest in. That might help understand how Buddhism became popular in China, Korea and Japan in comparison with Vedic Dharma. Vedas and Bhagwad Gita did not make as strong impact outside Indian land as did Buddhism. Although Buddha's teaching can be said to be influentially borrowed from Vedas only. Maybe language barrier was the cause.
6) Buddhism, later, some 2500 years later, is supposedly the influencing source for Christ's religion. In this sense Vedas can be said to be out-source point for many different religions.
7) Iran's original religion is supposedly a very close sister religion of the Vedic Dharma. A fact, which brings the archeologists to claim that Aryans migrated in two groups- one settled in iran and the other in northern India.
8) Philosophy continued to be the 'main thought' of dwellers of Ganges Basin. Perhaps so much so that the Maharashtrians today say that Biharis and Bhaiya have a tremendous 'Convincing Power'. Nevertheless, the shastrarth, a formal debate on Vedic knowledge and interpretations, became a forte of Varanasi dwellers. An annual round of debate is suppose to happen , organised by Maharaja Benares, between the six groups of Brahmins. Since the Maithali Brahmins have won it maximum number of times, they are suppose to be most intelligents of all sects of Brahmins ( refer Wikipedia search on topic Brahmins).
9) Benares generally host the Pandey, Mishra ,vajpayee, Dubey, Pathaks, Tripathi, Shukla , Dwivedi , Chaturvedi clubs of Brahmins. A Brahmin, by Vedic technicality is NOT a caste, but a concept which helps one know the consequences of action (Karma) later in time. In equivalent terms, it is the combined form of Rule 2 (responsibility) and Rule 6(safe speed) along with general Prudence , of the Colregs 1972. the british and the muslim invaders mis-interpreted Brahmanism, giving Brahmins also as a caste-form. Otherwise, it is but a philosophical research. Researcher from any caste would become a Brahmin ones his research was over. That also explains the reasons for these surnames among the Brahmins which is actually the Upadhi ( a status title) earned by them. Shastri is one more such title. Benares was one centre for these jobs.
A pandit , or a temple priest is different from a Brahmin, although essentially seen as one and same, by way of inter-marriages. Thus many other clubs, such as Vajpayee, Pandey, Shukla are only priest, taken as Brahmin, for knowledge on how to conduct a prayer ceremony.
10) Philosophy later attached with the Benares Hindu University became very popular study in the city. Dr S Radhakrishnan, the first Vice President, himself a 'Doctor of Philosophy in Philsosophy' was the vice chancellor of BHU from where he took over as the vice-president. His birthday is marked as Teachers Day in India.
11) B.K Matilal, another product from BHU, is the most read authors of study books on Indian Philosophy. His Nayay thesis( justice, -method of proving an argument) is supposedly the closest resemblance work of Indian Philosophy to the Aristotlean theories on the same topic. He is known for many other achievements.
12) Benares has got three different universities: BHU, sanskrit vidyapeeth, and one more( refer Wikipedia).
13) Pan chewing (beetle leaves) is a typical cultural habit of Varanasi dwellers. In this intense atmosphere of spiritual Philsosophy and debates, I can notice thyroid related problem to be immense. These problems are mostly of origin from emotional stresses one undergoes in this kind of atmosphere. Pan leaves with Chuna (lime) and tobacco maybe one of the locally found neutralizer for the bile juices produced from liver in higher stress conditions. Thyroid is the chief triggering hormones for such work. Thyroid in itself is impacted by Pitutatry Gland, which is master gland located in the brain. Ones thinking-center is located there too. Thus emotional stress show up as body disorders.
thyroid - hypo or hyper, shows up as losing hair, bulgy eyes, crumbled legs, weak bones, low energy level, high climate temperature intolerance, kidney or liver problem, calcium imbalances in bones, etc.
I noticed these problems in many life forms , including humans, cows, dogs.
Sports and Athletics maybe the most distant choice for Varanasi dwellers. Politics is naturally the closest.

I am dweller upon the banks of river Ganga

Back to the city of varanasi. After a long sojourn. after a journey through the oceans of this world. How does it feel ? Being back to your roots. Being back to ur religion. Being back to ur ancestors. Being back to your ownself. I have come around. Quite literally. But only literally . Not psychologically. There, one only advances up. Only a little more closer than before, I am. To what? Read the first few lines to learn that. Then what took me so far from them. ? The job , or the time-space continuum, or the History which is but a huge volume of time.
This same river, river ganga, this same heat, these summer seasons, these same lanes, the narrow cow dung laden smelly dirty ones, - they seem to become dear to me. I wonder why and how. I feel so peaceful. I try to reason out why. As I write this blog, I attempt to put my account of explorations yet again for my friends and my generation to read. To think, and to know, and to tell me,- how did we as a member of one religion, member of same native lost away our true self in our yearn to know more, and become more determined when it was the confusion which is actually supreme. Confusion, which some entropist also call as the chaos. The chaos of this universe even when the factor of time works on it momentarily to give it it's Dharma, the Ethics. A knowledge which we call the Brahma. and yet we get confused , literally to resolve out the effect of time on the changing nature of Dharma, ending up creating our own chaos in this already chaotic universe. The formula for finding peace and happiness for the human live that we mortals souls are living today is to not add more man-made chaos to this already chaotic universe. To know the dharma and to live by it.
This theme takes me to one sunk in oblivion conversation with my ship's agent in the port of skikda, algeria , last year. It was on 17 july 2010, I recall. We were talking about the religions , Hinduism and Islam. He wanted to know from me as to what my religion is about , what are my ethos, what are my beliefs, what does my religion teach me. He was surely well-read about my religion , as I was about him. He saw the gold ring in my finger and told me that honest muslim men never wear gold on their bodies, only women do.
I thought for a while. So much of arguments and so much of reading that I kept abreast with on Orkut came on my mind. it all downpoured heavily. Rained cats and dogs. I controlled myself.
Then, I said , my religion is all about endorsing 'confusion' as the supreme law of the universe. He looked baffled, ... I was also. I continued, we are the oldest religion on the planet. So much that either we are not a religion, or else we are its only religion while others are sects. We began with the beginning of humans on this planet. I come from varanasi, the holy seat of this religion. Microsoft Encarta says that Varanasi is one of the oldest surviving city on this planet. It is over 3000 years old. It was what Mumbai is today. Commerce is the business today. Spirituality was business then. It happend from there. Ram, shanker, swaminarayan- they all came from the ganges valley.
We have our believes. but so do we have the opposites also in our fold of believes. U may believe Ram, so may u believe in Ravana. U may believe in Shanker , but so u may do in Vishnu. We are polytheist. U always remain a hindu. Some orkut friends say that only ur respect for Vedas defines that one is a hindu or not.the religion turely is the vedic dharma, while there are no universal rules, no universal good and evil, the local beliefs are allowed to happen. That adds to it's confusion, or say that, that pushes further wide its boundaries of encompassing. U can perhaps do anything u feel like, as a true vedic believer.
He asked me, then, that how do hindus find their peace of mind then? How do they know what's right and what 's wrong? It is too much complicated to practice hinduism as ur guiding thought of mind.
His cross examination for once really got me adopt his believes. So did I do, from inside, to atleast admit that it is so much non-sense and complicated for ordinary humans to live with immense self-contradictions, and yet call some of them a hypocrisy and others as valid ones. Isn't it like that? U call some things as Dharma and yet u allow the opposites to happen by some indistinct remote application of some weird philosophy and call that dharma too. And yet you apply again some philosophy to call somethings Adharma.
Anybody will question- What are you, mister? What are your beliefs ? Do u say that only what u say is correct and the others are incorrect? What I say is incorrect? Is that what is ur religion? Boo to it , and boo to u.


Hinduism is also about being close to nature, I thought. And doesn't the nature encompass the mutually contradicting laws? U want to live , but death is inevitable. U want to love, but it fades away, u want to live peacefully, but there is always struggle. Some creatures can live only on land, some only on water and some on both. Some only in air. Nature always held exceptions to prove its rule. Infact the rule of death also seems to be violated in case of sharks and viruses.
Islam and other Abrahamic faiths are so easy, so less confusing, he suggested to me. In these relatively newer faiths , U know clearly what to do and what not to do. U have ur set of practices.
In my religion, there is only Dharma which in itself is so complicated to understand. One man's dharma can be other man's Adharma. Only knowledge and experience gained from your constant Karma, can teach u what are dharma. It is so complicated.
I sat down to think, is it my confusion again, or my religion the epithet for confusion; but which allows me to endorse change , the law which is an anti-thesis of peace and tranquility. or is it the steadfastness of Islam, it's simplicity which has been attempted to weed out all confusions which makes it , although a fundamentalist in one sort, but also a religion of peace in the other.
I felt confused. That was my religion. I am a vedic dharma practitioner. I am ever-assimilating, ever-flowing. I reason, I argue. It is through my flow (that one wave crushes against another wave or the river banks, and thus) I find my dharma, the method to get rid of the muck which I take in with everything that comes to me. I am a dweller on the banks of river Ganga.

passing thought

I was watching this ad on TV, "Atithi devo bhav". What occured to my mind was how the public would be reacting to such moral science ads or talks .
"Atithi ke liye hi sab khulla rakha hai jaise".
" Jaise sirf ussi se humari dukaan chal rahi hai".
"aur woh jo humme do sau saal loot kar gaye hai, mehmaan bann kar aaye them uska kuch nahin".

what not would public think.

Often such moral science teaching produce a negative reaction and lead more in the negativity than how much existed before. We tend to respond negative to positive thoughts.
Intimacy is something, about which although there exist a public knowledge but it still requires some privacy. One can imagin what example i would count in that. (i.e, everyone knows what one does his/her spouse; that's Intimacy. What all one actually does with the doors locked, as in toilet or bedroom is Privacy; and what one hides from others for some kinds of gains or advanctage is Secrecy).
Secrecy is something which is not known to the public, athough it may or may-not be necessary to be a public knowledge.
'Atithi devo bhav' was more of an 'Intimate' public knowledge until some untowards happened. Breach of intimacy through making of this Ad may be leading to negative reactions from the public, perhaps.

Niceties and Nuances

Niceties and Nuances

Ever wondered how the linguistics has a got a relation with a person's growth and development.
Even as i use many a similiar meaning words in the sentance above and as a title for my blog, I think to myself if the subtle difference in their meanings can bring all that difference in the world around myself.
Well, it does.
I recall that tuition class of Mr Ashok Gupta, my maths teacher during the IIT preparatory years, who once wrote down some equation and while elaborating on it's meaning, went on to say the Pride and Confidence have a very fine difference:- that of Hardwork.
What this recall did tell me was that , for both, Pride and for Confidence, there is just one word in Hindi language:- Garv. 'Ghamand' is a latter day corruption of the concept, which, still, fails to explain us, the students, how one is different from another.
Look at the list below and let's see if we know how to differ between the two:-

1. Morality, Ethics and Religion:- Hindi language keeps mostly one word to talk of all three: 'Dharma'
2. Pride, Confidence and Overconfidence:- Garv , in hindi
3. Faith, Belief and Confidence:- Vishwas, in Hindi
4. Growth and Development:- Vikas , in hindi
5. Niceties and Nuances :- Bareeki, in hindi/ Urdu
6. Safety and Security:- Surakhsha , in Hindi
7. Rules and Regulations :- Niyam , in hindi. Often used with Kanoon too, which is Urdu perhaps but definitely not Hindi. In any case, can any one differ out the two??
8. Concept and Understanding:- Samajh, in Hindi/Urdu
9. Brain and Mind:- Buddhi , in Hindi
10. Intimacy and Secrecy : Gaupniya, in Hindi

There are many more. Add to the list if someone remembers something like it.

Model of business around transportation by sea

Business and laws


Business model of Sea Transport



When I look at the above diagram, I tend to wonder how small is the position of every person in the whole circle of business.
The bold yellow highlighter indicates us, the sea farers, and our ship. the red denotes the Cargo, whole purpose of a merchant ship and seafarer's existence.
The Bold Green reversible arrow line indicates 'Trade'.
What's trade? I wonder in a real philosophical sense. The very meaning of existence of human beings. The crunch of our society and all our relations.
Oh ho ho. It's only trade-by-sea that serves the seafarer's purpose, but that doesn't mean that 'only' that all is Trade. Trade in its more diverse forms is everywhere. That is why I say, Trade is in all human exchanges..
And then , as the great Kautilya puts it, in Arthshastra, "There can be no human relation without self-interest." It's trade.
And then look at all those laws that apply to that small entity of this big cris-cross world, the contractual laws, and all that in the list, lower down.
How will that common man, as a sea-farer, live all those laws?? So much of it.
Dharma becomes his only shelter to live life with peace.To live awakened, knowledge-gaining, quiet, and recluse. ...Never know what law may slay him down when.
So much powerless and so much beseiged by compilations of law, we are, we all.
Some of them for our safety only, but still crushing us down with their weight for their good application. That's the irony.
And then I think of Arjun in the battlefield. Dharma and bhagvad make more sense now than before.
To deliver the idealism of Ram in this huge, complex world of business is what is the pragmatism of Krishna, the lesson of Dharma.

why sea stabilisation for collision avoidance

radar beam1

Now some adevrtisement time.!

Digeus Registry Cleaner Application

So, time to try somethings new in life.
this website.
and the new AdSense gadget...


The above link is for an application which offers easy-to-use optimization tools to speed up and improve the stability of your Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP PC.
It includes essential tools to fix Windows security loopholes. Permanently erase your Internet activity, personal files, and free space to keep your information away from prying eyes.

Have fun, friends,
And Happy new year.