Sunday, October 9, 2011

Steve Jobs inspires : A life not so perfect yet so much perfect



Steve jobs an inspiration at last but unknown to me in his lifetime.
Apple a brand, an organization and one of the world's most successful company was never part of my attention nor its gadgets were. It designed unique and iconic products like macbook, iPod and iPad. I always knew Apple stands for simple and smart designs with build quality and cutting edge technology unmatched and it has a very special place in hearts and minds of  quality conscious people who don't mind paying premium for products so stylish.
I never owned any apple gadget nor I thought much about owning one except iPad2 which I bought only to see what is it all about and after 6 months use I was frustrated by limitations of software and hardware and rejected forever.
Today I was reading about Steve Jobs who headed Apple and made what apple is today. I was very impressed and delighted while knowing Job's thinking about life and business and his life certainly teaches us most about life in today's odd world where every idea seems so blurred and where innovation and visions are limited to formal education and expensive degrees. Job's is much about hunger for knowledge within and his courage of being experimental and following his own heart makes him an icon that many of top business leaders or inventors lack.

I will copy here a link of his commencement address at Stanford university in 2005 which I want to read again years after when I forget my own self and correct myself to follow my own heart and live my own life in a way I want it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/09/steve-jobs-stanford-commencement-address?newsfeed=true

His death due to cancer on 5 October 2011 is a loss of a genius and creative mind but his ideas, his inventions and technology spell will keep him alive in those hearts too who don't own an Apple product like me. I feel great, at least I got to know about his life after his death.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Anna Hazaare : Vanguard of the movement


Anna Hazzare becomes the Vanguard of the movement and a phenomena that swept the nation irrespective of classes of society, gender, regions or religion. A modern day movement that made India so much like India of Gandhi where people followed non-violence so efficiently which is impossible in any modern day revolutions. A simple man becomes a modern day Gandhi in his quest for achievement of Lokpal bill against corruption.

Initially I was not much sure about the whole idea of Lokpal bill and Anna's agitation success. Today I felt like I cannot ignore watching him or writing him after watching his hunger strike for last 12 days and no incident of violence and how he made the central government so much nervous. He was calm when the most powerful people in the Parliament kept losing their temper and used not so desirable words against that single man who stood for the Nation in his 70's for no reason for himself.

Amir Khan's visit to Anna at Ramlila ground in New Delhi was great as reel hero needs to be a real hero too. Government was in big confusion of saying yes then no and later again yes to Lokpal bill's various important points. A man from Maharashtra, whom I never knew before few months was making whole India walk with him and it's no exaggeration when I and many felt like Gandhi is back in times of crisis again to free India from corruption and wake up the entire nation from long hibernation after India's Independence.
In the evening finally that historic moment comes when Government agrees on the Bill and Anna declares to end his agitation on Sunday morning. Its great and amazing feeling to see people on television celebrating like Eid and Diwali. Anna and the crowd with National anthem and a Jai Hind. Certainly a very patriotic feeling which made me and every Indian so emotional and inside I too felt a sense of victory. Bill will be discussed and debated and will take shape though future is hidden with uncertainties but such movements rarely happen in times like ours and people who were part of it there around Anna will cherish the moment and be proud for years as they are part of that historic proud moment. I wish, I was there...

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Wealth Giant & Gigantic Charity




Bill Gates India visit and that too to my city Patna and places very close to my own house made me look at his total personality in a real serious way. His larger than life image of being world's richest on Forbes for many years and his giant charity moves across the globe I heard and read many times but it never stayed with my thinking mind for long time and faded like every fairy tale fades after sometime maybe it was because I couldn't connect to what bigwigs of the world do as it never happened around me and my kind of people so emotional connect never happened. Bill Gates Bihar visit and his presence in state made me think about him and seeing that man giving hope to the most deprived people in remote areas inspired me and I hope to do something like him someday in my own small way.

His mantra of success and interview in the local newspaper I read two times and his view on sharing wealth for the betterment of the most poor people and leaving behind only least of his total wealth for his children astonishes me as it's so opposite to what human nature is. I mean I know that world will always do opposite of what he thinks - doing charity with least and keeping most to themselves. He represents the kind of people who are are truly wealth giants with gigantic heart and courage with gigantic success in their life yet greed of holding back all fades so easily inside their hearts.... Their existence is not a fairy tale or a legend but truly legendary living forms hitting our minds to understand what we really never want to....

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Cricket World Cup 2011 and INDIA on top of the world

After long 28 years when Kapil Dev won the World Cup, Its now, today on 2nd April 2011, the history repeats with M.S. Dhoni's team getting the cup and making India proud and Indians flying above the seventh sky. I myself not a cricket fan and I never watch cricket. Today I watched only India's batting in the finals against Sri Lanka and when India won it was a very emotional moment for all the tough guys on the field who got tears and it got emotional for whole nation and me too. I was impressed by Gautam Gambhir and later Dhoni because they kept at ease while too much of pressure got around after Sehwag and Sachin were out and last hours of the game was very tensed but Dhoni's coolness and his signature shots took the game to another level of being absolute perfect. I don't know how me, a non cricketer here writing a blog on Cricket World Cup but may be its that proud Indian feeling and feel of collective victory that every Indian shares inside their hearts whenever India shines in any field. Now I understand why streets and roads go empty and people leave all their work to watch cricket and specially when its India playing. From today I have a view change on the game. Today's match would be a memorable one for me like every Indian for long long time.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Japan tsunami : A Pandemonium

A massive and destructive Tsunami with magnitude of 8.9 earthquake on march 11, 2011 has shook the world that nature can be so merciless and unforgiving. Almost more than 10000 people dead or missing and destruction of infrastructures and assets worth +100 billion US$ will be another big challenge for Japan. World's third biggest economic power may find it difficult to hold this position for long after recently being pushed from 2nd position by China. Nuclear Reactors leakages and recent blast in Fukushima Reactor has added to the woes and radiations pose another grave danger. All this has made countries like Russia and others with lot of Reactors to rethink safety measures in such extreme kind of natural disasters. To me visuals on TV screen looked like I was watching some upcoming sequel of films like 2012. It was hard for me to believe that it was real until I kept myself glued to the TV for continuous updates. After Tsunami, it's now radiations from nuclear reactors that's worrying the world about Japan's future generations. Disaster on such a large scale after world war II has made future so bleak. Mass evacuations around damaged reactors and fear of radiations from another damaged reactor is making all the recovery more difficult. Radiations will surely have long term damage to the soil, living things and environment around for years. I hope Japanese resurrect themselves with more strength and far better, safer future.

This tragedy speaks of many things that developed nations need to understand. Relying, experimenting and extending alternate sources of energy for their power needs is actually a venture of dangerous kind without understanding impact of its accidental failures in both forms -nature and human initiated . The future is always uncertain and hidden but predictions of dangers on the nature of venture is a must and it was seen in Australia where anti-nuclear demonstrators made noise and then I realised that there are people who actually understand the dangers of such power sources. Its just like living in areas where hydrogen and atom bombs are planted in the form of reactors...Every country is making a statement that their reactors are safe...but how much? They must not forget that Japan is one of the most technologically and scientifically advanced country in the world. If the best can fail, surely others have no chance and no one knows about largeness of natural disasters coming. Our hunger for more advanced future actually adds to our woes which is unseen with the eyes and mind that enjoys technology so much. In 1945, it was US atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that made life a death for millions for years to come and till today. Fukushima radiations and three nuclear reactor explosions in 2011 is the biggest tragedy after World War II in Japan so who takes the responsibility of this explosion? must be our hunger for more advancements. Radiations are reaching as far as Tokyo and people have been told to stay indoors. People are scared and nervous about the coming days. Radiations reaching as far as Vladivostok in Russia and rest of the countries in the radius are alarmed. Mass evacuations, cancer, internal organ disorders, hair loss, skin diseases and genetic disorders for generations to come. Ordinary people always lose so much and people in power keep giving statements and statements to cover their failures and justify routes of dangerous scientific methods. always same everywhere.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Muslim world upheaval: Road to bloody revolutions

Headlines and news flashing across all forms of media all over the world announcing arrival of democracy and freedom in the lands of dictatorial "kings" in the Muslim world. Their reign as long as 40 years and that too with cruelty, corruption and severe human rights violations sounds as fearful and disturbing as people would have suffered for years. I myself thought so much on all this because even in my dreams I never had any idea of volcanic situations in the countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and other countries close to them. World knows prominently about Iraq and its long internal disturbances. Saddam Hussein and George Bush, then US president made all the news and added to the dilemma of Iraqis with brutality of US soldiers which was proven by disturbing images and videos in international media and Internet. I feel blessed being safe and its scary when I imagine innocents and civilians trapped in the middle of such upheaval that's filled with blood, brutality and extinction of clans of many.

On Jan 24, 2011, Tunisia - Thousands rallied and protested against President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis. He ruled with callousness for last 23 years making the country suffer with unemployment and corruption of highest rating. he fled the country due to high civil unrest on Jan 14 2011 and his wife carried 1.5 tons of gold. He accumulated wealth and assets and that's obvious in such situations of dictatorship. Next comes Egypt, land of pyramids and my dreams, I took strong notice of happenings in Egypt compared to other countries because its a place that I dreamt of visiting and understand the mystical Pharaohs and pyramids. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ruled the country for 30 years and same issues of corruption, wealth accumulation made way for the uprising that made the clash in Cairo a dangerous one on Feb2, 2011.

Libyan uprising began on 15 Feb, 2011 inspired by whatever happened in Egypt and Tunisia but to me it was Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule and his Bedouin(nomadic tribe of Arabs)roots so interesting. Gaddafi travels with a tent. He went to Paris in 2007 and pitched his tent in a garden of the Elysee Palace, which is the presidential residence. In Rome of 2008 he pitched it in Villa Doria Pamphili park. he doesn't travel often because he meets with much criticism for his Bedouin ways and about 40 unmarried women security guards. His cruelty surpasses many with his attacks on Libyan protesters with fighter jets,tanks and artillery.
His gigantic accumulation of wealth in many countries and erratic ways had landed the country in a civil war like situation which may go on for long. Its world Powers and United Nations that needs to act and not criticize because it should not become another Iraq which still after years couldn't be in the state of equilibrium.
March 8, 2011-Gaddafi warns NATO if it enters Libya with threats of death of millions and Obama declares invasion to remove Gaddafi. Libya seems to be entangled in a long and uncertain civil war with millions already fled the country and others on the verge of fleeing. Its something that world is looking at in helplessness because war and invasions in its every form always bring sufferings and death to innocent civilians who are children and women.
Yemen tension is making month of March more bloody with killings of 52 people by President's gunmen and creating further chaos and disturbance for Middle East. Syria tension adds more to the woes and all this looks like chain reaction of protests and violence which seems unending.

I pray to god that such crisis end sooner because it will destroy millions of lives in the game of power and money. I know I will never understand war because what we fight for, we never carry it to another world.. a futile effort of being god and supreme on an individual level or country level is like magic that never exists.

Truly long struggles that even modern world and global approach couldn't help and it makes me believe as if we are in the times of ancient barbaric cruelty and archaic power preservation's.
We all criticized so much all this but we forget that modern days nuclear weapons of mass destruction, their accumulation and major powers of world (China,US, France, Russia & many others) in their unending efforts to dominate (China trying to push US out of Asia and making allies with South America to corner United States) each other will pave way for the destruction of mankind on a scale that will wipe off entire human race along with all other life forms in a bipolar world of superpowers. Muslim world crisis is only a trailer and beginning of what future holds.....may be violence of extreme kind that's yet to come.............

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Social Networking Sites = Graveyards

I remember how I felt when every time my eyes looked at the number of people on friends list of almost everyone on sites of networking in last two years. Many had friends as many as 800 or more as if they added every invitation sent or whom so ever they came across. Gone are the days when people had 8 or 10 good friends in real life and managed very well each of the relationship in a quality way.

 I know few people in real who even never sent any hello to people on their friend list for last 2 years or since they had initial "hi" "hello" while adding each other. In reality most of the people on these lists are kind of dead contacts which lay there as if in grave because they have no more life left. life here means that charm, that fun, that talking each day or may be at least once in a month or bi-monthly but that essence of friendship or knowing people has become dead and so boring. Here too many numbers on surface shows one's empty strength of handling social networking without understanding that this leads to nowhere. Its an illusion that all carry in the world of networking because many do that, my friends, your friends so let me do that too or else I will be left behind in this modern revolution of technological sophistication.

For few may be it's necessary and genuine when people from same big organization needs to be connected for interactions and communications but for many it becomes a trend of following few and then starts that chain reaction of "keep on adding people". I mostly reject people when they add me because I can't fool myself adjusting and congesting myself with a person who is already over-loaded. Either I know them personally or they add me if they can really understand me as a friend for long and very important I don't want to get lost in that ever growing crowd of friends where one who added me will not even recognise after few weeks or may be months.

 World truly may have become a global village but I find no emotions or not even that genuine aspect of relationship which existed in real world before. Its a race and we are running blindly without understanding or questioning our own acts and behaviours online. Once my cousin told me that he adds people on and on and with many he never had any conversation. In the same way I questioned few known people and they had same answers.

Internet in reality can still be the best option to make friends or understand cultures across the globe but by only making few friends and trying to understand them first and giving time to such networking can really give back each some quality understanding of cultures or people and strong bonds which may not be that virtual as it seems to be. We have best of technology and talent but to turn the tables we need more, that we have to think.................