<INSERT NEW SUBJECT HERE>
Bala Subramanian
Lets start off another online discussion of some random topic. I can't
think of anything but I have provided a placeholder in the subject for
one of you creative guys to start us off on a new topic....Nirmal,
Ganesh and I met up about a month back at Saravana Bhavan in the bay
area. Nirmal was visiting from NJ.
thanks
Bala
John Nirmal
"Is life comfortable in the US or in INDIA"
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Yes. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again. Yes! There will be growth in the spring!
- Chauncey Gardiner
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Kapali Viswanathan
I thought that Bala had asked for a "random discussion!" ;-)
Tricky question, which may only have multiple subjective answers! Depending on the definition of comfort, you can argue both ways!
I made the transition back to India from Australia in 2003. Based on this experience, I have the following outlook on the topic.
India:
Advantages:
1. Close to one's roots and culture
2. An element of social freedom stemming from a concept of unity as opposed to uniformity
3. A real sense of freedom
4.Close to parents, who are happy being themselves and at home, and relatives (Chances that one would be present when needed is much higher)
Advantages in disguise:
1. Total lack of any system makes everything from getting a gas connection to a birth certificate rather unpleasant
2. The education system is so competitive that one wonders if this is the best that we can give to our children. We may need an entirely different outlook.
3. Not as professional work environment (Indian industry is still labour and skills oriented while the US is innovation and creation oriented.)
Australia:
Advantages:
1. One can concentrate purely on what one would wish to do (Chance("have to do" = "wish to do") = HIGH)
2. Developed nation and stable economy with less poverty around
3. Fantastic infrastructure and a helpful government
4. Very friendly people
Advantages in disguise:
1. Need to fit in because system orientation of society means uniformity -- you go to fit in and "be assimilated" (I feel that this is true in the US also).
2. New culture and potential contradictions between new values and the old values one was brought up with while in India
3. Minor identity issues -- What am I really?
At the end of the day, I believe that opportunities exist even in Afganisthan. It is only a matter of personal preference and choice. But, what was helpful for me was that I took a stance and a decision and endured it. I am starting to believe that every decision is a correct decision as long as their is personal ownership and responsibility. The thought, "Did I make the correct decision?" does cross the mind from time to time -- but its frequency decreases when I choose to focus on what my personal vision -- "To do globally acclaimable (but need not be acclaimed) works in India." It is possible to do globally acclaimable work in US, Australia, and India -- it is more difficult in India, though, for many socio-economic and technological reasons.
Hope that the above words are of some use.
Cheers,
Kapali
Dr.A.V.Ravishankar
Following the Mumbai terror attacks, recent studies commissioned by US Department of Defense included one on a possible nuclear war between India and Pakistan. This was their scenario................. The Pakistan army decides to launch a nuke-missile towards India. They don't need any permission from their government, and promptly order the countdowns. Indian technology is highly advanced. In less than 8 seconds, Indian army detects the Pak countdown and decides to launch a missile in retribution. But they need permission from the Government of India. They submit their request to the Indian President. The President forwards it to the Cabinet.The Prime Minister calls an emergency Lok Sabha session. The LS meets! after three days, but due to several walkouts and severe protests by the opposition, it gets adjourned indefinitely. The President asks for a quick decision. In the mean time, the Pak missile failed to take off due to unknown reasons. Their attempts for a relaunch are still on. Just then the Indian ruling party is reduced to a minority because a party that was giving outside support withdraws it. The President asks the PM to prove his majority within a week. As the ruling party fails to win the confidence vote, a caretaker government is installed. The caretaker PM decides to permit the armed forces to launch a nuclear missile. But the Election Commission says that a caretaker government cannot take such a decision because elections are at hand. A Public interest Litigation is filed in the Supreme Court alleging misuse of power by the Election Commission. The Supreme Court comes to the rescue of the PM, and says the acting PM is authorized to take this decision in view of the emergency facing the nation. Just then one of the Pak missiles successfully took off, but it fell 367 miles away from the target, on a government building at 11.00AM. Fortunately there were no casualties as no employee had reached the office that early. In any case, the nuclear core of the missile had detached somewhere in flight. The Pakistan army is now trying to get better technologies from China and USA. The Indian Government, taking no chances, decides to launch a nuclear missile of its own, after convening an all-party meeting. This time all the parties agree. Its three months since the army had sought permission. But as preparations begin,"pro-humanity", "anti-nuclear" activists come out against the Government's decision. Human chains are formed and Rasta rokos organised. In California and Washington endless e-mails are sent to Indians condemning the government and mentioning "Please forward it to as many Indians as possible". On the Pakistan side, the missiles kept malfunctioning. Some missiles deviate from target due to technical failures or high-speed wind blowing over Rajasthan. These missiles are neutralized by Pakistan itself, as the missiles are moving backwards towards Karachi. A missile (smuggled from USA) is pressed into service. Since the Pakistan army is unable to understand its software, it hits it original destination: Russia.  Russians successfully intercept the missile and in retaliation launch a nuclear missile towards Islamabad. The missile hits the target and creates havoc. Pakistan cries for help. India expresses deep regrets for what has happened and sends in a million dollars worth of Britannia biscuits. Thus India never gets to launch the missile. Pakistan never gets it right. And India lives happily ever after. |
Dr.A.V.Ravishankar
Guys, guys, guys,,,, That was too heavy a topic... so I jus decided to post something that would bring a smile. Following the Mumbai terror attacks and the world's focus on Pakistan....I thought that all of you should read this great mail that was forwarded to me...so here it is again,,, |
Gopi Margabanthu
Did you go to St.Bede's ...and do you belong to the 1991 batch?
And, wow, did you come up with all this in the last 3 hours?
Gopi Margabanthu | 314-496-0298 | go...@mgopi.com
Dr.A.V.Ravishankar
Paki Jokes
How do you stop a Pakistani tank ?
How do you disable Pakistani missiles ?
Have you ever seen Pakistani war heroes ?
Did you hear about the other latest Pakistani
invention ?
How do you sink a Pakistani battleship?
Did you hear about the 747 jet which Crashed into
a cemetery in Karachi ?
Did you hear about the Pakistani admiral who had
asked to be buried at sea?
Did you hear about the shutdown of the Karachi
National Library ?
You're locked in a room with Saddam Hussein, Adolf
Hitler, and a Pakistani. You have a gun with ONLY two bullets.What do you
do?
What's brown and black and looks great on a
Pakistani?
How can you tell when a Pakistani is lying?
What do you have when a Pakistani is buried up
to his neck in sand?
Did you Hear about the terrorist that hijacked
a 747 full of Pakistanis?
***
A small plane is flying with an american pilot
and has three passengers - Atal Bihari, a Paki and a schoolboy with his backpack.
*** In order to develop friendly relationship between the two countries, Vajpayee and Parwez Musharraf decided to visit each other`s country regularly. The first visit was by Vajpayee to Pakistan. Musharraf showed him Pakistan`s modern Tele-communication system. It was so good that Vajpayee made a call to an old friend in hell and talked to him for 5 minutes! The bill for the call came to only 5 Rupees. When Vajpayee returned, he too wanted India`s Tele-communication systems to be at their best when Musharraf visited India. Suitable arrangements were made for the same. Musharraf came to India, visited the telecom department and then spoke with an old friend in hell for 5 minutes. However, this time, the bill was 500 Rupees! Musharraf asked with a sarcastic smile, "Why are telephone calls to hell so costly in India?" A High level diplomat gave a cool reply, "From Pakistan to hell, it is a local call, Sir, while from India it is long distance!" *** So once three scientists american, japanese, and pakistani are discussing their nation's scientific capability, and the american says, "In our country there was this boy who lost his legs in an accident, and we put artificial ones, and today u know hes an olympic gold medalist!" so the japnese laughs and says, "This is nothing.in our nation there was this boy who lost his hands and legs in accident and we put artifical ones, and today u know, hes karate champion!" so the paki laughs and says, "These are nothing, in our nation there was this boy who had no brains, and so we put a coconut in his head, and today u know......hes the 'Military rule of pakistan!" *** There's an Indian cricket fan, a Pakistani cricket fan and a beautiful woman sitting next to each other on a train. The train goes through a tunnel and everything gets dark. Suddenly there is a kissing sound and then a slap!! The train comes out of the tunnel. The woman and the Indian fan are sitting there looking perplexed. The Pakistani fan is bent over holding his which is red from an apparent slap. The Pakistani fan is thinking "Oh God, that Indian must have tried to kiss this lady, she though it was me and slapped me." The lady is thinking, " That Pakistani fan must have moved to kiss me and kissed the Indian fan instead and got slapped." The Indian fan was thinking to himself...."If the train goes through another tunnel, I could make another kissing sound and slap that Pakistani again." ***
Scene: trench warfare on Pakistan border, Sikh
regiment on one side, suddenly Kartar Singh gets a bright idea, shouts! "Oye
Abdul!" Guy pops up from other trench "Kya hai be" BANG shot dead! *** Three women - a Hindu from India, a Pakistani and an Afghani (obviously Muslims)- all gave birth to seven-pound baby boys at the same time. The nurses got the babies mixed up somehow and couldn't tell which baby belonged to which mother. After an hour of mass confusion the father of the Hindu baby decided he'd settle the problem. He walked into the nursery and lined up the three infants in a row, and raised the war cry "Har har Mahadev." The Hindu baby snapped to attention, the Pakistani baby @#%$ , and the Afghani baby played in it. *** A white man walks into a pub in Oldham, totally shattered, screaming “All Muslims are sh*theads". A man sitting in the corner shouts, “I take serious offense to that ! It's a bl**dy lie !” The white guy asks, “Why? Are you a Muslim?” He replies proudly, “No. I'm a sh*thead.” *** - |
Kapali Viswanathan
From: Gopi Margabanthu <gmarga...@gmail.com>
To: stbed...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Thursday, 18 December, 2008 23:12:51
Subject: Re: Is life comfrotable in the US or in INDIA
Dr.A.V.Ravishankar
A Pakistani US citizen goes to the doctor because he just simply doesn't feel good. He's tired, his stomach is upset, & he has a headache. Just feels terrible. The doctor checks him over and can't find any medical reason for him to feel the way he does. He offers a Naturotherepy approach that he has seen work before. The Pakistani man is stunned, though, that the treatment means he has to go home, ++++ and piss into a bucket and leave it in his basement for a week. Trust me," the doctor says, "I have seen this work." The man goes home and follows through on the instructions. Within a day, though his house smells terrible and by the end of the week, it is an overwhelming stench. His eyes water every time he walks in the door, but he feels no better. He calls to yell at the doctor who calmly says," Go down and take three big deep breaths directly from the bucket and you will be cured." "You're crazy!" comes the reply. "Trust me." says the doctor. Down he goes into the basement and he takes the first breath. Gagging and choking, he does it again. Then, on the third breath, he feels the headache leave. His stomach settles and he feels amazingly well. The stench is even tolerable. He calls the doctor to tell him the good news. "I told you I've seen this work with people from Pakistan before," says the doctor. "YOU WERE JUST HOMESICK"!!! Vajpayee and Musharraf meet up in Islamabad for talks on nuclear arms. When Vajpayee sits down he notices Musharraf 's chair has three buttons on the armrest. They begin talking but after 5 minutes Musharraf presses a button and a boxing gloves pops out of Vajpayee chair and bashes him on his face. Vajpayee, barely believing it, carries on talking but after another few minutes Musharraf presses a second button and out comes a large boot and kicks him in the butt. Vajpayee is kicked off but still remains ++++++dly calm. They resume the talk, but after 5 minutes Musharraf presses the final button, and from under the table another boxing glove hits Vajpayee. The Indian PM is really fed up by it now and stands up to leave. "We'll continue this talk Next week in the New Delhi" says the Prime Minister. Musharraf, choking from laughing, is too proud to say no. So the appointment stands. A week later Vajpayee receives Musharraf in the Prime Minister's Office. As Musharraf sits down, he sees three buttons in the arm-rest of Vajpayees chair. As the 20 min meeting goes on, Musharraf sees Vajpayee press the first button, and ducks really fast, but nothing seems to happen. This doesn't stop Vajpayee from laughing...really loudly. After this, Indian PM continues where he left off, until he presses another button. Musharraf reacts really quickly, and jumps up. Absolutely nothing happens, and this time Vajpayee falls out of his chair laughing. Musharraf doesn 't get it - what the hell is happening here? But he hasn't been harmed yet, so he sits down again to talk further. After A few minutes Indian PM presses the final button. This time, Musharraf stays sitting, but Vajpayee isn't, he's rolling on the floor, doubled up from laughing. Musharraf is really annoyed by now, so he stands up from his chair and shouts: "I've had enough of this, I'm going back to Pakistan " Vajpayee: (Through tears of laughter from the floor) - " PAKISTAN?? WHAT PAKISTAN??? DO YOU THINK IT'S STILL THERE??" |
Gopi Margabanthu
Its nice to see that you thought about it and eventually made a decision.
Gopi Margabanthu | 314-496-0298 | go...@mgopi.com
John Nirmal
Gopi Margabanthu
John Nirmal
Pick an all-time indian test and oneday cricket team....
Nirmal
----- Original Message ----
From: Bala Subramanian <bsub...@yahoo.com>
To: stbed...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 5:28:05 PM
Subject: <INSERT NEW SUBJECT HERE>