An incredible song!

As I stepped into my lab today, as a part of my daily routine; I turned on my radio and started listening to a nice Indian radio channel. I came across this song that I had heard quite some time back but I could not get my hands on to its cover, and I don't know what to say, I am just speechless. Its a beautiful rendition of Kabir's poetry, sung by Abida. All I can say is that you have to listen to it. I am very moved by the simplicity of the song backed up by the powerful voice of Abida. This definitely made my day. The lyrics are kind of tough to get, and I am trying my best to find them on google. I would really appreciate it, if anyone out there could help me with the same.

The ironical NRI!

A string of bombs to wake up the Indian in me,
Only rationality to make him sleep again!

-Sharad Kanwar Raj
July 29th, 2008

Hints of god!

Firstly, I thank you Vandita for sending a very beautiful picture in response to a rather feeble description of something that I saw. Also, I really enjoyed our little 'walk the talk' session.

Yesterday, on board a rickety Greyhound bus, I was fortunate enough to have an empty seat to my right and a nice goggled window to my left for the most part of my butt flattening ride from Rochester. I did what I love doing a lot, observing cloud formations. They may not sparkle quite like how a constellation does on a black canvas, but the perennial formations that they are, traveling with you, they can be much more expressive. I saw a beautiful sight yesterday, and though, I did not have a camera to capture it, thankfully, my mind has the original positive impressed on it. I shall use Vandita's pic to describe what the sight had to say to me. It was one of the most incredible things that I have seen in a few days. Though this pic does not have a Sun in it, yet I have used paint to mark the spatial coordinates of our powerhouse. What was incredible, was that the hole in the clouds quite identical to the one in the pic above, seemed brighter than the Sun itself. This ofcourse is governed by Physics, and has to be attributed to the fact that the Sun was covered in such a way that it could be seen, yet, as apparent as it may seem, it din't feel like the Sun at all, just because the spot to its right was a through hole that seeped in much more light than what was filtered through the gaseous waters. So though shouldering each other, the Sun's distance from Earth was its saving grace. It was indeed a fascinating sight. Nature compelled me to draw an analogy to this. I could not help but think that this would transcend beautifully into what we see and observe in our day to day life. What appears to be the truth might not be the truth after all. On a more personal level, reasons apparent to us can seem so obvious that they in that time frame appear to be the SUN. One other way that I could interpret this scene was that sometimes situations could be so overwhelming that one could fail to see the big picture. To some, this might seem uncomprehensible. To some, obvious. If you are one of them, you are lucky today, for I am just trying to look at the Sun, so enjoy the pic! :D.

Singh is King!

Finally, our parliament did give a nod for the nuclear deal, and am elated that we have embraced it. What's ironical is that 7 MP's from the BJP signed in favor of the present government. Wonder if the BJP would endorse an intra no confidence motion. Wonder if Brijesh Misra had a hand to play in this....His open support for the deal was a no confidence motion in itself for the BJP. Who cares if the MP's were bought, they can't be refrained from taking moolah for murders, riots, and god knows what not. Atleast we shall get the Uranium that we need, and that's simple enough. All the bureaucrats who want to talk jazz using the 3500 words in the GRE words' list, can do so, while we go out there and kick some real butt. As a common man, I don't know much about the intricacies of the deal, but being born in the nuclear fraternity, I know that you give these guys the required inputs, and they will give you power. No wonder, the Nuclear Power Corporation has been registering profits of 300-400%, consistently. Moreover, I love the comment that Mr.Singh gave out in a post parliament session; that Advani saab should consider changing his Jyotish. At this moment, I can't help but reiterate the famous lines; Future would not have forgiven us! (had we not endorsed the deal). Let's hope that the fast breeders accelerate our energy production rate like never before. God bless India!

An ideal rise, characterized by an ideal fall!

A flash spanning a life time,

inspired by a reminiscence of the future.

And seconds go by!

Endeavors; seeking to foresee,

Strains more buoyant than melancholy,

And days go dy!

Forbidded insecurities surface,

Actions take precedence over words.

And weeks go by!

Commotion seeks solace in a unified solitude,

embraces fathom to depths never so profound.

And months go by!

Conglomerated moments conspire,

Contriving a plot that's only unravelled,unspoken.

And years go by!

In illusion- dormant,

But the defiant perception has a tale to narrate.

And before you realize, time goes by!

NO...NO.....NO.....Keep practicing!

I admit it, I suck at saying 'NO!'. It's gone on for such a long time that I can not take it sometimes. Just yesterday, I confided in my adviser of my intention to take a few days off. His reply, " I don't care where you go, what you do, I need that paper!". And there, I knew it. I just turned in a draft a few days back, and infact, am still mending it. Before I could take a breather, I was awarded with another abstract, like a hard pat on my back. I want to publish, but not in this relentless manner. I sometimes just lack the capability to say NO, and I am mad at myself for that.

Perspectives!

It's interesting to ponder over how one would look at something if he/she had no clue about it; an object, a tool, a painting, creatures....just about anything। A funny incident happened with me just today that brought back some good old memories, when I learnt facts the hard way, and in retrospect; was much more fun, because when they did cross into my cognitive neurocells, they stayed there.Like, holding the cone while licking your favorite choco-chip and not the other way around. Also, not messing with the mixer's lid, while its in action, for you most definitely will end up licking the contents off your face( Lassi in my case!) . Just today, I and Ming, who's not only my lab mate but also a very dear friend, here in Amherst, were trying our hands at writing each other's name in Chinese and Hindi, respectively. While I felt that Chinese script was not only beautiful, but also a bit more expressive in terms of its depiction against the white backdrop, wherein the words demanded to be spoken rather than being read, Ming on the other hand had a very funny interpretation of my name. He coded me instead. 2129 is what I could be recognized as on Taiwanese streets, if I ever tried elucidating my name in Hindi.

शरद: 2129.

My awful handwriting can be held responsible for this, but I think its cool! With the state of patience commonly observed amongst people in this Binary world of 1s and 0s, if nothing, this denotation atleast gives us some more preferences. Thanks Ming! I have had people call me Sarad, Shrad, Shraad( this is the worst! :D), Sharaad (to which I ultimately gave in!), but 2129 is something I will remember for a long time to come. So girls, get over 007, 2129 is here to stay!

Proposed and accepted!

I am just too happy to blog today. The feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction are overwhelming. I think its just one of those feelings that can be felt. I don't want to take up the task to try and express what's in my head now, for I do not want to look back later and say "That, was an understatement!". I believe that some words sound best, unspoken. I could put Miss Universe to shame with my thank you speech today, but then, let's not even go there! The best thing I like about today, is that I have no negative feelings for anything or anyone; the hardship I faced, working alone, without a guide for all these months seems to have finally paid off. There's no sun brighter than the one I am basking under. I often searched for a feeling as to why would someone want to do a Master's. I guess I realized atleast some part of it today. As much as I would have loved my mom and dad to be in the room when I proposed, I am sure they can feel this excitement. Have a new zest today, to kick some more butt! To push myself one more time and see how it goes from there. Thank you all for your help, guidance, wishes, support and for just being there, even if just as a part of the universe which I believe does conspire every now and then. God bless!

-Sharad Kanwar Raj

Here I come, to propose!

Sitting down in this serene lab of mine in the basement of our department, I am quite tired, exhausted actually. As my code runs again for the nth time, I can't help but count the hours before my proposal would be over. I haven't had a break since my return from India, and I am so eager to take one right now. I defend on the 8th @ 12pm. So pray for me guys, and wish me good luck. Luckily,so far, work's gone on well, and a good proposal would be the icing on this cake.

4 α 4th?

I wonder with the gas prices hovering around the 4$ mark, would anyone really care if 2nd July was celebrated as the Independence day instead, ofcourse assuming the propotionality to hold constant, implying that you would have to shell out 2$ for a gallon. I would not care, for am neither an American nor a car owner; just another overworked, underpaid, hungover( from last night!) Indian grad student. LOL!

Potty power!

I am in the middle of a very crucial phase of my master's life, and look what I come up with। I have no idea what I was thinking, when I penned these lines down, yesterday! But I am sure, I
had a noble hand over my head when I did so. This goes out to all the parents out there who have, who are or who will deal with this affair. Hat's off to you! I can't help but remember our very rhetorical Hindi teacher, back in class tenth, who often said;
" पीपल पात सरिस मन डोला। "
May be it was just one of those moments! Try not being very literal when you read it, and you might end up enjoying it. For those who think this is shady stuff...hmm....well...ahem...nevermind!




Wake up, smell the potty!
Don't gaze at the clock,
Its not a time you want to see,
The ship's yet to dock,
Too bad.It may be a half past 3.

Wake up, smell the potty!
The dream's over,
time to get out of the rover,
what overtakes is a fragrance,
and god bless, its not of a flower.


Wake up, smell the potty!
A few swirls, even fewer rattles,
met with a louder whimper.
Adolescence, it wants to be pampered,
poor soul, all it bawls is for a fresh bowel.



Wake up, smell the potty!
A fight begins on a 6by6 pavilion.
Use it, your best weapon is oblivion.
For a change, the loser takes it all,
winner gets to sleep!


Wake up, smell the potty!

अलविदा अक्षय!

सबसे पहले तो ब्लॉग करने की ये नई व्यवस्था से मैं बोहोत आनन्दित हुआ हूँ! ऊपर से १० वर्षों के पश्चात् अपनी हिन्दी भाषा का उपयोग फ़िर एक बार कर्ने का ये मौका गवाना नही चाहता। बस अभी थोड़े समय पहले मैं अक्षय को उसके वाहन तक छोड़ कर आया हूँ। अक्षय अपने नए सफर पर निकल चला है जो सिर्फ़ जर्सी पर ही ख़तम नही होगा। अपनी नई नौकरी की आड़ में अब वोह एमहर्स्ट छोड़ चुका है। बस मैं यही बोलना चाहता हूँ की बोहोत अच्छा समय निकला है तेरे साथ यार। मैं याद करूँगा हमारी लम्बी बातें, या शायद मेरी लम्बी बातें। पार्टी (अक्षय) को मिलने से पहले मैं कोई ऐसे लड़के से मिला नही था। साफ़ नज़र आता है की लड़का बिज़नस वातावरण में बड़ा हुआ है। बात में एक ज़ोर, बोल दिया तो बस बोल दिया के प्रकार की एक भावना। पर ये सिर्फ़ मुझे पता है की पार्टी भी रोता है। उस बात के लिए माफ़ करना यार पार्टी, मैं भी थोड़ा आश्चर्यचकित हो गया था, उस दिन। मैं उम्मीद करता हूँ की मेरे घंटों के रियाज़ ने तुझे बोहोत ज़्यादा परेशान नही किया होगा। पार्टी के एमहर्स्ट में काफ़ी पन्गे हुए हैं लोगों से, कॉलेज से, पर जैसा भी है, पार्टी तू अच्छा आदमी हैं, और मैं ये मानता हूँ। अब आगे निकला है तो आगे ही देखना और खुश बन्दों/ बंदियों से ही मिलना, तुझपे उसका बोहोत फरक पड़ता है। लाल मास से दूर रहना और दारू पर काबू रखना, बाकी सब अच्छा होगा। इंशा-अल्लाह !आज घर जाने में बुरा लग रहा है, क्यूंकि पता है की तू उस सोफे पर नही बैठा होगा। ये भी पता है की आज कोई वर्क परमिट को लेकर नही रो रहा होगा। साथ में १०१ बारी 'जब वी मेट' भी देखने वाला नही होगा। पर जिंदगी की सबसे अच्छी और बुरी बात है की लोग आगे बढ़ जाते हैं। तो यही सोच कर मैं भी खुश हो रहा हूँ। नई शुरुआत के लिए शुभकामनाएं। ................................शरद।