Ro thinks. Golu Rolls. And I wonder in awe that i mugged with them.

The Battle For Middle Earth

2006-04-19T23:58:00.000-07:00

Hey all - well whoever's reading this
Am back after a - well sabbatical size hiatus! Somethings just popped up in my head about the ongoing "global crisis" involving Iran!

This actually hit me because of this book written by Samuel P. Huntington - The Clash Of The Civilizations And The Remaking Of The World Order. A very interesting book and a good read for all politics enthusiasts. He mentions that while most civilzations have a center of power that people. nations of that civilization and religion look upto, Islam never really had one - not after the Persians fell. There was always this tussle between Turkey (descedants of the might Ottoman empire), Iraq (mesopotamian - far too old but it has the oil), Iran (Persian empire), Saudi Arabia (not an empire but its the oil) and Pakistan. Because of this indecisiveness, the upholder of the civilization would inevitably look west to buy power. Iraq, I would say achieved the highest of them all. Pakistan, after going nuclear, would become a likely leader but it being at the periphery of the Muslim world(geographically) the influence is quite reduced. Thus, the one nation, after Iraq's fall in 1990, which can call itself to be a leader and thus, claim stake to being the upholder of the faith is Iran.

Some other geo-politic facts we need to understand is that US was successful in breaking up Russia. Russia was crippled - and more than that, humiliated. A power which sent shivers down evey american was brought to its knees. Sometime soon they had to avenge it and Putin - its just my liking/respect for that guy that I say so - has just that plan. Russia is getting back to business - it features in the top 10 economies and building fast, has some of the largest oil and uranium reserves and a military might that no one can challenge. The recent spate of the West (read US and blah) trying to introduce 'democracy' in the peripheral Soviet states - starting with Yugoslavia in '90, to Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyztan (not much info on this). But these states are too far for the West to have significant control on them and it was pretty much inevitable with time, that Russia would be the country to look up to. So it did happen, Russia agreed to provide security cover to its old allies from the Soviet age.
I wouldn't really care to speak of China here - they are quite a ruthless bunch and the way they are headed, there is absolutely no way they can be kept out of any geo-political equation. Also, Russia China have started talking sweet to each other, we'll probably be seeing more of them together if the future.

Long one that. What's happening with Iran? As I mentioned in my previous post, US cannot afford to attack Iran - it would be way too costly. While Iran wouldn't be able to touch the US directly, it can
- shoot its way into Israel - prompting synch attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah and others
- throw some missiles Europe's way
- hit the soldiers at Western bases in Iraq
- hit oil supplies which are all shipped through strait of Hormuz
This is what Iran could do. In effect, an attack could bring out major turmoil in the middle east which the US is already seen losing it's grip on. Furthermore, these consequences being so evident, none of the Europan states are ready for confrontation because, as mentioned above, it could bring them into the firing line. More importantly, the american economy cannot sustain another war (or battle whatever you may call it). It would straddle the resources too far out and for other reasons which I do not entirely comprehend due to their complexity.
The only option open to them is move for economic sanctions, which will be thwarted to a large extent by Russia and China.

Now, all this may sound very cliched and somewhat like harping over the same thing. But my idea was not to educate you on the Iran issue, but something that Samuel had mentioned in his book. The remaking of the world order is underway, and I feel this confrontation with Iran as the focus is going to be the turning point for the move in power from the West to the East.
Some more signals to this:
-Acknowledgement of Palestine by Russia. They always received aid from the West, but now its Iran and Russia.
-Winning back of Ukraine, Georgia and other peripheral states of strategic(honour) importance from the influences of western Europe.

As always, the Middle East will remain a dependent cranky child - but with a new mother.

disclaimer: I am not a political analyst. It is just my hobby to keep hooked up on global happenings. Most of the information provided above is factual and is not a propaganda against/for anyone!

Global 'Iran'y

2006-01-22T23:30:00.000-08:00

I guess everyone would be aware of the situation brewing up in the Middle East around the Iran nuclear research or weapon proliferation as the West may seek to call it. Where does this lead to and can Iran be stopped?

I am not a political analyst but I still like to have my theories. So here is the scene:
US, UK, France and Germany – let’s just call them the West – want Iran to stop its attempts at acquiring nuclear capacity, which it started somewhere around 1992.
No one else is saying a word, either because they are not concerned, or they have no say.

Yet it is very difficult to impose sanctions on Iran. Quite a quandary, ain’t it?

Well, our UNSC comprises US, UK, France, Russia and China as the only members with veto power.
While the 3 western nations try to push forward their deal of sanctions, there is simply no way that Russia and China can let this through.

Why? Because China was first in talks with Iraq for approximately a $50+ bn deal for oil supply but the invasion screwed up everything and China entered into a deal with Iran - $70 bn. Couple of more deals for gas supply are in the pipeline. There is no way China can let anyone screw around with Iran while its economy depends on it and Iran being the 4th largest oil and gas producer cannot be easily replaced in the world oil/gas order.

How does Russia figure? Well the stalwart of Russian economy is the defense industry which has more than $10bn worth of deals with Iran.

This is probably a more insignificant reason as compared to the global order and US presence in Asia. The US already has presence in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Turkey. With the pressure building on Syria and age old mistrust among Middle East nations, there is negligible resistance to US presence in the region. The significance of Iran, for Russia and China, goes up here.

There is another important fact which many may not be aware of. The muslim population is divided into two main factions – Sunnis and Shias – and the only two countries comprising 90%+ of the Shia population are Iran and Iraq. While Shias make up for 60% of Iraq’s population, they total to 95% in Iran – which also host their spiritual leaders; a source of spiritual and religious inspiration for Shias. The only reason the US is present in Iraq is the fact that the Shias are not revolting. This can be attributed to Iran to quite an extent – even though there exists an ingrained dislike for US, within Iranians. Who wouldn’t want to gain control of oil in today’s world? Any misadventure in Iran can, thus, cause the situation in Iraq to only worsen and spiral out with a collective resistance against the Americans.

Frankly speaking as much as I would like Iran to achieve nuclear capability for the simple reason of it being the right of any sovereign nation, I would vote against it every time it came up until India was absolutely independent of Iran. While we have shared good diplomatic relations with them over the years, it will work against India, considerably undermining the negotiating capacity of the Indian side for the simple reason that India was “probably” not the country that helped Iran build her nuclear facilities.

Coffee anyone?

2005-12-19T10:31:00.000-08:00

So there is this group of people I wanted to talk about:

Tara - Associate, Dheeraj - Associate, Karthik - Sr. Associate, Sidney - Sr. Associate, Pavankumar - Manager, Rohit - CTO in company ABCZ Corp.

9:30 a.m.
Pavan - Rohit: These guys are freaking crazy... they have absolutely no sense of when to ask what?

9:45 a.m.
Karthik - Sidney: "Shit man, this pavan chap is such a moron, I have no idea how they expect us to finish off this phase in the given time. He doesnt know the slightest of things - all he can do is fight those sevice providers and irritate us with his calls."

10:30 a.m.
Karthik - Pavan: I don't know what they expect us to do? It was good you asked them to hold back on that.
oh yes.. I will be taking leave for a couple of days ...

1:45 p.m.
Tara - Pavankumar: "I think we have put in quite a nice effort. If you hadn't pushed back on that last thing we wouldn't have been done with this. uhh .. Do you think I deserve a promotion?"

3:30 p.m.
Tara - Dheeraj : "I don't know whats happened to pavankumar - he used to be such nice person and now he is always standing behind me checking on what I do and keeps asking the status every half an hour. Ask him what he does the entire day, and he'll be only rambling on about his investments - doesn't know anything about where the project's headed and will turn to us when they shoot a question! and that Karthik chap sounds so frustrating - I don't like the way he keeps asking around for help on getting his tasks done - especially at that level. Because of these guys I won't be able to get any good opportunities. They don't like me it seems!"

4:30 p.m.
Tara - Sidney : "I don't like the way they treat your track and your team. I simply do not understand why they did not think of all this when they were estimating. uhh would you fill my promotion feedback"

5:30 p.m.
Rohit - Pavankumar: "I have some feedback on you"

.......

Well, it so happens that I reach my office much more regularly than my classes - though I remember attending atleast 70-80% of those. Anyhow, that is besides the point here. What I really wanted to talk about here, was the corporate chatter that I have witnessed around me and the subtle signs they send across.
The best I found as yet - "Hey ... you wanna go get some coffee?"

Every other person asks you this question but the intention is the interesting part!!
I would say it hasn't been captured in it's fullest here due to the 'space-time' incoherence (:P) here - but nonetheless it is hilarious.

Disclaimer: I have no idea if any character or entity, except the coffee, actualy exists so if you want to sue - i'd rather you sue my trouser button
(jeeeeezz I need sleep!)

Riff Raff!

2005-11-03T03:13:00.000-08:00

Well so theres a bout of music related mentions everywhere. Picking up from where some left. The funky bassist finally relates to the lyrics. The wannabe drummer agrees he's .. well a wannabe!
The lyrics definitely set up a lot in the song - you can'texpect oooh baby i love you on a pantera riff! Of course there's a way to do this too. But we better leave it to Pantera. I have been kind of hooked on to pretty heavy stuff for sometime now and have taken liking to quite a many of them. The most prominent being Tool. For any heavy headbanger, who has skipped this band by whatever chance - pick it up. These guys have this very uncanny aptitude to add a very black mystic feeling to the song. You need to just close your eyes and its float and fade to black after that!
Every aspect of a song is so amazing - lyrics, vocals, instruments. It seems all four of these morons were into heavy artistic stuff before getting into Tool - of course they were musicians before that. But the drummer performing some Masonic rituals and adding the idea of geometric shapes (read squares) to his drumkits; the guitarist having a diploma in videomaking and otherwise interested in occult art, the vocalist (Maynard - I don't remember all names yeah :P) being a student of architecture of temples. Well the bassist was definitely a normal chap in that he used to run away from school to read comics. I guess thats what keeps balance.:)
But anyhow, you can get this stuff through google. It's the music that really has enthralled me and it's on - my lappy or ipod, whenever i get a chance.
A recent venture by Maynard and the guitarist - an experimental band : A Perfect Circle. Well, this is another recommend.
Some other bands I got hooked on to, recently - Chevelle, Dashboard Confessions, Seether, Velvet Revolver and such newbies in alternative grunge.

On a partying note:P - AC DC rocks!!!

Heavy headed!!!

2005-10-30T06:47:00.000-08:00

Ok so if anyone is reading this post, I already know what your noble self must have in mind about the blog title. So this is the time where you play the knowledgeable hero with an answer to everything - atleast this question " how the hell do i get this title font size smalll??"

...and nothing else!!

2005-07-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

barren roads empty corridors
echoes of silence
a lonely shadow to follow
and nothing else

burdened by memories
trusted but forlorn
a shadow of a doubt
and nothing else

wild beginnings
carefree days
happy endings
all fade into a fabric of my gloom
and nothing else

desperate to belong
trying hard to prove
the emptiness cannot be filled
with lies you tell yourself

but by the resonating freedom
of 4 chords played right
with the only people
you call your own

Music for music's sake
and nothing else

These are famous words from one of the most famous grunge vocalist.
Someone guess the name and put it in comments!:)

The decadence of Mock n Roll

2005-06-29T04:08:00.000-07:00

"6...6.6The number of the beast!"
"That was a soundcheck, lets hear for Adrian Smith - a racing lead , Steve Harris - a heart busting bass line, Nicko McBrain-thunderous rolls, ...
music starts off again
"This is trooper .."

The tattoed-bare chested, 6-footer with a bundle of papers in his hand, lip-synch vocalist headbangs to the speed rythm the 2 guitarists play on their snazzy cardboard guitar cut-outs... the bassist outdoing steve harris on his silver painted bass cut-out while the drummer ran rolls after rolls on the blue and red pearlpet buckets and a big round tub-bass.

Meet Creative Destruction - the gurus of mock rock!

The early success of performing at their hostel competition, gave them ideas of going inter-college. They picked up none other than 'Malhar'.
Nights were spent practising to get the flows right, the vocals, guitars, drum rolls, the sounds. Last night - the eve of D-Day - the men braved storms of no minor proportions taking a painstaking 3 hour ride from Powai to Napean Sea Rd. They had everything they needed. Cardboards, paints, glues, markers, headgear, nothing could go wrong!By the wee hours of morning, they had their guitars painted and strapped - ready to melt the crowd's face, the headgear - old cassette reels made for their long glam rock hair, the performance had been audio recorded and the sound manager breifed.
Early next morning, the men entered the arena with their gear. The place was abuzz - with their performance, it was just the right concoction.It started with an elimination round. The band made it's guitars scream, they headbanged their way through the gut-busting 10 min performance.

Man, were they happy.

"He knows what he's singing" - the vocalist claimed the judge mentioning.
"We worship rock!!" - they shot back at the papparazzi looking for some pop.

An hour more of bearing witness to a gamut of patched up toons, and it was time for the results.
The finalists were
1. Y.M.C.A.
2. Moulin Rouge
3. ..

"WHAT?!!!THAT'S NOT BLOODY ROCK!!!"
"It's not even close to rock"
"WTF?! Is this mock-rock??"

Y.M.C.A. went on to win the mock rock competition!

Creative Destruction was distraught! What's the world coming to??

"Dudes!.. This is not for us men. It's for sissies! Mock Rock is out. We need to get into some serious business!"

They walked out, slept off the day and ended up at Independence Rock in the evening, headbanging to the riffs they belonged to!

Creative Destruction:
Vinod - Rookie - Vocalist
Shubhankar - Pappu - Bassist
Sidney - Sid - Drummer
Sawa - Sawee - Guitarist
Aviral - Viral - Guitarist
Rohit - SRo - Band/Sound Manager

Run Like Hell!

2005-06-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Why am I always chased by buffaloes in my dreams?

Nepal - Gyanendra v/s CPN-M - How India plans to use the "red" card!

2005-06-18T04:32:00.000-07:00

I don't really know how many of you have been following the Nepal situation in the past few months and the diplomatic splish splosh, the media claims, has been created. Well I just happened to one day suddenly come across a thought. A simple "what if" spiralled into a major conspiracy theory. Now readers beware - this is my space and my opinion. do not claim to be a diplomacy or international politics major. I just like to read and listen to a lot of news.
Anyhow, without much further delay - here is what i think.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2005/02/01/international0331EST0434.DTL&type=golf

This gives a small brief on the events since king gyanendra ascended to the throne.

I shall also try my best in setting context here.

The Characters:
King Gyanendra : The manner in which he ascended has been termed dubious by not just one - especialy since King Birendra (the predecessor) was worshipped as an avatar of Vishnu.
Gyanendra has been unpopular from day one except that he still recieves loyal support from the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) - the single most powerful force in Nepal. You don't need much after that.

Communist Party of Nepal - Maoist (CPN-M): Starting off the insurgency in 1996 with a handful of shotguns , the CPN-M is the second most powerful armed group in Nepal, hosting a cadre of 12000-15000 . Led by Prachanda, who is now equalled as a champion of communism and is put beside Stalin,Marx, Lenin and other heavyweights of the ideology. Bhattarai is the other influential leader wthin the outfit.

The democratic and politcal setup: I don't have much to say about them as they do not really play a major role in my theory.

Indian Govt: Ever the big brother of the small himalayan hindu state, India has been inevitably playing around with politics in Nepal. Time and again criticism for its adventurism does not really abate the activity. Coming from the point of view that India is an Asian superpower - it is simple arithmetic that India must maintain the hegemony.

So starting from the ascesion of King Gyanendra, there has been quite a turmoil in the political circles within Nepal. With the govt. being dismissed twice, a state of general emergency being slapped on the nation and a civil war on with the Maoist - nothing more is needed to create panic.

Within the last 4 months or so, we have seen headlines as below:
India's Nepal policy can be summed up in just one word: confused.
India wakes up: we condemn Maoist violence, they have to lay down arms
Nepal plays 'Maoist video' to make India see a little red
In Kathmandu, New Delhi has created right royal mess
No IB hand in Karat-Bhattarai meeting (can' find the damn link :P)

Now, looking at India's own problem with the Naxals - again followers of communism - Maoist. It started almost 40 years back under the flag of CPI(M). But as many instances in history, they too got out of leash and are an independent body now surviving through illegal trade and political shelter - mind it not ideological. If Nepal were to fall to the maoist, not only would there utter chaos in the nation as communism cannot survive in the capitalist global playground of today's world, but it would also create a nuisance for India with an entire belt stretching from Nepal, Bihar,Jharkhand,Chattisgarh,WB, Orissa,Andhra Pradesh down to Karnataka under Maoist control. (Some might start questinoing India's handling of the situation back home - but I would say it's in pretty good hands.)

India's objectives : Stability to Nepal under Indian eyes! To achieve this, the King must regain his popular position. The "armed" maoist must be removed and the political setup must be made democratic (this democracy of course stinks a bit but works for us anyhow)

The King had uttered big words at the start of the emergency. But of course, intellect matters more in diplomacy than royal pomp. Pakistan and China were to help Nepal in this time of crisis with arms when India had cut the supplies.
Pakistan is not in a state to help out Nepal.And, India cannot afford another Tibet.
India tells Gyanendra to be patient - that's how things work!
The ministers on trial in Nepal are let go and allowed to talk a bit - the political set u p is happy for now.
CPN-M witnesses a face-off between the heavyweights - Pachanda and Bhattarai.
We need to understand something here - Prachanda is the true maoist or violent-Marxist believing in the revolution being the sole avenue.Bhattarai is a moderate and willing to walk the political course.
Bhattarai is expelled from the group, but he has a major support within the group fostering his ideology. This is India's man.
CPI(M) head Karat has an underground meeting (which leaks out) with Bhattarai.
While the RNA continues to be trained by the Indian Army and supplies are re-established, the "left" flank comes in. The CPN-M must be broken into two outfits, one with arms and the other with a political agenda. A split will bring down the soaring popularity it enjoys right now. To the same end,projecting the outfit as going desperate works quite well - the past few weeks have seen attacks on civilians.
Once a formal split occurs, the political side is given "royal" treatment and hailed for their participation in the democratic stream of life. Denouement - morale takes a beating for those weilding weapons.
Well, Maoists are down as of now - not out but down.
With recession in the maoist activities, th political parties can be brought up and the emergency be eased.
What did the King do? - well, it was his resolve that drove the maoist juggernaut aground - something the 'incompetent' ministers were unable to. He even got the political setup back.(well, the last bit isn't so short and sweet :D .. but I was more focused on the Maoist as I had mentioned earlier)

Well .. well. This looks like a pretty happy story. Everything going well. But I must say, it's just a thought and not well elaborated because I haven't had the time to research more news snippets on this.

Bottomline: I love politics.I love conspiracy theories.

epiphany

2005-06-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

the man he found himself
he was born for the open air
where the birds fly free
with a view of endless green
where the knolls embrace the clouds.
for a seat by the sea to witness
the twilight show and tidal splashes
singing in mesmerizing glee.

No offence!

2005-06-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

Twins were born to duh. He could not sleep for the whole night. Why? He kept wondering who is the father of the second child!!

Got this in a mail today morning!
Found it absolutely hilarious - just couldn't laugh out properly cos of corporate strictures!!
It wasn't duh to start with but to be politcally correct and secular - i modified it!:D:D

one night stand

2005-05-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

he stood there in the darkness
and he watched upon
her body .. it shone the moonlight
onto his face
how she slithers into the bed
he couldnt forget
the night this summer when
he met distrust
she said she loved him with all her heart
but all was half
and he said it wouldnt last
but he loved her
so he hugged her
he said i trust you
now never leave me again
oh he swallowed the pain .. yeah
n he held her . looked at her face
the smile was frozen
the eyes surprised
i cannot live without you
he said
but now i have to!

mother loves me

2005-05-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

he sat a smiling in his room
watching out the window
saw the sunshine with cotton clouds
basking in the yellow

returning home
with a twilight to view
sniffing his artificial air
he bothered no clue

it'd been a million years since born
he acted still a child
arrogant and stubborn
his mother he'd viled

stepped into his house
heard a roar rumbling
stepped outside flabbergasted
see his house tumbling

she was furious today
she'd been mocked too long!
"every step you questioned..
..today i tell you what's wrong!"

her eyes lit up brief flashes
she berated with deafening sound
she held him back to watch
as she felled his kingdom around

but mother she is
and her son he was
couldn't hurt him much
whatever be the cause!!

her eyes shut
she now wailed
he stood there dumbfounded
he stood there paled

how many times she asked
how many times must i say
it's time you changed
mended your way

think again there's much time
tonite i shall sing to you
tomorrow i hope will bring change
you will start anew

i am your mother.. her eyes turned red
but you're not the only son
you hurt my children
and of you i will leave none

why corporates don't talk in an understandable language!

2005-05-20T02:03:00.000-07:00

quack went the duck
startling the buck
the buck he sped away
to the place where donkeys bray
mr. lion got upset, he went "ROAR",
that buck was mine, now i want atleast a boar
the boorish boar made a lot of noise and whine
moron, he sat on a porcupine
along came the elephant, blowing his trunk
'what's goin on?' .. 'Whos this punk?'
the meeky mouse looking all freaked
jittery and shivering, he squeaked'the lion wants to eat the boar..'
'..then he'll say he wants some more!'
"WHAM" went the elephant for the lion's head,
missed it completely, hit the boar instead!
little id they know, the elephant was blind
the elated lion said this he did not mind!
this was a jungle with concepts awry,
i better pay attention or there'll be another story!

This is something that happened during an obscenely haranguing technical(business???) session!!

'alternate'ly

2005-03-26T03:39:00.000-08:00

Was listening to Radiohead just now - Knives Out. Some voice this chap has. So to say, I somehow find a feature common to all alternate/grunge rock bands and vocalists - a certain pain in the voice. It just takes you for a wild trip through scenes - possibly irrelevant to you - of angst, despair, loneliness, estrangement... anything possibly capable of delivering an emotional blow to the human mind (heart?). In fact, I would say this whole setup of alternate rock, popularly grunge, is called so cos they have some underlying grudge - I dont know how to put this appropriately and thats just my theory:).
I can't pick out songs right now to describe what I intend to say 'cos the list is just way too long. But nonetheless I'll mention some forerunners of this art-
1. Black - Pearl Jam
2. Even Flow - Pearl Jam
3. Sour Girl - Stone Temple Pilots
4. High and Dry - Radiohead
5. Nutshell - Alice In chains
Well, Slipknot's on right now. Time for some crash-bam adrenaline rush.

when?

2005-03-25T01:30:00.000-08:00

how often have you waited for the doorbell
how often have you waited for a call
how often you walked among a million faces
all strangers in the mall

how often have you stared at those lights
how often have you sat there waiting for a breeze
how often have you dismissed those laughters
just to pretend your mind's at ease

how often have you put a hand in your pocket
walked back in at night
with dogs barking behind ..
creaks of the door and no one in sight

well its just one more such day
another such night
theres nothing much to say
just wish for sweet dreams and switch off the light

bluddy logging blues

2005-02-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

well my first step into the blog world. almost would have been no-step as the title speaks. i wonder what people really do with the blog link names. I couldn't find the vaguemaxest of names free!!:P
ended up with a heart-rending plea to the webmaster "yaargivemesomename" .. which i find pretty amusing .. would've been more so if yaar was at the end.
Anyhow, enuf of gibberish.
well .. most of you (thats pretty optimistic) will not be knowing me.
so for intro sake - Enough people call me Aviral - as per official records, but I have mostly been called by an array of names of which 'viral' has been most common. So you have an option to call me this or any other name you wish to with just one request that i may be notified of any such appellations for active responses.
enough on the name. I am a general enthu punter with TP or lukhkhaa(killing time with quality activities) or whatever you call it, first on my agenda. Been into music for quite sometime which has led me to trying a hand at the guitar and drums - okayish i could say! i am into adventure sports - trekking, rock climbing, rafting et al and simple sports.
Am currently working in Bangalore.
Guess thats about enough for an intro .. dont want to ramble on uselessly.
Anything specific can be asked for.
well so ill keep this first blog as an intro blog
will start writing some general stuff sometime.
enjoy all