Realities of India - 2 books

1) Unsung by Anita Pratap & Mahesh Bhat

Unsung is the book with stories of extraordinary works of ordinary Indians. You may not have heard of these people but they represent true human spirit. They are the real fighters. I came to know about this book by the co-author & photographer Mr.Mahesh Bhat. He has done a fantastic work with B&W photography.

He describes " This book is a tribute to ordinary Indian citizens who have dedicated themselves to improving the lives of people around them. Their inner reseources -vision, will, commitment, energy - compensate their lack of financial resources. They operate in the shadows, away from the glare and glitz of fame and fortune, to quietly fulfill their mission. Not for self-glorification, not for public adulation. Their stories are inspirational. They teach us how we can beat all odds if we harness and channel our inner resources. We can do good, if we really care to. And each one of us should at least try, instead of blaming the system for all that is wrong."

-It is truly inspiring - the stories of Unsung.

2) Everybody loves a good drought by P Sainath

Second book I was reading in the last few weeks is about dirty politics & bureaucracy of rural India. “Everybody Loves a Good Drought: Stories from India's Poorest Districts” b

y P. Sainath. A fine collection of articles written by Sainath over a period of several years, showing a rare depth of understanding of development initiatives spurred by governments and NGOs. While reading this book I was thinking about the intelligence of these people who have done a lot of work in research & innovation in corruption. I feel some of ideas are unique and which can not be replicable. To Gandhiji the real India was rural India. Our politicians are following the same for different reasons. They have proved before Prof C K Prahlad that in India "the fortune is at the bottom of the pyramid" But I have understood the real meaning of Journalism by the work of Sainath. I am not finding these kind of articles in present day newspapers. May be newspaper is not for Journalism…

Mobile Photo Studio

Earlier, if you wanted an instant photo you will ask for Polaroid photos. Normally within couple of minutes you can see the print of the photo. Though it is little expensive, it was the best option for emergency and also in tourist places. Some times when you are in a historical place like Taj Mahal or Mysore Palace, even if you take the camera also you tend to take one picture so that you can see the output immediately. Recently when I went Shivanasamudra, opposite the falls I saw this photographer busy in printing the photos taken in his digital camera. The guys were so curious to see the photo. I liked the idea behind this and the technology has helped him to attract more customers for him. He looks like happy with his innovative idea and definitely earning more than the other photographers with old technology.

Sharuk Khan says DO

Business outside the temple

Many a times when you go near any temple, first you can see crowded shops. This is the place 'Shivaganga' which is above 4500ft. from sea level at the top of the rock, the temple has in house coffee-shop. I guess the same person handles both. Just for living...

Best of both worlds

Volvo & Jumbo safari on the same road!!!

Second Life Vs. Reincarnation

We Indians definitely have heard this word ‘Reincarnation’ or ‘Punarjanma’ (Rebirth) from our seniors or in the moovies or in some articles. In every religion, there is a mention on this topic. Our elders, spiritual gurus, religious leaders etc. used to enjoy debating on this kind of topics. In the recent generations these kind of words are disappearing from our vocabulary and I suddenly remembered this because I heard about Second life. Second life is modern days online virtual world. People are enjoying betting for their virtual life. In this world you will be called ‘Residents’ and your appearance is called ‘avatar’. You have to pay small fee to reborn in your second life. If you want to buy land for your second life you can buy now only. The currency rate varies time to time and virtual economy is also unpredictable. You can try to get whatever you want even some of thing you may not able to get in real life but you can get it in Second life. I felt this is just another gambling. I believe in “Live in the moment and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering”. What do you say?

Human Instinct

Oh my God! Again traffic jam... Lets try overtaking from left...

Thank you Times of India

Namaste, Adaab, Salamwalaikum, Sat Sri Akal, Hello, Thank you for visiting my site. Last Sunday when I was watching India Vs. England Cricket test series, I was thinking of our history. As people say, ‘History repeats’ once again we have beaten England in their country itself. That was the Independence day gift for all the Indian cricket fans from the team and the Captain. Next day I saw the article in the time of India. They had started a new campaign from ‘India Poised’ to ‘Lead India’. It was an inspirational write-up. I've realised “Doing is the only way to get things done”. I was thinking of starting a blog almost one and half year back. But I could not start it because of 100 odd reasons :-) Thank you Times of India for the initiative it has helped me. Anyway, now I have started… I am sure that you will like the links, which I am going to update more than the write-ups. So wait n watch…