tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77230441050258821852024-03-20T01:57:32.696-07:00Diary Of A PhD StudentKuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-52428308842042777552017-07-19T09:58:00.002-07:002017-07-19T09:58:43.230-07:00Unable to Look Foreward...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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During my travels through the length and breadth of India, in search of a good PhD position, in a scorching summer I reached IIT Ropar, Punjab six years ago. Behind me is a tributary to the River Satlaj flowing not very quietly, through Rupnagar.<br />
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Sitting in a lonely, forest bound village, today I recollect my hard travels without any hope nor enough money in pocket. Were those travels worth given the present situation? Don't know how my long cherished dream of a research career faded away! Is there a coming back? No idea. Things sometimes slip away from the grips. What's waiting for me ahead? I don't know. We don't know anything, we act as if we know everything.<br />
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May be I was born to be at where presently I am. I'm ignorant, I am a moth flying around a candle bound to perish there itself; not knowing that there is a huge dark world outside. There is a comfort associated with light that kills us eventually. Darkness is fearsome but full of adventures and gives eternal life. Let me dive into the unexplored dark world. Give me strength O Allah! Yes I see darkness is beautiful. No one see us and we don't see anyone! Am I fearful, no.It feels like exploring the universe leaving behind all the bonds with earth, the mother, broken bonds become my wings just like broken umbilical cord.</div>
Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-72013271180907272142015-06-10T00:23:00.001-07:002015-06-10T00:25:14.871-07:00A Day Before<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Enfield</td></tr>
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Reaching a scientific workshop venue 36 hours before it starts is too early for a research student! But sometimes the transport system of the country forces one to do so. On 23rd May this year I got down at the Pune Junction railway station after not getting a confirmed ticket in the only second class AC compartment of Nagercoil-Mumbai Express as waiting list number 1. The kind ticket examiner from Tirunelveli Junction gave me a ticket for sleeper class with a fine of 250 rupees but I had to use the berth allotted for railway staff. Fortunately I got a berth in the night so that my sleep was not disrupted. At the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, (IISER) Pune, I was allotted a room in the students’ hostel where the room was in the fifth floor and no attached bathroom. No electric plug suited my laptop charger and I didn’t carry a proper adapter plug with me. I did not have a book to read and no Wi-Fi internet connection was available, contrary to what was expected. It was a hell boring situation I cursed my decision not to drop the journey once my berth was confirmed rejected. This entire ill-prepared trip happened because of an 1150+ kilometer drive that just ended a day before my departure from Tirunelveli. I could not get enough time to pack my bag.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BMW</td></tr>
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So I am here now at the end; what to do here in this unknown institute? I have been to Pune two/three times before, but never had a chance to visit places in the city. In the evening I walked up to a village near Pashan and had my dinner, because the organizers don’t provide food from next day only, and came back with a few snacks that may help me during my boring times. Had a sleep up to 11.30 am next day and went down to the reception to read the newspaper of the day in a hope that I may find something interesting to reduce the boring times. It has been long since I read a newspaper before! Alas, I found a photo news saying there is a two-day exhibition of vintage motorcycles at the Amanora City Centre of Pune which is 17 km away from IISER. I decided to go there. Two buses and an auto, I was there at the venue, right in front of the Harley-Davidson showroom where the exhibition is going on.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norton</td></tr>
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When I reached there, I saw a huge crowd overwhelming around something. I saw it was an old Norton-350cc. Its proud and humble owner and the crew was trying to start the bike. There is no kicker, some electronic method is used to start the bull! Not even a stand on its own! There was an external stand on which the two-wheeler can sit as if in a Western toilet. An old bloke was explaining how to operate that age-old engine. He stressed the importance of the rider’s body language.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian</td></tr>
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Then I turned to the other bikes; there were so many; the names I read only in best selling travelogues or watched in old road movies. I saw some of the motorcycles that I read in Salim Ali’s autobiography, the Fall of a Sparrow, yeah he was a die-hard motorcyclist! Vintage two-wheelers in the backdrop of modern high-end Harley-Davidson bikes! The actual show was inside the building. A huge collection of them! Members of the Vintage Motorcycle Club of Pune wearing the club’s T-shirt were roaming around with pride!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BSA</td></tr>
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Those engines fascinated me at the thought of the extend of the landscapes they have been traversing, generations by generations! They have a really valuable service record! Happy to attend that rare event, I came out of Amanora and saw a lonely ancient Rajdoot outside the venue, waiting for its turn to enter the show!</div>
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An auto and two buses, I came back at the hostel, met Ajay, a PhD scholar in IISER Pune, staying in my neighboring room who lent me his laptop charger. He told me where I will get a Wi-Fi connection. My first thanks go to him. Next day Madura Deva and d8 came and we had a great week meeting so many wonderful people.</div>
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Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-57152855746794798542015-05-01T00:58:00.002-07:002015-05-01T00:59:15.272-07:00An Unsung Hero of India's Scientific Heritage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare photo of Tipu</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The scientific assembly of COSPAR 2012 concluded on July 22 at Mysore along with a lot of idea exchange with an invaluable breakthrough in the history of Indian science. One of the main contribution for science from India got its due respect when the COSPAR credited the advancements in Rocket Science to Mysore and its ruler Tipu Sultan during the scientific assembly that concluded in 2012. Although the international community acknowledges that Mysore Sultans as the fathers of war-rockets, we Indians still hesitate to give due credit to him. At a time when scientific research on the history of science is revealing India's contributions in the fields of astronomy and mathematics, this is a leap in claiming our true scientific heritage.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The painting at NASA at Wallops Islands</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The whole story came into the mainstream of India after the release of the book 'Wings of Fire' by Dr. Kalam our former president. Once w<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.181999206543px;">hen </span>Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21.181999206543px;"> went to the Wallops Flight Facility at Wallops Islands in East Coast, Virginia, which was a base of NASA's sounding rocket program, he saw a painting displayed prominently in the lobby there (the incidence is explained in his book, 'Wings of Fire'). The painting</span> depicted a battle scene in which rockets are being launched against oncoming troops. Curiously, the soldiers launching the rockets were all dark-skinned, while the targets of the rockets were white-skinned troops in what appeared to be British uniforms. Kalam took a closer look and realized that the painting was of a battle between Tipu Sultan’s army and colonial British troops on Indian soil. The heroes were Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan and the victim was Arthur Wellesley, the man who later defeated Emporer Napolean in the famous battle of Waterloo!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Territory of Tipu</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rocket Courts of Tipu Sultan in Today's Karnataka were the testing labs and innovation centers of Tipu's rockets. It came into the notice of many people that Rocket Courts are in a very pathetic situation today and the locality is in an ugly situation. As is the tradition in many issues in India, the Karnataka state archaeological department and the ASI are continuing blaming each other to escape from the responsibility of decades of neglect. The fact that the birthplace of war-rockets in the world is in Mysore is a matter of immense pride to every Indian. I think there is a need to discuss and feel the real pride about the real technological advancements of our past rather than talking about fake planet-to-planet flight services.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">William Congreve, to whom modern war-rocketry is attributed to, started collection of hundreds of rockets from the arsenals and battle fields of Mysore immediately after the Mysore Tiger was killed in the Battle of Srirangapatnam in 1799. All the rockets were taken to England and they did reverse engineering to make their own rockets which were later used in the war against USA three years after the War of Mysore, that is, in 1812. A poem written by Francis Scott Key about the war which later turned out to be the national anthem of USA, mention these rockets.</span> The English confrontation with Indian rockets came in 1780 at the Battle of Guntur as told by historians. The closely massed, normally unflinching British troops broke and ran when the Indian Army laid down a rocket barrage in their midst. Unfortunately, a matter of pride, the Rocket Court is lying shattered in the streets of Srirangapatnam today, that place is not even a place of tourist attarction because of the slum-like nature of the locality. Serious efforts were started when Dr. Kalam was the president of India to pay the respect to Tipu Sultan by renovating the place. Even though DRDO announced a rocket museum at the Rocket Court, its not been materialized yet.</div>
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<i><b>End Note: The neglect of government doesn't make Tipu a less important warrior. He is the only Indian King who fought against the Britishers directly in the battle field and martyred in the fields. We the people of India pay homage to this great warrior on the 216th anniversary of his martyrdom on 04th May. Bhagwan S. Gidwani has wrote an excellent novel titled 'The Sword of Tipu Sultan' on Tipu and his times. A historical drama based on the novel was broadcast in DD National in 1990.</b></i></div>
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Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-22383245236286695622015-04-23T03:25:00.000-07:002015-06-12T04:21:14.926-07:00The Paling of Headlamp, A Simple Solution!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Whenever I drive in nights with our new second hand car, I used to face the irritating intense high beam light of the opposite car, an issue most of the Indian drivers face. Even if we convey them the irritation by changing intensity from our side, they never bothered. I could have taught them a lesson if I had a strong high beam head lamp. But unfortunately head light of Sujaii have got a yellow layer over it that reduced the light intensity considerably!<br />
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Haven't you seen a yellow layer over the headlamp of some old cars and scooters? Didn't you feel that the headlamp do not match the car look? In fact this yellow color is a good indicator of the smooth handling of the car by its owner. If you are going to purchase a used car and if you assess its value, give some marks to cars with such headlamps.<br />
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Coming to the problem, I had visited the local Hyundai show room to see if any solution is possible. They suggested a nearby shop that use some technology to sputter a layer from the lamp cover. But his solution was too expensive for me. So I started to do some internet research. I found different solutions to the problem.<br />
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What could be the reason for the formation of this colored layer on the head lamp? This is the fundamental question to be asked before trying to get a solution to the problem. If you look carefully, you can see that the color change has happened only on the outer surface (mostly). Well there are many explanations for it, one or more of them may cause the color change. Long UV exposure can cause oxidation of the poly carbonate material used for manufacturing the head lamp, this can cause the color change. Over years of driving, the head lamp encounter dust and debris that pit the lamp which again is a possible candidate. Third suggestion is that some dirt and chemicals sticking on the headlamp can react with the poly carbonate to form such a yellow layer over the head lamp. What ever be the reason, the final result is a yellow layer on the headlamp that reduces the night vision considerably. We need to get rid of that, for better looks and better performance of light. This mask between our eyes and the surrounding reduces the pleasure of smooth driving.<br />
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Because of my bad experiences on the road, I did a research on removing the yellow layer effectively. Before doing the research, The best suggestion I found from internet and experimented successfully on our car is explained as follows. The result was amazing!<br />
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In fact I could effectively force my opposite driver to dim his light in several cases. Yeah I got an edge over so many idiot drivers!<br />
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What we need for the whole job are just two things: a little tooth paste and a cotton cloth. Apply the paste on the headlamp and rub using the clothe. That's all the job is done. See the sample shots from my own experiment I did yesterday:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfYgI2HnXmjHTlX0gjXU0SISRgFW6fNozfYXThw5eBW_EOKOU0vuXgRomUHNznCtOYxr9tqlnSy00oCwoaQTGOLCw9rgzub1gLyre2DXdrI0NoNb6JzV12uoyBWGm_qRDWA3zzO2bs7g/s1600/IMG_20150423_103948152_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfYgI2HnXmjHTlX0gjXU0SISRgFW6fNozfYXThw5eBW_EOKOU0vuXgRomUHNznCtOYxr9tqlnSy00oCwoaQTGOLCw9rgzub1gLyre2DXdrI0NoNb6JzV12uoyBWGm_qRDWA3zzO2bs7g/s1600/IMG_20150423_103948152_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 13.6000003814697px;">Problem: You have a car with you and the yellow layer is irritating you</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLh-bmD6xLPmBJysQeATibLOMQF0DSftImBKzA5l3KWRTKfH3dbHj_HHy6T-4W0t3YM6DPp2kMXP2VeQC0pOoRbWNY3q2Ayf0mZyhqhE25cFe4O12iJLdspkGV-PcSgtopYrscVshENNE/s1600/IMG_20150423_101910013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLh-bmD6xLPmBJysQeATibLOMQF0DSftImBKzA5l3KWRTKfH3dbHj_HHy6T-4W0t3YM6DPp2kMXP2VeQC0pOoRbWNY3q2Ayf0mZyhqhE25cFe4O12iJLdspkGV-PcSgtopYrscVshENNE/s1600/IMG_20150423_101910013.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Materials Needed: 1. Tooth Paste and 2. A Towel</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solution: See the changes and try for yourself</td></tr>
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There are other methods to solve the problem. For instance, you can apply appropriate sand paper to rub away the top layer and then polish using some polishing powder. But the method described here is very cheap and best. The more you rub, the more clear the head lamp becomes! So try if you have this issue, or tell somebody about this.<br />
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Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-46699404333182308482015-03-31T00:58:00.000-07:002015-06-12T04:24:09.908-07:00In The High Ranges<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Journey starts from EGRL office buidling</td></tr>
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When I started the engine at 06.30 pm on March 27, 2015 from the Equatorial Geophysical Research Laboratory (EGRL), I was doubtful if I could do the 800 kilo meters in a 15 years old Hyundai Santro, Sujaii (meaning hero in my local dialect of Malayalam) - that is how I call him, with five men. Is Sujaii healthy enough so that it can carry five heavy asses through the High Ranges of Western Ghats? The car was old enough to stop working any time, especially on the steep curvy roads of the High Ranges. Before leaving, I took my Sujaii to Amir, a young car mechanic at Seydunganallur to have a formal check up. He told that the car is fit for the journey, but there is a minor oil leak, I will have to change an elbow pipe soon after coming back. I paid him 100 rupees for the check up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee/tea time en route Theni</td></tr>
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The men were ready with bags, water filled can and bottles, some emergency medicines and a cotton roll, a few packets of snacks and fruits, cameras and songs. After about an hour, we reached Sankaran Kovil, passed Sri Villiputhur (sounds familiar? Yes, it is the town of the famous temple, 1000 years old. The temple tower of Sri Villiputhur is adopted to be the official symbol of Tamil Nadu government), Usilampatti and finally reached Theni where we got a dormitory for night stay. On the way, we had a nice cup of tea each, and more importantly a rejuvenating pissing too. The hotel was right at the main junction in the town of Theni. There was no parking place, so we had to park it on the road side, there was enough space there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theni town shot from the dormitory</td></tr>
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The main worry was that one of its side window handle had been over rotated with lots of effort by a respected fellow traveler in the beginning of our journey and the glass drifted down over time even though we close it. This gentleman kindly added another nice color to our journey by breaking the handle catch of front left door the very next day while in Munnar. My Rihla was an old bloke who would work properly only if handled properly.<br />
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The night went quiet peacefully with a lots of cockroaches celebrating human occupation in that dormitory after so many days, or may be even weeks. We just closed our eyes, ears and noses. It was not a very bad sleep. Mosquitoes got a feast after so many days of starvation. Yeah, but with just 750 rupees for five people, we couldn't expect more. In short, it was a terrible night for me.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the eastern side of Western Ghat</td></tr>
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Early morning 06.00 O'clock Sujaii headed west to see the Western Ghats from distance. The color of the surroundings shifted from pale yellow in the previous evening to green. Lots of cultivation, flowers and trees appeared. The Ghats was visible at a distance far away and the curvy roads motivated the driver in me but the steep roads reduced confidence on the performance of Sujaii. He was struggling to make the hairpin curves on the ghats. 'Dear Sujaii, I gave you this name with some hope, please don't spoil your name', I told Sujaii silently! This side of the Ghats was yellowish mostly, being in the rain shadow region. But the roads were recently tarred and narrow. It gave a unique driving experience. It was less crowded so the drive was with less strain. A few new cars and SUVs passed by. I didn't see any older cars climbing the ghats. May be Sujaii is the oldest car going up that day. Sujaii has already run 1.1+ lakhs of kilometers in the last fifteen years; mostly through the cities in the plains of East coast of South India.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before the breakfast!</td></tr>
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20 km more, we saw a small kitchen attached to a big hotel in the hillside surrounded by tea plantations. Had hot dosai and chappathi for our breakfast and a cup of hot tea.Those who wanted to do <i>one</i> and <i>two</i> did so and relaxed for some time. I read a Malayalam daily news paper there probably after several months.<br />
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We have already entered the tea estates of the High Ranges. Breathtakingly scenic locations, this is a perfect place for spending holidays with family, friends or even alone! Hundreds of years before, people started cultivation of tea in Munnar and surrounding hills. There was rope ways and railways for porting tea down to west coast and to the plains of Tamil Nadu. Kannan Devan Hills may be the largest producer of tea in Munnar, they are even running a tea museum two kilometers away from the town.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient Dolmens of the <i>Mount of the Spirit</i></td></tr>
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The hills of High Ranges have been occupied by human beings from very long back. Ancient graveyards called Dolmens of Marayoor (about 40 km away from Munnar), dated back to 1500 B. C., are still seen spread through out the place. A few of them could be spotted at the <i>Mount of the Spirits</i> in Marayoor. Moreover, paintings as old as 6500 B. C. and even more have been discovered by archaeologists. Marayoor is also famous for its invaluable sandalwood forests. For one who has no interest in this archaeology business, its a waste of time and money to go to Marayoor. As there is nothing much more than in any forest. Also, climate there is not so pleasant.<br />
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En route Marayoor, we stopped Sujaii for lunch near a small road side <i>hotel</i> run by a Tamil couple. There was a stream flowing behind it. We went there and had an excellent bathe. Then we had a hygenic lunch there with mouth watering fried fishes for very less prices. The hotel man gave contacts of a young man for arranging our night stay in Munnar. Except petrol, everything in Munnar seemed cheap, which is not expected in a tourist place. May be because we were there just before the season starts. Petrol was costlier than any other part of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where we got the night stay in Munnar</td></tr>
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Before the sun sets we came back to the hotel man and met the young chap introduced by him who had already arranged a well-furnished and newly built house adjacent to the tea estates ready for us. It was a few kilometers away from the Munnar town. 1000 rupees was a really nice rate for the facilities he gave to us. He gave hot water for drinking and bathing. In the night we took a walk through the road, the energizing fragrance of tea that emanated from a tea factory filled the air. We purchased lots of tea packets and a few other spices from a nearby factory outlet. That was a really nice night with a deep sound sleep. Morning 06.00; we left the house happily. Set out our journey to Munnar town very slowly. Driving through the curvy roads of tea estates early morning through the mist-filled High Ranges, all the window glasses open, with light music in the car; its a magical experience one should experience for himself.<br />
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The Kannan Devan Hills plantation company's tea museum is our next place to visit. It will be opened only at 09.30 am. So we headed to Munnar town and had our grand breakfast. We reached the museum exactly on time. It is a must visit place for someone going there. There won't be many who don't have at least a cup of tea in a day. The museum is a place of immense first hand information and knowledge on tea, its history and the science and emotions attached with it. The company itself have a lot of stories to tell us.<br />
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There are so many other places, view points, dams and waterfalls in Munnar and surrounding places. Those are beautiful but not very special to have a mention here. Time runs very fast when we are with someone special or when we are engaged in something thrilling. We have to reach back to work next day morning. 400 km is not any less a distance to travel through the hills.<br />
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Sujaii started its race down hill afternoon after lunch! Sun set before reaching Pooppara town itself. Some hours of driving we reached down the plateau at Bodinayakanur. Then to Usilampatti, Tirumangalam and then through the national highway NH 7 Sujaii crossed 100 kmph. It was early morning 02.00 O'clock when we reached the institute. In the journey through hills, we had two encounters with the Kerala Police; one immediately after fueling Sujaii, I was caught for not wearing a seat belt and had to pay Rs. 100 for it. Next while returning back through the narrow hill roads, a police jeep was coming with only one head lamp on. Sujaii proceeded its usual way thinking it was a motorcycle. But realized it was not a two wheeler after getting a heavy abuse in Malayalam. They had to go out of the road and while passing them I saw POLICE written on the jeep. Luckily there was no place for them to turn jeep. Sujaii dashed in the maximum possible speed so that even if the police manage to follow us, we could cross the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. Somewhere in the plains of Tamil Nadu, we had our dinner before finally reaching <i>Aaraichi Mayyam</i>, the research center!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbquKd829cGJnbTDf57YMQc8lHQZMNa1g8zyRuNS55PV5PErl5bzLPitWp9osHT3N9UZ878U5Z88MymBYRdhsOLKCzHhbC-uHA_9NGtEkdztRYRE8LWnT6ecM4MOljN0wEBLTnERrWGY/s1600/Route_Map.tif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbquKd829cGJnbTDf57YMQc8lHQZMNa1g8zyRuNS55PV5PErl5bzLPitWp9osHT3N9UZ878U5Z88MymBYRdhsOLKCzHhbC-uHA_9NGtEkdztRYRE8LWnT6ecM4MOljN0wEBLTnERrWGY/s1600/Route_Map.tif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Route Map of the Journey</td></tr>
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Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-66669199475933386572014-06-17T19:45:00.001-07:002014-06-17T19:46:43.069-07:00Memoir Of A Monsoon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>The following is a note that was originally written sitting in the research scholars room at EGRL, Tirunelveli on a rainy day in 2012. Rain was a rare phenomenon there, it happened only 10-20 days in a year. But Vittalapuram village is very beautiful when it rains! The grey surface turns into lush green. Rabbits, peacocks, snakes and a hundred varieties of birds, both local and migratory, looks delightful. Numerous ponds both in and around the campus fills with fresh water. But for the rest of the year, there was only hot bright sunlight and dust and in some months additional strong winds. When the monsoon starts again this year, I am sitting in the portico of research scholars hostel at IIG, Navi Mumbai. I am reposting the post from my previous blog which I don't update now a days.</i><br />
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It was not only because of its musical voice that I lost myself completely in the magic of monsoon rain. If it were so, I would have just listened to the rain sitting inside my room happily. The sharp wet touch of rain on my bare skin and its gently piercing sound for me is something of an emotional feel rather than a meteorological phenomenon. I forget about tides, convection, gravity waves and doppler radars when the rain feather touch my heart.<br />
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Oh, another monsoon came and soaked my country in its water pebbles. When I miss it, sitting in a dry remote village, far away in Tamil Nadu, what else can I do other than recollecting the memories of my past romance with it?<br />
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I loved and still love rain as well as its season. Monsoon, The most beautiful and romantic season my country is blessed with! If you fall in love with rain, it gives you the love back always and forever; more greenish more deep and more intense!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8RcNKOJfwDo3dJ-HmDpKgxRf7G2g2xWlo-i3LcW1h-I1MzaynZpHZ6hwr7RB04klYRcZIppVo8c0ZQTR8fL1RYYN7cULrIV4wesuJSpkdvQSLDL6I3nkVsSqY08nvQZuJq4Pk4MoVXY/s1600/263873_2086104584563_6407553_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8RcNKOJfwDo3dJ-HmDpKgxRf7G2g2xWlo-i3LcW1h-I1MzaynZpHZ6hwr7RB04klYRcZIppVo8c0ZQTR8fL1RYYN7cULrIV4wesuJSpkdvQSLDL6I3nkVsSqY08nvQZuJq4Pk4MoVXY/s1600/263873_2086104584563_6407553_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The notorious stream - road parallels!</td></tr>
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It was during a monsoon, I still remember, I was hit by a lorry in the muddy country road going side by side with a big stream of fresh water. After playing football with my friends in the nearby water filled paddy fields, we all were going to the stream for a bathe. Suddenly I met the accident.<br />
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I still remember, the labourers in the lorry jumped out and took me to a hospital in the same lorry. I was in the general ward in the top most floor of Koya's Hospital roofed with asbestos. Heavy rain knocked over the asbestos sheets the whole night as if she needed to hit me hard. I badly wanted to meet her in the dark shade of the night; but I could not even wake up from my bed.<br />
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The day when I came out discharged from the hospital, I saw my rain was starting showering as if she is welcoming me back! I waved my hands to her sitting in the porch. I watched her sitting in the dashing car. She called me crying, knocking and touching over the window glass. But I could not go out to embrace her. I tried to touch her on the glass from inside. We desperately thirsted for each other, but circumstance did not allow us to unite.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiFQzXw9bMRs0KkAthDAHhrnkl4B7KeuHFXS1rrlfNbnlzL9JFKOrbqokGUzJ8w0VJhjaCeKZBR9uqO3AEL1SL-2MpvLbCZ9zZpYaHhh2BQLXgPTTCgri0iORBJ5VGx1yEgiIa5d-p5w/s1600/582010_3562910903798_937283440_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFiFQzXw9bMRs0KkAthDAHhrnkl4B7KeuHFXS1rrlfNbnlzL9JFKOrbqokGUzJ8w0VJhjaCeKZBR9uqO3AEL1SL-2MpvLbCZ9zZpYaHhh2BQLXgPTTCgri0iORBJ5VGx1yEgiIa5d-p5w/s1600/582010_3562910903798_937283440_n.jpg" height="268" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Football in rain still attracts people in Kerala. But everyone<br />
must not be lucky enough to have a country road nearby<br />
and meet a lorry accident to feel the love of rain peacefully.</td></tr>
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Every experience of love is filled pain. But try loving the rain, it is different! Once you are in love with her, you will never want to miss her! The more you are away from her, the more passionately you love her! She will love you back with all the forms of emotions and expressions a lover can have! What ever you think that you will get from a lover, she will give you. Solace, comfort, touch, pain, care, parting, melancholy, romance, relief; you tell what are all the things you think you will get from your lover. You will get them all from the rain.<br />
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The car reached home. Rain was silent. The shower was over. Like blood dissolved tears of rain, muddy water was flowing below the car. Sitting inside the clouds, rain desperately tried to tell me something. Before she can utter anything, my Umma took me into my home. In ultimate pain, rain stormed down all the night.</div>
Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-48922739697893723762014-06-06T02:57:00.001-07:002014-06-12T04:34:14.742-07:00Looking Back From Top: A Summer View of Navi Mumbai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLld_V1XNTZ-jFb6wQIlQ6XIlo6-lCjXx_uWEz1LfhzUlz_tGe-gf2Vk3n34Vb6_uVhHRDzL1arRihpNUxRGB491ssJH898p6amBes9nUYYu2gpRlyGCdlK0sqnOlKPNvoWNigYcj-xw8/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLld_V1XNTZ-jFb6wQIlQ6XIlo6-lCjXx_uWEz1LfhzUlz_tGe-gf2Vk3n34Vb6_uVhHRDzL1arRihpNUxRGB491ssJH898p6amBes9nUYYu2gpRlyGCdlK0sqnOlKPNvoWNigYcj-xw8/s1600/5.JPG" height="176" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Panvel as viewed from Nevali hill</td></tr>
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This is not a post on philosophy nor this is a retrospection as the title may suggest. It is about an interesting but short trekking we had made few days back. Morning was really early: at 3.30 am, around Brahma Muhurtham according to ancient Indian culture! Me, Sunil, Dupinder, Sukanta and Sreeraj all the five packed and walked straight to the top of the hill we used to see every day and night from our institute. The hill is east to the institute and stand like a protecting fort to the city of Navi Mumbai. Panvel area, where our institute is located, is the eastern most part of Navi Mumbai.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyN305lUcrpFJWyQneGSm2LdorW2VaUa3eIs0zjjhPQ5kPoMel2EDeBOtlVMoTKU0tfz7mGJREnkqVmb50Y9VYUIBtuEka2oIpNl6cm_N4R8OYuU1J-ONsKms6ncWDhCUfsNJGYuSKV_s/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyN305lUcrpFJWyQneGSm2LdorW2VaUa3eIs0zjjhPQ5kPoMel2EDeBOtlVMoTKU0tfz7mGJREnkqVmb50Y9VYUIBtuEka2oIpNl6cm_N4R8OYuU1J-ONsKms6ncWDhCUfsNJGYuSKV_s/s1600/3.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Khanda Colony</td></tr>
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At 3.40 we checked out at the institute gate and walked through the quiet streets of Khanda Colony. CIDCO has constructed the city beautifully in rectangular plots and sectors. Crossing the railway line and moved ahead, again crossed the Mumbai - Pune express high way. This well admired Mumbai - Pune express highway acts like a border between the city and rest of Maharashtra. We have to move a little more, say 1.5 kilometer, to reach the village of Nevali, at the foot of our destination: the Nevali Hill.<br />
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As we crossed the highway through below the Mumbai - Pune Express Highway, it appeared as if we are entering a different country. In a few meters, everything changed. Roads became a series of potholes. Surroundings empty as against the sky scrapper forest that we just left behind. We were entering a village from city. The most important lesson that I learn from my country is that, good facilities in life are meant for a different class of people. Villagers and city dwellers have different duties: villagers are there to produce food for city dwellers and city dwellers are there to decide the financial and industrial fate of the country. The benefits of what villagers do always go to the city dwellers but the benefits of what city dwellers do never go to villagers very often! In general, the flow of the fruits of development is unidirectional in India, according to me. People may differ to me. Gandhi might have told that the soul of India is in its villages. If that is true, the soul of this nation is not very healthy, it is ill.<br />
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As we continued to walk forward, a cement mixing transport truck stopped and asked us if we want to go with them. We nodded no and they left us. We continued and reached the village Nevali at foot of the hill at around 4.40 am. It was still dark. We needed a cup of tea, but tea shops had not been opened yet. Dogs barked all the way from the time we entered the village. We started climbing up the steep rocks. I have never climbed such a steep hill before. Dogs, did not stop barking. But Sukanta, Sunil and Dupinder had already came here last monsoon. Activating its water falls and blanketing in green, the hill and village are very beautiful during monsoon. Few miles away from our institute, we could see the silver line water falls in the hills during monsoon. But sadly, in this summer, the hill was dry. We reached at the top of the hill after one hour, exactly at 5.40 am. Sun had not risen up. We removed our shirts and fell down to relax at the top of the hill! It was quiet a tiring ascend through the steep slopes of Nevali! The city was looking great. The express highway was still busy. We tried to spot IIG but could not do so as it was still dark. Dupinder was busy with video graphing and photographing. As time passed, we saw that light was spreading slowly and Sun appeared behind us. From the top, the city looked like a port where so many cargo boxes have been kept one above another. Then there was the mighty Panvel creek, the mighty wetland of Navi Mumbai that interspersed the mainland.<br />
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At that table-top hill, there was a small village too. There were cattle and chicken and a few trees. Then we saw women fetching water to their houses, they were carrying 3 - 4 pots one above another carrying water! We could spot a tiny dam where these people fetched water and washed their clothes. There were small patches of vegetable cultivation too. After eating some bread and banana, we wanted to go back. We entered the village and asked if any road was there. They showed us a muddy road leading down to the village. The hill was being eaten up by quarry miners! So many tipper lorries are already in queue and granite crusher have already started working. We could feel how the city was growing and the village decaying!<br />
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At 9.00 am we reached Nijo hotel at Khanda Colony by an auto that we got from down hill the village. Hotel is on the other side of the railway track where the autowallah dropped us. There was the huge pipe line that supplied water to the city. Water was gushing out through a crack that some one created with immense effort. A tea shop was there close to the pipe and the shop woman is getting water through a small hose inserted into the crack! We crossed the railway track and had our grand breakfast at Nijo hotel. Our legs were paining and we all were tired. Our clothes became dirty in the early morning itself! After an hour, we reached back at hostel and fell into bed and sank into deep sleep.<br />
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Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-7094347503308251912014-04-20T20:04:00.002-07:002014-04-23T18:23:34.159-07:00With Love From Antarctica<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last week, I got a call in the morning from some Gopal! Deep in sleep I could not realize that the only Gopal I know would call me at that time, because he was living in the southern most continent of the globe! At the volleyball ground a fat man appeared in the evening, and it was Gopal to my surprise, my friend and a technical person at EGRL, Tirunelveli. He is back from Antarctica after spending more than a year there. I was keen to listen to him to know how the life at the most harshest continents of the globe was! He gave me a huge volume of photographs and videos. I would like to share some of them here so that my friends can get a glimpse of the nature of life and activities at the icy land.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bharati: India's station at Antarctica</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maitri: India's station at Antarctica</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Moon from Antarctica</td></tr>
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National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (<a href="http://www.ncaor.gov.in/" target="_blank">NCAOR</a>), Goa, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India is the responsible agency of Indian Antarctic programs. India has three stations at the continent: Dakshin Gangothri (1983), Maitri (1989) and Bharati.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
A Bit of History:</h3>
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The first Indian to set his foot on Antarctic continent was Lieutenant Ram Charan, a meteorologist in the Indian Navy, who joined an Australian expedition in 1960. Indian interests in Antarctic research goes back to 1970's. As a result of some Indo - Russian agreement Indian scientists could join Russian team to Antarctica during those period. The research activities of India's polar studies got momentum when the first Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1981 was conducted under the leadership of <a href="http://www.insaindia.org/detail.php?id=N77-0578" target="_blank">Prof. Syed Zahoor Qasim</a>.<br />
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The team landed in Antarctica on 9th January 1982 and hoisted Indian flag on the icy continent. India's first station at Antarctica, Dakshin Gangotri, was set up after two years of the first expedition. Later the station got buried under ice. It was restored and is being protected as a historic site. Another name in the history of Antarctic program of India, as a student, is <a href="http://www.du.ac.in/index.php?id=270&fmember=2382&cid=262" target="_blank">Dr. Dinabandhu Sahoo</a>. He was the first Indian student to reach Antarctica, who joined the seventh of Indian Antarctic expedition. India's third station Bharati is at a distance of 3000 kilo meter from the second station, Maitri! People who want to go to Bharati from Maitri sail to Cape town in South Africa and then to Bharati (if not in a helicopter or air craft)! How vast is Antarctica!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy: The Hindu</td></tr>
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Having established the scientific capabilities of India at the Southern most continent, the <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/cooking-was-toughest-indian-south-pole-expedition-team/article1080959.ece" target="_blank">first</a> Indian team set out to visit the South 'Pole' which was still thousands of kilo meters away from Indian station Maitri! The team was led by 62 year old Dr. Rasik Ravindra! Mr. Ajay Dhar, a technical officer in the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism was lucky to be part of the team in the year 2010.</div>
Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-57984400319774006712014-04-17T05:40:00.000-07:002014-07-01T21:38:09.308-07:00A Journey Through The Banks Of Brahmaputra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Dibrugarh bus stand Venki. Jeni, Me and Deva.</td></tr>
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Finally we, Sukanta, Jeni, Venki and Deva boarded the bus 'Rudranee' of Assam State Transport Corporation at around 8.00 O' clock that evening. It was a long debate and confusion among more than ten research scholars whether to go to Kaziranga or not. Finally we decided that some can go Kaziranga and others will tour around nearby places. Rimpy had spent a full day with me seeking a safe and comfortable transport to Kaziranga National Park. We must have gave her immense depression but she didn't show any irritation. That is the nobility of an Assamee.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The National Space Science Symposium venue @DU</td></tr>
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During the days of symposium at Dibrugarh University, we had experienced the warmth of politeness of the University staff and students. But it was equally worrying that Assam is a land of revolutionaries too. Every day we heard about encounters, cross-fires and killings. The morning we reached Tinsukia, a place in Assam one hour before reaching Dibrugarh, we saw military posts. We knew there is chaos in the state. The day we landed in Dibrugarh railway station, we heard the news of a cross fire in which an Inspector General was killed along with others. Next day we heard some North Indian was killed. Another day we heard of a killing in the Arunachal boarder. Another day there was a news from Delhi in which one north-east student was killed by North Indians, we thought that a long travel through Assam would be as if risking your life. But of course there is immense charm in taking some risks too!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truck to Kaziranga</td></tr>
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National Space Science Symposium got over. Our return train to Mumbai was booked for after three more days. We were determined to go and needed to save as much money as possible. No train was available. With great help from Rimpy, my friend and research scholar at Dibrugarh, we managed to book five tickets to Nagaon in the Guwahati bus.</div>
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The bus was spacious with only three seats in a row as against four and five in Kerala state buses. All other passengers were Assamese and they stared at us politely. We felt comfortable with them. All the worries and discomfort vanished at the end of the journey. North-East of India have one of the best people of the nation and our media is wrongly projecting them as bad.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When day light appeared!</td></tr>
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I had another experience with a local, once I missed the van to my hotel from the symposium venue. I waited there for several hours and the organizers arranged one vehicle and they left me in the middle of the city thinking that I am staying in some hotel there. Actually they confused with the names of the hotels. They showed one road and told me the hotel is that way! But they were wrong, my hotel was not inside the city, it was 4-5 kilo meter away from where they dropped me. By the time I could realize that, their vehicle had left me! I started walking alone carrying my bag through the streets, shops were closed already. Only some stray dogs were there barking and shouting.Fear started filling my mind slowly and I started singing some Hindi songs, immediately I remembered the incidence of killing of a north Indian, then I started singing a Malayalam song. I thought they will not do anything to a South Indian, as a lot of Assamese work in my state. Suddenly one young man on a bicycle stopped in front of me and asked where I am going I told the name of my hotel and he asked me to sit on the carrier of the cycle. I looked at his cycle, only the most essential parts were there: two tyres - back tyre didn't have sufficient air in it, handle was there but no bell nor brake, he used his legs to stop the bicycle! I thanked the young man and told to leave me and that I will walk. "No, the hotel is very far you cannot walk alone that distance in this late night" - he told me. Finally I hopped onto the carrier and he started pedaling the old cycle through the damaged road. On the way he asked about me, he was surprised that I am from Kerala. he told our people go to Kerala why are you coming here?! I explained him why I was there. The cycle stopped in front of hotel Keteke. We talked standing there for some more time. He left me and pedaled back to where his home is. I looked at that young man with great gratefulness and prayed for him. I think I should acknowledge that young man who work all through the day and until late in the night for a living. Some where in the suburbs he may be living with his own peace of mind and worries.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deva and Sukanta half in the frame!</td></tr>
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By the way, the bus stopped in front of a highway <i>dhabha</i>. We all got down and had tea and snacks. Had <i>one</i> and <i>two</i> done and relaxed for some time. It was so chilling cool in Assam in that January. At around 3.00am the bus reached Nagaon bus stand. It was against what Rimpy had told us, she had suggested to get down either at Bokakhat or at Kohara and the rides were actually available at Kohara. But we asked the bus crew again about how to go to Kaziranga. They told us to get down at Nagaon which was more than 100 km away from the Kaziranga National Park. Problem of planning a journey suddenly! There were a lot of people in the Nagaon bus stand at that time! We did not know Kaziranga is still several hours away from there. We had already left behind Bokakhat and Kohora several hours before itself! Actually there are many places to get down in Kaziranga national park. Also somebody suggested not to get down at Kohora or Bokakhat at such an early morning because they are small towns and we may face some difficulty as we are new there! At Nagaon we tried to get some vehicles for dropping us at Kaziranga. at that time one small goods carrier came. It was a newspaper vehicle. Apart from news papers, there were some local people going to villages, there were some paint boxes and some baggages too. We got into the carrier of the mini lorry and tried to settle down. But it was difficult, as it is meant to carry goods not people. Two men were sleeping on the paint boxes. It was terribly cool too! We were already wrapped ourselves with what ever clothes we had with us. Still it was so cool, I have never been to such cool difficulty before!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The route map, thanks to Google</td></tr>
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The TATA-407 started with a mild rough sound and started running. We already had our price fixed for the trip: hundred rupees per head. The locals were smoking <i>beedi</i> continuously inside until they got down at different places in between. Now we are the only remaining passengers in the vehicle, the driver sped up the vehicle. We desperately wanted to sleep. Me and Deva found a nice bedding on the paint barrels, even though we were thrown up and down frequently! There were few more stops for delivering the newspaper bunches and short tea breaks. We were hopping up and down inside the vehicle as it ran over gutters and humps indiscriminately. The vehicle had entered the forest already. At around 7.00 am, just before we reached the destination, the driver stopped his warhorse and showed us the most awaited Rhino far away in the Kazhiranga forest. And in half an hour, we were at the Elephant ride centre in the Kaziranga national park.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">It is the journey that nourishes the heart, not the destination.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the TATA - 407 left us at the Kaziranga</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe4v_er2zsP25_DldZYiOPY1sg85iv3sn1GsNW_rCcklXEIOvGtcr5UEe8Y247_Ww37YwS25E6_I9-1WAerHMQcR1tzXCcSCh5ryOlf3rJXBqe9OGj8x3kQQ_tbG4o2a1DWznRjdwQwA/s1600/bb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNe4v_er2zsP25_DldZYiOPY1sg85iv3sn1GsNW_rCcklXEIOvGtcr5UEe8Y247_Ww37YwS25E6_I9-1WAerHMQcR1tzXCcSCh5ryOlf3rJXBqe9OGj8x3kQQ_tbG4o2a1DWznRjdwQwA/s1600/bb.jpg" height="276" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An elephant ride through the Kaziranga National Park. The photo of Rhino was nicely captured by Sukanta.</td></tr>
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Later in the afternoon we got a bus to Guwahati and joined our friends in the Dibrugarh - New Delhi Rajadhani Express.</div>
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Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-84262656845173910022014-04-08T02:50:00.001-07:002014-04-08T02:54:31.129-07:00A Visit To The Legendary Alibag Observatory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Alibag magnetic observatory.<br />
It is still working!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.790000915527344px;">In 1900, the British Indian government decided to electrify tram service in Bombay and it was a threat to the magnetic observations at Colaba observatory.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 20.790000915527344px;">Dr. N.A.F. Moos found an alternative place at Alibaug, 30km away from Bombay -</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> a pleasant place in Raigad district of Maharashtra. Most of the IIG staff and family members and research scholars came to the observatory.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cricket at Alibag beach.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After a cup of tea and snacks we started playing cricket at the beach women folk were engaged in some other games. Alibag is a tourist attraction due to various facilities available and its green and pleasant atmosphere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The observatory campus houses magnetometers and some other instruments like any other IIG observatory. It has a lot of coconut trees inside the campus. Most of the buildings are almost a hundred year old! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old building: The ground floor<br />
houses the museum.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The greatest attraction here is the museum set up. It preserves a lot of instruments and tools used in IIG at various times. There are lots of varieties of magnetometers and telescopes. There was an old chair used by Dr. Moos too!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Alibag beach: an old fort used<br />
by Sivaji is seen in the background.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For a few years, the Colaba and Alibag observatories were run together to compare the observations at these two sites. If any mismatch in observations were seen, it could not be used as an observatory. But fortunately the magnetic observations at Alibag was as good as it was at Colaba.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There were no one to explain the story of old instruments in the observatory museums, as so many visitors came together. All I could understand was that those instruments were used a hundred years ago. Each instrument must have a story to tell. I don't know which magnetometer recorded the historic aurora at Bombay! I feel there is a need to preserve and document a lot of things at IIG. Not only mere instruments; the story of each instrument should be documented well. The historic aurora was recorded manually at the IIG since magnetometers were not recording the measurements automatically. But nobody knows who recorded that! May be Indian scientists are not good in documenting the history of Indian science!</span><br />
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Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-59060643641412360292013-08-29T08:36:00.002-07:002013-08-29T08:38:20.801-07:00Time For A Self Evaluation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well this is time for my second annual talk, review talk and I have to submit a report on my two years' progress even though there is not much; to be frank. If somebody ask me what is the topic I work on now, I would say that it is on the tides in the upper atmosphere and the consequent electrodynamics in the ionosphere. But I don't have adequate content to show in my second annual report neither I have anything to deliver in front of the people over here. Its quiet a sad state for any research fellow. I am disappointed but I have to somehow manage the situation, else my fellowship won't be extended!<br />
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So this is time for an introspection before I go forward with the preparations for my second annual report and talks. I remember Khalifa Omar's saying: "Judge yourself before the day you will be judged"! Yes I have to judge myself before I go to the day of my judgement in my institute too.<br />
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I have a little results to show, a few ideas. Whatever ideas I have got during my research life - and during other times too - were mostly during my Swala (the five times prayer in every day). Even though Swala is to be done very consciously, I was always distracted from the main point of it - the talk with God. But one advantage is that whatever forgotten before comes to mind during these prayer times. So I take it positively. So I am thinking to present those results I obtained during my last year's Ramadan. Thank God for introducing Swala and fasting in the absence of which I could never get time to think about my research ideas. I had already presented those results in an international conference held at Pune.<br />
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Next month is few hours ahead, and I have to prepare a lot. So bye for now.</div>
Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-30313690468887536412013-05-27T10:19:00.001-07:002014-07-25T03:54:09.801-07:00Aurora At Bombay!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lLlEcGKyS7ItBqgjG5QPwInGmNqb8_jLDUy-fdE2xx30qF4nl8wehk_Was_wk-ZBLQCYnwB4NAEQE7vewGLD5vysuNt0Ll-FqKLij-vnFWn7ZGcbYjzcVmuxTZBD9rUDFA65-f_OIUw/s1600/aurora_kuenzli_big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lLlEcGKyS7ItBqgjG5QPwInGmNqb8_jLDUy-fdE2xx30qF4nl8wehk_Was_wk-ZBLQCYnwB4NAEQE7vewGLD5vysuNt0Ll-FqKLij-vnFWn7ZGcbYjzcVmuxTZBD9rUDFA65-f_OIUw/s400/aurora_kuenzli_big.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1. A beautiful aurora.</td></tr>
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Aurora, the beautiful display of light that the nature presents! Those who live in high-latitude countries enjoy aurora very often. Those in the tropical regions enjoys the photos and videos of aurora. People living in tropics always wanted to watch an aurora directly, but nature did not show mercy always.<br />
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Once during a conference I heard that in the past an aurora had been visible even in Bombay! I could not even believe this news at first. Then I tried to know what had actually happened.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD4zUY2cDY9Ky9PJ4mWqrJ9D2S-DWrXZVCthVmw8fFdinaHcDzvqywOaAlIebmFFignIUXbZsQ3w690x4BPHeEGeinQEayg2_8m0l8muSJ2BQz1xWowOK9iQhBe-ZbOaCmZ7KeksQHbo/s1600/Plot_Aurora_Bombay.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKD4zUY2cDY9Ky9PJ4mWqrJ9D2S-DWrXZVCthVmw8fFdinaHcDzvqywOaAlIebmFFignIUXbZsQ3w690x4BPHeEGeinQEayg2_8m0l8muSJ2BQz1xWowOK9iQhBe-ZbOaCmZ7KeksQHbo/s1600/Plot_Aurora_Bombay.png" height="206" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2. Aurora recorded at Colaba in 06-Feb-1872</td></tr>
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It was in 1872 February 06 that the following news report appeared in the Times Of India. <i> "Will it surprise our readers to learn that the Aurora Borealis was plainly visible in Bombay Sunday last? Such was indeed the case and its effects were felt too. After sunset on Sunday, the Aurora was slightly visible, and constantly kept changing colour, becoming deeply violet, when it was intense about 3 o'clock on Monday morning. It was distinctly visible until sunrise on Monday. The influence of this atmospheric disturbance was unpleasant both for our person and our correspondence. The cold was unpleasantly keen, and all telegraphic communication was stopped for some hours.<br /><br />"Both before and after its height, the aurora affected the working of both sections of the British-Indian Submarine cable, [one] section running east and west and the other North and South. At 8 o'clock yesterday morning the magnetic disturbance in the telegraph offices was very strong. The extent of this disturbance may be gathered from the fact that all the lines to England in connection with the British-Indian submarine cable were affected for hours and so were the Government lines. At Aden, the aurora was brilliant in the extreme."</i> (Courtesy: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2011SW000686/pdf)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmy3CDODGL8vfQ7NdxOWRsYGob0nlRJ9oEgTkMORchu43E7Alj01kslUR21z_SUrJLm7VTzo3vYbM1gifuKPMn3c9beMIFsE4C4q88ZjsiWd1gq7O4sFTzfkkZ9gYZFkoEBPqzgbEZug/s1600/Aurora_australis_20050911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmy3CDODGL8vfQ7NdxOWRsYGob0nlRJ9oEgTkMORchu43E7Alj01kslUR21z_SUrJLm7VTzo3vYbM1gifuKPMn3c9beMIFsE4C4q88ZjsiWd1gq7O4sFTzfkkZ9gYZFkoEBPqzgbEZug/s200/Aurora_australis_20050911.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.20000171661377px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.825002670288086px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">3. Aurora Australis, a satellite derived image.</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 11.20000171661377px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.825002670288086px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">(11 September 2005)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></td></tr>
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The historic aurora occurred on 04th February 1872. It was reportedly observed in the middle eastern countries too. The aurora was observed by many of the people of Bombay, including NAF Moos who, several years later became the director of the Colaba Observatory. The observations were done manually during that time and therefore Colaba observatory had a record of the magnitude of the storm happened then. Many observatories world wide could not record the event since the recording pens crossed the limits of the paper on which the geomagnetic values were recorded automatically!<br />
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Another event, a stronger one also happened in the year when Moos was born, 1859. This storm was first observed, recorded and studied by Richard C. Carrington, and therefor called as Carrington storm. Several such strong events of magnetic storms continues to happen. But not much about that is known except the magnetic record in Bombay taken then.<br />
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Such events are not to be recorded only in a magnetogram. The experience should have written well with documentary proof. The Indian Institute of Geomagnetism should move towards recording and preserving its history since it is one of the oldest scientific organization in India.<br />
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History of science has a lot of charm in it, that most of the Indian scientists don't appreciate. I believe that there should be some serious efforts towards recording the history of the pursuit of science that will amaze the generations to come.<br />
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Note:<i> This article need to be updated later. If any one have something interesting related to it, please share that with me.</i><br />
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Reference:<br />
wikipedia<br />
agu<br />
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/<br />
http://www.solarstorms.org/SRefStorms.html<br />
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/TE041i004p00397/abstract</div>
Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-19524853557961002582013-05-24T11:27:00.000-07:002014-01-19T05:55:01.112-08:00Brief Historical Note On Colaba Observatory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuqFCws_0upPakAikHPsmR15hbu1Rl9IvpfKDvRwgt-94XkygFxh8GdgqV211cQQkAYdklUVh3moyZ3GLi95fHm6B2rayEgs7etJge0c1R-hAj4RxdSbaqFYIZEayYV8AHIAW2dzlmvg/s1600/Colaba_Observatory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuqFCws_0upPakAikHPsmR15hbu1Rl9IvpfKDvRwgt-94XkygFxh8GdgqV211cQQkAYdklUVh3moyZ3GLi95fHm6B2rayEgs7etJge0c1R-hAj4RxdSbaqFYIZEayYV8AHIAW2dzlmvg/s320/Colaba_Observatory.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An old photograph of Colaba Observatory</td></tr>
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This afternoon I met Prof. Ram for our weekly discussions. Our discussion got diverted at one instant of time and I was amazed by the stories Prof. Ram told me about the pioneers of Indian geomagnetic studies. I wanted to know more about the history of geomagnetism in India. There are interesting pasts for every scientific endeavors being pursued today. Even though geomagnetism is a centuries old subject of research, still this is an active subject of research, amazing and so fantastic! Every geomagnetic observatory has a story to tell you.<br />
1826 was an important year in that the East India Company established the Colaba observatory in Bombay (now Mumbai). Its original purpose was astronomical observations and time keeping. In 1841 Arthur Bedford Orlebar, an Astronomy professor in Bombay, started meteorological and geomagnetic measurements at the Colaba Observatory. Initial observations were made manually, but in 1845 after the introduction of self-recording photographic magnetometer by Charles Brooke, the magnetic measurements at Colaba was also upgraded. This instrument was installed in Colaba Observatory in 1871 when Charles Chambers became the director of the observatory.<br />
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After the death of Charles Chambers, Dr. Nanabhoy Ardeshir Framji Moos became the director in 1896, who was the first Indian director of the Observatory. During his period as the director, the Observatory got world-wide fame.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIlE7iDCcW3kklpA6rMtBMUNTNozszVj-chMjTdx_T6LMhU8U_l8Vh4qaT3G3sfZ0Oj-7FT-IUVOtWrLC-P-4B5JDkl1VMfA4Ohh5FBDFTpy7hI6vJ9y4mIXuenkiqtiO_6jsl_v1Iic/s1600/IMG_6611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The first Indian director of Colaba Observatory." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIlE7iDCcW3kklpA6rMtBMUNTNozszVj-chMjTdx_T6LMhU8U_l8Vh4qaT3G3sfZ0Oj-7FT-IUVOtWrLC-P-4B5JDkl1VMfA4Ohh5FBDFTpy7hI6vJ9y4mIXuenkiqtiO_6jsl_v1Iic/s1600/IMG_6611.JPG" height="200" title="N.A.F.Moos" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">N.A.F. Moos</td></tr>
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In 1900, the British Indian government decided to electrify tram service in Bombay and it was a threat to the magnetic observations at Colaba. Dr. N.A.F. Moos found an alternative place at Alibaug, 30km away from Bombay. The observations were carried out both at Colaba and at Alibaug for two years from 1904 to 1906, and it was confirmed that both the stations gave the same observations.<br />
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In 1971, the Colaba-Alibaug observatories were converted into an autonomous research organization called the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG). Till then it was part of IMD, the Indian Meteorological Department. At present, the IIG runs over ten observatories acrosss India.</div>
Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-82081477254062520182013-05-15T09:30:00.002-07:002014-04-26T19:13:34.214-07:00Leaving Tamil Nadu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After my Masters course done from Tiruchi, I decided that I will never go back to Tamil Nadu again. Why I wanted to come out of Tamil Nadu? Even though I did not have some serious reasons for that, I think there must be some factors that insist me to run away from Tamil Nadu. Main issue may be related to the climate. Tamil Nadu's climate is not pleasant. In summer, it is too hot that I felt always that my brain will become some dry nut in a few minutes. In rainy days, all the shit lying in the dry lands got life and it was smelling foul through out the season. In winter, the climate it very dry. The surroundings will never give you any pleasure since the land is dry and gloomy and there are very few trees around. If this is the case why I should stick to one state alone? Why shouldn't I wander throughout the nation? It is as vast as the universe and rich and diverse in culture. I should feel the nation at least, instead of feeling the smell of one place alone!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMywIaDkfg_ZmoqQOpQXJkZaQa4xQLCSX9SJj2BKYF4g2HTxs4QCpwSvEEGDSnFHw1Uj8V8_h9r5OqbA0cVFoYGqHgpbtGhrfoA1gGJrcMplsdziqgMlR5XnKhtgjiv1qp_zNx9xM5HI/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMywIaDkfg_ZmoqQOpQXJkZaQa4xQLCSX9SJj2BKYF4g2HTxs4QCpwSvEEGDSnFHw1Uj8V8_h9r5OqbA0cVFoYGqHgpbtGhrfoA1gGJrcMplsdziqgMlR5XnKhtgjiv1qp_zNx9xM5HI/s320/1.jpg" height="130" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">At University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai</span></td></tr>
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But the people in Tiruchi were really good. They are in general not selfish and ready to help and share. This is the only thing that make you survive in Tamil Nadu. Everyone is a Sir there. It was shocking for me when a bus conductor called me 'Sir' for the first time when I came to join my college, on way from Tiruchirappalli junction railway station to Tollgate bus stop, where my college is situated! When studying in schools and colleges back in Kerala, we were always treated like pigs by the bus conductors. Because students were supposed to give only 25 percentage of the total bus fare while going to and coming from our institutions, these private bus crew always felt that it is a loss for them! Anyway I felt very happy for being called as 'Sir' by an elder man!<br />
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After my Masters in Tiruchi, I was forced to go to Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu. There things were a bit different. winter was somewhat better than in Tiruchi and summer was not so intolerable because of trees there. But during rainy season, all the black filthy wastes flowing down through the drainage tunnels would come out. After six months in Chennai, working as an online teacher in a multinational company, I left Tamil Nadu thinking that I will never come back again. But Tamil Nadu was calling me again and again back. I got admission for higher studies in the Department of Theoretical Physics of the University of Madras. The campus was greenish and it was close to a conserved forest: the Guindy national park, just a road separating them. Lots of bucks and monkeys roamed around the campus. Summer did not came into the soil there due to the density of the trees there. I was happy there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">The Observatory In A Rainy Day</span></td></tr>
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I decided this is my last year in Tamil Nadu and I will never comeback here again. But again things went against my wishes. I got my PhD admission in Tirunelveli in the southern Tamil Nadu. The most severe climate was awaiting there for me. The hottest place I have ever gone. The institute was some fifteen kilometers away from the city. It was a remote village. I was never been to such a remote village before. In rainy times the village was excellent, but unfortunately there was no rain most of the days. One month in a year was supposed to give some rain. In that one month, only a few days were really rainy. Surrounding places had a bit more rain but this village did not have, a drought hit area! I thought that I can never come out of Tamil Nadu as some years are needed to complete the PhD. I slowly drove out my wish from my mind. I was slowly getting ready to accept the truth. I don't know why I wanted to go somewhere so desperately. May be the wanderer in me was doing that! So I was at that beautiful place.<br />
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The nearest tea shop was three kilo meters away, a town called Seydunganallur had almost everything needed in our day to day life, the only problem was the distance. Daily I walked to Seydunganallur in the evenings for a cup of tea and some snacks and to purchase some fruits. I got acquainted with a few villagers. The town had a Police station, a railway station, few temples, two masjids and several churches here and there. Last month the town got a new ATM and a bank: the Karur Vysya Bank. It was a peaceful village. People called our institute by the name 'Aaraychi Mayyam' meaning 'research center'.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHV-TtviD9T5wREPOyDUIWm9-KqStbr54s_wsfwUIaS0yFSuRbUQxw3PhZrncBcpzg5w7XX9R7EyxxQlnvJLDZYpjYC3mKQC_dKIoYrqGbHDggnQXwPkI_A0nCgA2RKJgdtFiYAbu7a0/s1600/IMG_2817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHV-TtviD9T5wREPOyDUIWm9-KqStbr54s_wsfwUIaS0yFSuRbUQxw3PhZrncBcpzg5w7XX9R7EyxxQlnvJLDZYpjYC3mKQC_dKIoYrqGbHDggnQXwPkI_A0nCgA2RKJgdtFiYAbu7a0/s200/IMG_2817.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;">The Radar Ground</span></td></tr>
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Once I came to know that the villagers were of the conviction that the institute brings only misfortune to them. The radar antennas erected here and there in the institute were really irritating them. They even accused that rain didn't come to the village only because of these towers erected up towards the sky. Some signals are send to the clouds to stop raining! Curious people! They were intelligent even though these accusations were baseless. A man even told these things to me once while having tea and <i>samosa</i> at Seydunganallur. I told him the story is not right (at least to my knowledge). In spite of all the troubles and issues, I loved the place, may be because I was in the village feeling all the good and bad of it!<br />
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Now I am away from the place, got a transfer to the institute head quarters at Navi Mumbai one month back, when I was living in a peaceful village harmoniously with full love towards it. The destiny didn't allow me to go out when I wanted to. And I was driven out from this land when I did not want to go out. Life was quiet there, even though the hot burning climate irritated me. Last few years was full of oscillations in my life. From a big city (Chennai) to a very remote village and again back to another huge city (Mumbai): from crowd to an empty deserted land and again back to the midst of a crowd. Life has a lot of things to offer and those are not at all in our hands. Enjoy each of them, you like it or not.</div>
Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-64038846756809237952013-05-15T08:28:00.001-07:002013-05-24T22:00:43.101-07:00The Scientist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was a Tuesday when I first entered the Department of Theoretical Physics in the University. I was late by a month to join the class due to some difficulties in a school where I had been teaching physics.<br />
<br />
At a glance, the department fulfilled all the signs of poverty! In the background of other departments in the University and the neighboring AC Tech College, TP stood odd as a symbol of poverty. A small closed air-tight building resembled a goods wagon! Fragrances of cigarette smoke was filled in the whole department.<br />
<br />
Apart from all the faculty rooms, offices and labs, there was only two rooms: one class room and a seminar hall. The former was used by MPhil students and the latter as the MSc class room. Department library was always closed and if you enter in, you will feel as if you are entering into the dumping room of a government office. You will see a corner where it is written “Drinking Water” in white letters in blue background. But once you open the tap, nothing would come out, not even air!<br />
<br />
I entered into the class room. All other students were already there creating great pandemonium inside. When I entered, they looked at me, as if they were expecting me. I was the only non-Tamil fellow in the class.<br />
<br />
“Hi Kutty” A female voice from the left end of second row welcomed me. “Good morning”. She said. I wished a good morning back too.<br />
<br />
I got a chair near Balaji whom I had met when I came to write the entrance test in the department. “Hey Balaji, who is smoking inside department? The whole verandah smells very bad!”<br />
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“One professor here is a chain smoker. When he work seriously, smoke comes out of his room even though he closes the doors”. Balaji laughed.<br />
<br />
“No one have any problem with this smoke eh?”<br />
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“No one cares it”. He told. I just smiled and thought that was a strange place!<br />
<br />
“Ippa yaroda class?” I asked. “Narayan sir...” He replied. I recalled the name 'Dr. Narayan - Emeritus Scientist' at the bottom of the faculty list displayed in the ground floor. “...the smoker”.<br />
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“He is a great scientist, and a very strict and tough guy! Daily he ask questions, if you don't reply he would rebuke you like anything!” Balaji described him briefly.<br />
<br />
It was eleven thirty when a belly appeared outside the door. A palm was slowly circulating over the belly packed in pale red cotton shirt with an open button in the midlle and two at the top. The belly part of the shirt appeared more greasy too. Following this, an old smiling face appeared.<br />
<br />
As the white-mustached and bold-headed scientist revealed himself completely at the door step, the whole class fell into pin drop silence! This abnormal ambiance increased my heart beat rate. And of course, I know that here in this land, respect means fear!<br />
<br />
The whole class stood up. The scientist stepped towards the black board. Everyone sat down. The scientist looked all over the class and smiled holding his hands tight over the bald head. Pushing the belly forward, he smiled again. This position seemed to be his stable position! I scanned the strange man completely. His muddy slippers were torn and cracked here and there.<br />
<br />
“From my experience...” the scientist opened his mouth “....till last year, none of your seniors knew physics! None of them were eligible for their MPhil degree...” God!<br />
<br />
My heart beat rate shot up. I felt as if all my happiness of studying in that well-known department had gone. An unknown fear filled in the heart. I thought I will have to get fired each day by this fellow since I had little knowledge of my subject.<br />
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“...still they get their degree.” Scientist completed his line.<br />
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Oh, in a second, my mind jumped from a state of agony to a state of relief. At least they got their degree! I felt happy. Then the scientist started blaming the whole political and academic system in India. He rebuked the then CM of Tamil Nadu Mr. Karunanidhi for reasons which I did not understand.<br />
<br />
Scientist released his head from his hands, picked a piece of chalk and turned to the black board. “GROUP THEORY” He wrote slowly and legibly. Then he turned to us and shone the old smile again, which, this time created a panic among the students. Everyone expected a question to them.<br />
<br />
“What is a Group?” The scientist shouted aloud triggering prolonged vibrations in the iron windows opened outwards. Silence pervaded the whole class room. Scientist scanned the whole class room. Again he smiled. My peace of mind gone and fear slowly filled in. Everyone sat like statues without even eye movement!<br />
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“I don't like silence. If you know, utter the answer. Otherwise tell me you don't know the answer”. Scientist exploded.<br />
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“S..Sir...” a mild voice arose from the right end of the front row. The smiling face turned to that side. “..g..g groop is a set of elements that obey certain common rules..” All faces turned towards the savior.<br />
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“Very good...” scientist looked so happy. “..but what are those rules?” Came the next question. Silence again.<br />
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My situation was terrible. I was absolutely ignorant of group theory. This time no savior came. No one answered. Scientist got angry.<br />
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“This is what I have told you earlier. You don't even know what are the rules obeyed by the elements of a group! You are not even eligible for your masters degree. If I had the authority, I would have even canceled your masters degree. I am very anxious of the children you are going to teach. What will be the future of this nation?!!” As usual he rebuked the whole system and Mr. Karunanidhi specifically! I understood that Karunanidhi is his permanent enemy.<br />
<br />
Each word pierced my mind. I felt guilty of me. What he initially told was absolutely right. An MSc Graduate must know atleast the basics of group theory.<br />
<br />
Then scientist turned towards the fellow who answered the first question: “Better you be ignorant than knowing partially! Because partial knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance!”<br />
<br />
“What is a similarity transformation?” Came the next thunderstorm. “Tell me...” The scientist exploded “.....you tell me...” The finger pointed towards me. Scientist was shivering in anger. Darkness gushed into my eyes. I lost the presence of mind. My ears closed automatically. I stood up slowly. He received me with a smile: “come on”. I smiled at him meaning that I don't know the answer. Suddenly his face assumed a terrible look. He fired at me for several long seconds. “I am not a poet to write some lines impressed by your smile” My smile turned into a smirky expression. The frontbenchers got a nice saliva bath in the thunderstorm from the great scientist!<br />
<br />
Then he turned to the board. “Let A be a matrix..” I was surprised to know that matrix theory and group theory are relatives. I felt ashamed of my ignorance. Professor Narayan painted the whole board with matrices. What ever he explained was not at all audible. He used symbols with subscripts and superscripts. C, Xi, nu, n, N i, j ... they all were indistinguishable from each other. When he wanted to rebuke, he raised the voice and each word was audible and very clear to everyone both inside and outside the class room. I understood that this fellow is passionate of firing and threatening the students rather than teaching.<br />
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The marathon matrix painting was over by one-thirty. Scientist turned to us “Ok?” He asked with a smile as if he was satisfied with what he had been doing on the board. All of us shook heads meaning 'Yes' even though no one understood anything. Each one of us did not dare to ask questions to him. Scientist took his book authored by Michael Tinkham in hand and stepped towards the door slowly. On way, he told “better you refer Joshi” meaning the book on Group Theory by AW Joshi. He reached at the door and turned back, threw the chalk piece powerfully towards the black board. It hit over the board and fell down adding a thick white dot in the already white washed black board! The belly and professor went out of the class.<br />
<br />
Immediately the class fell into the initial pandemonium.<br />
<br />
“How is our scientist Kutty?” Balaji asked. “Terrible!!” I laughed aloud.</div>
Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7723044105025882185.post-35320851136538719102013-05-15T08:20:00.003-07:002013-05-24T22:01:02.726-07:00Return Journey Of A Desperate PhD Candidate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was not in a good mood since I was rejected admission for PhD in the institute. I wanted to escape to Delhi as earlier as possible. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) I got a current reservation to Sarai Rohilla in Delhi and ran to the train stationed in the second platform. I was happy to see a Tamil fellow sitting near me since I was more comfortable with Tamil than Hindi. I started talking with him. He was a financier in Chandigarh. People, mostly merchants, borrow money from him at a very high rate of interest. If they fail to return, this fellow use force to get the money or equivalent or more property back from them. He himself is doubtful if the money he had been earning and feeding his children was pure or not! I requested him to help me to get a bus to Jamia Nagar.<br />
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With him was a Delhi boy, Pappu as he called himself, aged around fifteen and obviously a slum-wallah. They met while coming to the station. He is from Delhi and he travels a lot. He spoke in high speed Urdu which I struggled to follow and frequently asked him to slow down. Most of the things I did not understand too! He thought I knew his language hearing my fractured Hindi!<br />
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At 10.30 night, the train reached Rohilla station. The Tamil fellow just left me saying good bye. I felt angry with him. But I was happy that atleast Pappu was with me. I asked Pappu how to go to Jamia Nagar where I have been staying with my friend. He told it is a bit away and in nights, it is difficult to get some bus. Let us see if metro rail service is there or not. I asked where Pappu wanted to go. He told me he also wanted to go near Jamia Nagar. I felt more happy. We came out of the station and asked someone where the bus stop is. We stood in the bus stop waiting for a bus. They just did not come and those which came did not stop. We wasted an hour or more standing there. I got scared and asked Pappu what to do. He told that we can walk to Old Delhi which is very nearby -actually it was not- and that getting bus or train is easy there. As we started walking, rain drops started falling. We ran and sheltered under the roof of a roadside tea vendor. Pappu ordered for omelet and tea. Rain was still showering. We were wet and felt very cool. We finished the tea and in between Pappu introduced me to the vendor as if they are friends for long! There was no signs that the showering rain would stop soon, therefore I insisted him to continue walk. We reached at Old Delhi. There also, we did not get any vehicles to Jamia Nagar. On the way, Pappu had been describing about his city very passionately. I loved the way he loved his city; he did it in a poetic way! Pappu decided that we must go to Red Fort in that mid-night!<br />
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My whole body was paining and the legs tired. We were walking through Chandni Chowk where there were no human beings. He told me Chandni Chowk is the most beautiful place in Delhi. In days, very beautiful girls come there for shopping! I understood that this fellow want to show me the whole Delhi over night! He was going on talking about Delhi in Urdu. I did not understand most of the things except that he loved Delhi and wanted to show me the whole Delhi over night if possible! I could not do anything I had to follow him. I cursed the moment I met this fellow. In a street, we saw women of various age wearing saris and lipstick standing here and there. He told me we can stay here if I was interested. I got scared and surprised that a small boy is interested in these kinds of activities. Pappu smiled at one of the girl as she looked at us, a middle-aged man tried to approach us. I held Pappu's hand forcefully and increased the pace of walk. The man walked away.<br />
<br />
By the time I was extremely exhausted and mentally prepared to sleep in the foot path. We reached in front of the Red Fort. I could not move my steps. I sat on a stone soaked in the rain water. Pappu asked to walk through the road and asked my name. I told my name. He was surprised to know that I was a Muslim. He told me he also is a Muslim and told his full name, which I don't remember now. Then he insisted me to visit Jama Masjid which was nearby. I told him this is very late and we cannot enter the Masjid. He insisted to walk and we saw the Jama Masjid on the other side of the road. Thanks to Pappu, I saw Jama Masjid, Red Fort and Chandni Chowk in the late night. Even though I have been in Delhi for the past one week, I had never visited any place there since it was extremely hot in Delhi in that May. I could never come out of the room I was staying in.<br />
<br />
The watch showed 2.30am. We moved to the nearby junction. Pappu called an auto and talked the driver in Urdu. Initially auto driver asked for 300 rupees which came down to 150 rupees. The auto was flying through the beautiful city and I was in a mood of relax in the auto. I felt as if I was in a boat sailing through the Chaliyar in the late nights. Pappu and the driver were talking very fast in Urdu. Even though he could sit in the back seat, he had sat with the driver on that small seat.<br />
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I called my friend Anees and told I will be there in Jamia Nagar by around 3.15. I got down near Batla house. Anees was waiting there. Pappu and Auto went towards Pappu's destination.</div>
Kuttyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02609378241656554993noreply@blogger.com0