TRIBUTE for people who give their everything for us….

“Lt. Saurabh Kalia of 4 JAT Regiment of the Indian Army laid down his life at the young age of 22 for the nation while guarding the frontiers at Kargil. His parents, indeed the Indian Army and nation itself, lost a dedicated, honest and brave son.

He was the first officer to detect and inform about Pakistani intrusion. Pakistan captured him and his patrol party of 5 brave men alive on May 15, 1999 from the Indian side of LOC. They were kept in captivity for three weeks and subjected to unprecedented brutal torture, evident from their bodies handed over by Pakistan Army on June 9, 1999.”

They'd promised their families they'd come back soon. They more than kept their word. Went as mere men. Came back as heroes. In coffins.

"THEY GAVE THEIR TODAY FOR OUR TOMORROW"

Whenever we see /read/hear of a soldier, our hearts are filled with respect for their courage and sacrifice. My maximum help till now for another soul in this world is spending time with them, including them in my prayers or try to get them what they need. But what do our soldiers do…. They give up the small joys which matter the most – spending time with their parents, beloved wife, children, entertainment …. for what ? Honor for their country!!! Patriotism can make wonders isn’t it….?

I am surprised or should I say spellbound when parents are brave enough to send their beloved son whom they have brought up with so much dreams to the armed forces knowing that he may not return.

The below link has articles on some of the heroes of our Indian Army. You don’t have words to describe what you feel on reading about them – people who choose to give up food so as to carry more ammunition when they don’t know when they will get their next ration, Commanders who choose to go forward and die protecting their juniors, their fearlessness, their undying spirit when they know for sure they are going to be killed in a couple of minutes……

http://www.kashmir-information.com/Heroes/

Why today suddenly a post like this? I don’t think we need a special day to honour our great soldiers!! We can do nothing but pay our tributes for all their valour and sacrifices!!

Jai Hind!!!

Jai Jawan!!!

Changes in life :)

A lot is happening in my life that has kept me away from blogging for quite some time :) After a good stint of 5 years I am soon to leave my present Company Visteon in search of new lands… :) New place, new people, new experiences…. eagerly awaiting for the suspense to unfold :)

I joined as a fresher and it has been a long way since then. I will be leaving in a couple of weeks…. But still these memories would hold a special place in my heart :) First company is always special isn’t it :) the first time you take up responsibilities and handle problems. More than technical issues, I would say my learning in a greater part is in studying people. It is one of the most challenging ones. Fresh from college I continued the same innocent attitude and had a lot of experiences which transformed me into a more mature person :)

Equivalent to Visteon, Ispahani Centre the shopping/commercial complex which housed our company formerly also needs a special mention. Literally placed in the centre of the city it provided us with all amenities and entertainment in a hand’s reach. Be it food malls, snow bowling, boutiques, government offices (including IT office…IT means Income Tax :)), 10 minutes to Tnagar, 10 minutes to Marina Beach….Marrybrown and it’s famous veggie bugger, Ritu Kumar – we talk a lot about this…buying there….nah….it’s too cheap for us :), Sweetchariot and the celebrations we had there :) I spent most of my freetime with Vijay in Marrybrown and in the Ispahani stairs….. those were lovely days when we used to talk, fight, cry and laugh for hours together ...... We still continue to do in an abridged version managing with the time we have :)

V6kiddies – What is life without friends ….we are a set of freshers who joined together…. Now each one in a different place, going ahead in a different path but still always wishing for the best to happen in others lives :) It was Loga who first moved out of Visteon… ofcourse for a happy reason… her Marriage with Param :) We had a great farewell then :) the numbers started dwindling……soon maybe there will be no one here :) We are like a fresh bouquet of unique flowers :)

Change is the only constant thing in world …which makes life beautiful and interesting :) Let me wait and see what does this change add to my life :) :) :)

Super Singer Junior………

One of my most ecstatic moments of late was when watching Krishnamurthy sing “Sangeetha jaadi mullai” in the finals of the Super singer Junior. I was awestruck at his performance. What a talent :) a child prodigy is he :) I really wanted to meet him personally and convey my wishes :) An extremely difficult song well delivered :)

In the midst of serials which make you fret, get irritated and cry, Vijay TV often gives a welcome relief J Not spending lakhs and lakhs in getting blockbuster movies for weekends, not roping in the already famous anchors, formulating more of reality shows, they really stand a class apart from the regular Tamil TV channels :) Hats off to the team heading this :)

This competition I started watching only in the last couple of weeks :) I loved Vidyalakshmi (for her extremely good nurtured voice), Roshan (this cute kuzhandai who learnt a new language and sung so well.... he should have come to finals instead of Aparna), Balasaarangan (this always smiling kid) and Dhanyashree’s (a sweet nightingale) voices :) I did like Vignesh too very much till the finals….. no my dislike was not because of his musical performance. What he and Sai Charan displayed off the stage was what made me frown. Vignesh commenting Krishnamoorthy about singing the Sivaji song “avan adha kevalamaa paaduvan”…was really shocking for me. To insult a fellow participant in the media is something I don’t admire from anyone …. Not especially from small children…..Sai Charan was not even ready to say “All the best” for Krishnamoorthy!!

I admire a child not for her/his beauty but for the fact that it is a sweet blessing from God fresh and lovely :) :) :) That really shattered my liking for Vignesh and Sai Charan.

Anyways Krishnamoorthy was my best favourite J I started watching the show only after hearing him singing “Maanguyile Poonguyile” from Garagaatakaaran J Infact the event required the participants to sing the same song by changing it’s feel. Krishnamoorthy sang it in a pathos version…. Which almost made me cry!!!

I was really very very happy that Krishnamoorthy won the contest. These are all some simple things in life isn’t it J Watching your favourite to win the prize, favourite player hitting a sixer, favourite actor grabbing the award etc….

சென்னையில் ஒரு மழைக்காலம்

அட உண்மை தாங்க :) ஒரு வாரமா மழை ஜோனு கொட்டுது :)

ஆனா என்ன பண்ண? நாம தான் டெக்னாலஜி அது இது பீலா விட்டுட்டு நாலு சுவருக்குள்ளேயே நாளொரு பொழுதாய் கழிக்கறோமே ! காலை சூரியனை சோம்பேறித்தனத்தால் பார்க்கிறது இல்லை :) மாலை சூரியன் இருக்கே! மாலை-யா நாங்க "கடமைக்கு மறுபேர்" வாங்கினவங்களாச்சே :) இரவு இரண்டாம் ஜாமம் தான் வீட்டுக்கே போவோம் ...நிலா வேணும்னா பார்க்கலாம் :) :)

வருண பகவான் புண்ணியத்துல ரெண்டு நாள் முன்னாடி வீடு திரும்பும் போது நல்ல குளியல் :) (எத்தனை நாளுக்கு அப்புறம்?னு எல்லாம் கேக்கறது சரியில்லை) சில்லுனு காத்து வேற :) சூப்பரா இருந்துச்சு :)

மழை.....னு சொன்ன உடனே ஞாபகம் வரது......பள்ளி விடுமுறை தான் :) அடுத்து பஜ்ஜி, போண்டா, வேற்கடலை .....ஓ ஓ மேகம் வந்ததோ - பாட்டு....சின்ன வயசுல ப்ளாஸ்டிக் கவர்-ர தலைக்கு போட்டுட்டு சைக்கிள் ஓட்டினது.....அப்பா எங்களுக்காக எழுதின "வா வா மழையே .... வா வா மழையே" பாட்டு.....அம்மா சுட சுட பண்ற மைதா ஸ்வீட்.....ஜன்னலோர சாரல்....சொல்லிட்டே போகலாம்.....

இந்த நினைவுகள் தாலாட்ட .... நான் காத்திருக்கிறேன்.... விஜய்-க்கு வேலை முடிய ....அலுவலகத்தில் :) :) :)

Anbe Sivam !!!

Kovilnu sonna udane….Mudhalla enakku palichudaradhu anga kedaikara amaidhiyum negizhchiyum solla mudiyaadha aanandhamum dhaan. Naan chinna vayasula Thiruvanmiyur Marundheeswarar Kovil-la idha pala dhadavai anubavichirukken :)

The temple is set in an acre with Lord Siva as the presiding deity. Two beautiful five tiered towers or Raja Gopurams filled with parrots and pigeons, spacious Mandapams, Massive Pillars endowed with elegant carvings of all Hindu deities, lot of trees all along the pathway surrounding the temple, the vast tank in front of the temple are some of it’s features. I rarely go to temple during festivals/occasions. I like to go in a regular day when we can worship and enjoy the serenity of the temple at our own pace.

Why am I writing this suddenly? One of my visits with my husband Vijay sometime back to a temple didn’t give such a feeling to me. This certainly has nothing to do with my religious faith but rather to the attitude of people.

One Sunday (a couple of months back) I visited Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple along with Vijay. The spacious pathway which had been so exquisitely architectured by Pallavas is filled with a long maze of railing so as to make the devotees stand in queues. Velila dhaan ippadi senjuttaanganu ulla ponaa main pragaarathulayum railings. We had to wait 1 hour to have 1-2 minutes darshan after which you are forced to leave.

It’s not that I can’t wait. But the system is not right. A gang of people came from Ceylon – surely settled abroad. They went and spoke with someone and gained entry straight into the sanctorum. Isn’t everyone equal before God? It’s not that I cannot afford to pay these guys to get in. I don’t like to do that. God’s blessings can be got in the truest and fullest form even at our home. It’s not required to pay these guys and encourage such an act which will surely be against the will of God.

Something which happened that day still lingers in my mind….there was a poor watchman who was organizing the queues shouting at the maximum pitch of his voice so as to be heard amidst the noise of people…. His voice was so bad…. Something which we would have felt at a slighter extent when we prepare continuously for a speech/song competition during our school/college days….

He saw a devotee(?) coming inside with a Big Bisleri bottle …He asked him for a sip ….. That guy sharply replied “Idhu naan kaasu kuduthu vaanginadhu” and went straight…. I felt really painful and ashamed at this act….When he is not able to feel the pain of someone in front and help at the tiniest level how can he know/feel God?

Another thing which disturbs me is that non-hindus are not allowed in some famous temples. I am not able to accept/understand that some x or y can decide who can visit and not visit God in a temple?

I many times feel some people do not understand what is religion. If a person is trying to hurt someone else through thoughts or words or actions he/she cannot not be considered a pious person.

When you cannot see God in his creation who is the fellow human being how can he see God in a temple J

I am reminded of Kamal’s dialogue with Madhavan when he says that he sees God in him…..

Anbe Sivam !!!

Windows Vs Unix

This is one of the most exhaustively held debates in the IT circle. Everyone of us would have come through this atleast more than once. Isn’t it :) Recently I got into this discussion. So thought of sharing my views on this.

I know there are a lot of people who will immediately raise their hands for LINUX. There is no second say that Linux is far better than Windows in many aspects. But I personally feel that Windows and Linux should not be compared for the below reasons.

1) Windows is a product owned by a company due to which the following factors start influencing its quality --> Target dates to be achieved, limited resources etc. As a software engineer, I can realize that even if the Windows OS team finds a bug, if it doesn’t have time to run the whole time-consuming regression testing, they will just mitigate the risk and release it to the world to face it when they come. A timeline is a timeline and that can never be slipped in business. Even if Microsoft is one of the most profitable companies, it cannot employ infinite resources. Also even if they can lets see an analogy. 10 ppl can complete a task in 10 days…20 ppl may complete it in 5 days… but that doesn’t mean 50 ppl can complete it in one day. Some tasks require actual time with dependencies taken into account and not just man-time computation :)

2) Now coming to the point why is LINUX so robust and superior….. The below explanations from a website were so close to that of my perception…

-> It taps into the true motivation of programmers in a way that corporations often don't. Programmers are like artists ... They like to showcase their best stuff for their peers. In open source, they can. But at most corporations, their best work is hidden behind locked and guarded doors.
-> Because the software is free, there is no pressure to release it before it is really ready just to achieve some sales target. Every version of Linux is declared to be finished only when it is actually finished, which explains why it is so solid.
-> The other reason why free software is better is because the personal reputation of the developer is attached to every release.

3) Among other things, the article said: "...more than 50% of all [CERT] security advisories ... in the first 10 months of 2002 were for Linux and other open-source software solutions." This shows that no operating system is immune to bugs and security issues: As Linux grows in popularity, it will have its own full share of problems.

4) Problems faced by Linux currently........The open source community has fragmented into myriad competing segments, each with its own different, and increasingly quasi-proprietary, distributions of software. Huge numbers of new users of all skill levels have entered what once had been an experts-only enclave. (Even Wal-Mart now sells cheap PCs with Linux and open source applications preinstalled.) It's much harder to produce software for an audience of all skill levels running who-knows-what hardware, than for an audience only of experts running a limited subset of known-good hardware.

5) One more key thing: When the Linux/open source community was tiny, few hackers bothered to look for exploitable issues there. It simply wasn't an attractive target. In other words, it wasn't so much that Linux and similar software were truly free from exploitable holes, but simply that no one was trying to find them.

6) Want to know what Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Corporation feels about this discussion
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/execmail/2004/10-27platformvalue.mspx

Now I am not coming to conclude that Windows is better than Linux. I only want to point out that Linux is not an elixir. Linux and Windows are two separate entities which cannot be compared as a whole in general as they differ in a lot of attributes. Maybe we can rate either of them higher in one or more properties like robustness, user interface etc… Like we cannot compare and say that an X standard student is more intelligent than a VI standard student, we cannot compare a Small segment Car with a Full-size Car….

Nice phrase.....

தமிழின் மேன்மை அதன் தொன்மையில் இல்லை;

தொடர்ச்சியில் உள்ளது.

நான் சமீபத்தில் படித்த இணைய தளத்தில் என்னை மிகவும் கவர்ந்த வார்த்தைகள்…..