Barbers in India….Hajmaayee….

I have been going to this barber right from childhood. When we were children, me, my brother, and my dad, all of us used to go to this guy. He used to be only guy those days in this area I suppose. He was very popular with the adults those days. When I was a teenager, I changed loyalties and used to go to this guy nearer to our house. This was because, this new barber was nearer to our age and had all these filmi magazines lying around, and was ok with us smoking in the shop. :) This was our main reason. Filmi magazines and Smoking. Then I left for the US and then whenever I came back, still used to go back to this guy. Then for some reasons, just stopped going to this guy and went back to the original barber shop.

Now this barber from my childhood, he thinks, no, not thinks, he is convinced that we have to listen to him since he knows us from childhood. So he is the quintessential authoritative figure we keep encountering in India and all over the world. And now, his son is also a part of the business and does most of the work, with the old guy watching over him. He corrects and scolds the kid so much in front of the customers, I am now sort of afraid to go when both of them are in the shop, and the kid attending to me. I fear that, if the kid has a knife in his hand (which he does most of the time), at one idiotic moment of rage, he might just cut up the customer. And me, I love getting my shave done at a barbers’, and after the shave a light massage with the Navratna oil they all use. This is one of those things I really miss in the US. Getting a shave!! :)

And this ‘Original’ barber, the old guy, he feels he has a proprietary hold over (atleast) my hair and my beard. Today I went to get a haircut done. And the kid was attending me. I was like the first customer of the day. The dad comes in to the shop, as the kid was about to start on me. And he says, where did you get your last haircut? It is so bad. Don’t those idiots know how to properly do a haircut and so on. Come on!! What can I say? I just go to a barbers’ shop and ask for a haircut. Close my eyes and open them, and Lo and Behold it gets done. Yeah, most of them are fresh out of Barber school, but that’s the way most of the chain places are. If we are lucky, we get an experienced person, if not, a green horn, thinking if they have to use a scissors or a machine? Should they cut it a bit, a lot and so on and so forth. It did pain me getting a haircut in the beginning when I was new to US but now, I am just used to it. If it is done bad, will bear it for a few days till the hair grows back rather than argue with them.

Then the kid starts my haircut (finally!!), and after he is done a quarter, the ‘dad’ starts, this the way you do?? You are going too short? Early in the morning, still sleepy, I was really pissed. :( I was about to give him a piece of my mind, but he went off to get some tea and I was left in peace.

But still on the over all, I love going to a barber shop and getting a shave and a light massage.

Ranting about Hyderabad and kids who are not familiar with it, studies and careers!!

Yesterday, went out to buy some books in Abids. Shanti and Varun (my uncle’s kids) also accompanied me. After buying the books, I said let us go and have some ice cream. So I took them to Famous Ice cream in Mozamjahi Market and ordered Seetaphal ice cream. This is the season for Seetaphal (custard apple) and is one of my favorite fruits. That is one fruit I do not mind eating at any time. Unfortunately, I haven’t been here in the season to get to eat in the past 10 yrs or so. And Famous Ice cream is really famous and is one of Hyderabad’s landmarks for those who are familiar with it. The ice creams are hand made and you also get these seasonal fruit ice creams depending on the season. And I thought we were lucky to get Seetaphal ice cream. Santhi and Varun each took a bite and pushed away the ice cream. They did not like it. And they finally ate Butter scotch. Then from there, we went to do some more shopping and I proposed lunch. At Basheer Bagh, I told them, lets eat at this place “Oris”(I think that’s the name. Its new, but well recommended) and Varun said, no, lets go to Paradise. This was an extremely good turn. I thought they can appreciate at least some of Hyderabad delicacies. So, off we go to Paradise. We went into the AC section, and I ordered kababs and Biryani for me. And what did they order???? Butter Nan and Paneer Butter Masala. Absolute disgrace!!! There is no other easy word for it. Eating Nan and paneer at paradise. I really felt the founding fathers (ok, no founding fathers for Hyd, but atleast the people of history who have eaten at paradise before) turning in the graves.

This is so sad!! These kids were born and spent all their life around Hyderabad. Whatever be the reason, going to Paradise and eating Paneer!!! How can kids miss out on Hyderabad? Kids today, in general, do not know where Chor bazaar is, what is in Salarjung Museum, Where and what is laad bazaar, the story of Charminar, the food of Hyderabad. L So sad!! I tell them, this is Ramzan season, let us go to Madina and have Haleem and roti, and they stare at me. They do not know what is qubbani ka meetha, do not know what qubbani is, in the first place.

All they know is Hyderabad central, Prasad’s Imax, snow world. How can such a thing happen? Are the parents to blame here, for not teaching the kids about their history and the greatness of their city? Or is the school system? Or the Media?

History in general is such a neglected topic in life. Today I was telling Amrusha (one of my nieces) some stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and in general history of AP. I was very glad that she was at least partly interested in those stories and asked some good questions. I never had anyone tell me any stories in my childhood. I had to read them up myself from the comics and up. Just for that reason, I always feel like I missed out on a lot when someone tells me their parents or grand parents tell them stories and so on. My parents were always behind us to study and study. I hated it so much. Why are parents in general so fixated on Math and Science? Why does everyone expect their offspring to become Engineers or Doctors? They are even ready to pay such huge fees for that. Don’t they realize that, those kids who do their Engineering and Medicine by spending so much, might actually harm the country and population more??

All these Engineers, coming out of college and they do not know even the basics of a circuit or basic conversions. It makes me so sad to see that our education system has become so skewed. God help people who go to those Doctors who have a degree but no brains. There is no awareness about other careers outside the Sciences. Why doesn’t the media create awareness about those other options available for people? Everyone wants to be a computer graduate. No one wants to invest time in research or history or even statistics for that matter.

India has already screwed up its population ratios and now it is screwing up the education system by giving college licenses to every one who applies. Norms are violated left and right. No one cares. And this is the worlds largest democracy with the most screwed up bureaucracy and even more idiotic law makers who come up with nonsensical laws. One thing they do not fail to come up with, are the salary hikes every year.

Oh my country! I weep for thou!!

Lousy politicians, lazy bureaucrats,

Greedy and corrupt,

They vie for ruining you the first.

Illiterate and an ignorant populace,

Who have a hazy idea about you and freedom,

Who do not care about you!

Oh my country!

Camouflaged by darkness,

Hunger, as bright as lightning

Ignorance, as loud as thunder.

Corruption seems like heavy rain,

And poverty is like deep floods!

Forget the past, leave today behind

Lets imagine a new future and a new beginning.

Lets look forward to that glorious future where

Its sunlight all around you and everyone is happy!!

:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

OSAMA BIN LADEN DEAD

Just heard that he died. Not sure how true this is. But looks the world is finally seeing justice atleast in his death.

:)

May be the world will have a little more peace now.

I suppose the airports today are the new Railway Stations. I have been hearing about and even watched 2 or 3 movies showing the same concept, most notably The Terminal starring Tom Hanks. But, I never really believed in it.

Today I was traveling from Strasbourg to Hyderabad via Amsterdam. Amsterdam was like a regular international hub. All sorts of things in there. Got a Massage done for 30 euros. It was really great. The masseuse said it was Japanese acupressure or something like that. It was really wonderful and worthwhile. Mainly back, hands and neck. Then saw 5 Japanese guys’ playing cards. I went there and watched them. They were playing a variation of Uno I believe. Watched them for a few minutes and then went around the airport. All sort of characters in the airports. Lovers, families, friends, and so on, meeting again, leaving each other, traveling together … J

Hey! Btw, I really got screwed by the airline guys. It seems I am only allowed a baggage allowance of 20 kgs. And I had 28 kgs. They made me pay almost 400 euros for those 8 kgs, which were basically unwashed clothes. So sad. I wonder if I will get remimbursed for it. And, what do these idiots think that you can carry in a 20 kg limit? Especially on an International Flight. The governments and the big corporations of Europe are hell bent on screwing the common man here. It is so sad. Compared to the life in US, this is so expensive and bad. Life there is more luxurious and you spend your time better there.

Thankfully not one face I know on the Hyderabad flight. I thought one person looked like Kanthi but again it was not so. I wonder why I like being alone when I am traveling. I suppose even others feel that way. When others do it openly it seems snobbish, but everyone to his / her own. The flight was comparatively empty. As the flight was about to leave, the stewardess told us to sit at other places if we wanted. And, jump I did. Went to the first row for that extra leg space, but the only bad thing were the arm rests. They did not lift up. Still something was better than nothing.

Finally reached Hyderabad. It was sort of Anti Climatic. :( Not sure if that is the right word.

But everytime I came back home in the past, I always used to feel this thrill. Not sure what is happening this trip.

But life in a general way looks good. It was very good to see Rambo. Oh! How I missed him. He was not ready to let me go. I will post his picture later on.

Some Moral Dilemmas

The following is a list of some moral dilemmas, mostly adapted from Moral Reasoning, by Victor Grassian (Prentice Hall, 1981, 1992), with a couple additions. The question to consider with all of these is why they are dilemmas. Some, however, may not seem to be dilemmas at all.

1. The Overcrowded Lifeboat

   In 1842, a ship struck an iceberg and more than 30 survivors were crowded into a lifeboat intended to hold 7. As a storm threatened, it became obvious that the lifeboat would have to be lightened if anyone were to survive. The captain reasoned that the right thing to do in this situation was to force some individuals to go over the side and drown. Such an action, he reasoned, was not unjust to those thrown overboard, for they would have drowned anyway. If he did nothing, however, he would be responsible for the deaths of those whom he could have saved. Some people opposed the captain's decision. They claimed that if nothing were done and everyone died as a result, no one would be responsible for these deaths. On the other hand, if the captain attempted to save some, he could do so only by killing others and their deaths would be his responsibility; this would be worse than doing nothing and letting all die. The captain rejected this reasoning. Since the only possibility for rescue required great efforts of rowing, the captain decided that the weakest would have to be sacrificed. In this situation it would be absurd, he thought, to decide by drawing lots who should be thrown overboard. As it turned out, after days of hard rowing, the survivors were rescued and the captain was tried for his action. If you had been on the jury, how would you have decided?

2. A Father's Agonizing Choice

   You are an inmate in a concentration camp. A sadistic guard is about to hang your son who tried to escape and wants you to pull the chair from underneath him. He says that if you don't he will not only kill your son but some other innocent inmate as well. You don't have any doubt that he means what he says. What should you do?

3. Sophie's Choice, not in Grassian.

   In the novel Sophie's Choice, by William Styron (Vintage Books, 1976 -- the 1982 movie starred Meryl Streep & Kevin Kline), a Polish woman, Sophie Zawistowska, is arrested by the Nazis and sent to the Auschwitz death camp. On arrival, she is "honored" for not being a Jew by being allowed a choice: One of her children will be spared the gas chamber if she chooses which one. In an agony of indecision, as both children are being taken away, she suddenly does choose. They can take her daughter, who is younger and smaller. Sophie hopes that her older and stronger son will be better able to survive, but she loses track of him and never does learn of his fate. Did she do the right thing? Years later, haunted by the guilt of having chosen between her children, Sophie commits suicide. Should she have felt guilty?

4. The Fat Man and the Impending Doom, with parts cut out in the 2nd edition; they seem to have gotten removed to avoid unintentionally humorous overtones.

   A fat man leading a group of people out of a cave on a coast is stuck in the mouth of that cave. In a short time high tide will be upon them, and unless he is unstuck, they will all be drowned except the fat man, whose head is out of the cave. [But, fortunately, or unfortunately, someone has with him a stick of dynamite.] There seems no way to get the fat man loose without using [that] dynamite which will inevitably kill him; but if they do not use it everyone will drown. What should they do?

5. The Costly Underwater Tunnel, compare: 112 men were killed during the construction of Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border (the "official" number was 98, but others had died from causes more difficult to identify -- or easier to ignore -- like by carbon monoxide poisoning): The first was a surveyor, J.G. Tierney, who drowned on December 20, 1922, and the last was his son, Patrick Tierney, who drowned on December 20, 1935 -- 13 years to the day after his father.

   Railroad Safety
   year	billions of passenger miles	fatalities per billion passenger miles
   1890	11.8	24.2
   1900	16.0	15.5
   1910	32.3	10.0
   1920	47.4	4.8
   1930	26.9	2.3
   1939	22.7	1.8
   1943	87.9	3.2
   1950	31.8	0.6
   1970	10.8	0.07

   The working conditions in the summer down in the canyon involved temperatures hitting highs of 119^o, with lows of no less than 95^o (familiar numbers to those who have visited the cities of Needles, Blythe, or Yuma in the summer). In 1931, about the time that Hoover Dam, a federal project (with private contractors), was begun, the Empire State Building, a private project, was completed. Although the rule of thumb had been that one man would die for every story built in a skyscraper, which would have meant 120 dead for the Empire State Building, in fact only 5 men died in the whole project. By comparison, in the earlier (1908-1913) building of the Los Angeles Aqueduct by William Mulholland (d.1935), it was also the case that only 5 men died (though when Mulholland's St. Francis Dam, in Francisquito Canyon, collapsed in 1928, it killed over 500 people). The Golden Gate Bridge cost 14 lives (or 11 -- the rule of thumb there was one life for each $1,000,000 of the project, with the bridge costing $35,000.000). The Tunnel under the English Channel, built in the early 1990's, cost 11 lives. When the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was being planned, the prediction was that 15 workers would die, but none did. Similarly, though much earlier (1927-1941), no one died during the carving of Mt. Rushmore. Even with such progress over time, the John Hancock Building in Chicago (1970) cost 109 lives, or, indeed, about one per floor, as predicted for the Empire State Building. While it is usually ordinary workers who suffer in construction accidents, it isn't always, as was the case with the Brooklyn Bridge, whose designer, John Augustus Roebling, died in a ferry accident in 1869 while surveying the site. His son, Washington Roebling, suffered such a severe case of the bends, working in a pressurized caisson in 1872, that he supervised the rest of the construction crippled in bed, sending instructions through his wife, until the bridge was completed in 1883. Overall, 27 died on the Brooklyn Bridge, 3 from the bends. It was many years before it was known what to do about this condition. Workers were still suffering from the bends when the Holland Tunnel was built in the 1920's. The chief engineer of the tunnel, Clifford Milburn Holland, died suddenly in 1924, aged 41, of "exhaustion." The tunnel, opened in 1927, was then named after him. The first tunnel under the Hudson, for railroads, was begun in 1874; but construction was abandoned, restarted, and not completed until 1908. All such bridges and tunnels eliminate the need for ferry boats. Even in recent years, ferry sinkings and accidents are common, and they still result in the deaths of hundreds of people at a time.

   An underwater tunnel is being constructed despite an almost certain loss of several lives [actually, all but certain]. Presumably the expected loss is a calculated cost that society is prepared to pay for having the tunnel ["society" doesn't make any such calculation]. At a critical moment when a fitting must be lowered into place, a workman is trapped in a section of the partly laid tunnel. If it is lowered, it will surely crush the trapped workman to death. Yet, if it is not and a time consuming rescue of the workman is attempted, the tunnel will have to be abandoned and the whole project begun anew. Two workmen have already died in the project as a result of anticipated and unavoidable conditions in the building of the tunnel. What should be done? Was it a mistake to begin the tunnel in the first place? But don't we take such risks all the time?

6. Jean Valjean's Conscience, with some comments; see the 1998 movie, Les Miserables, with Liam Neeson, Uma Thurman, and Geoffrey Rush.

   In Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, the hero, Jean Valjean, is an ex-convict, living illegally under an assumed name and wanted for a robbery he committed many years ago. [Actually, no -- he is only wanted for breaking parole.] Although he will be returned to the galleys -- probably [in fact, actually] for life -- if he is caught, he is a good man who does not deserve to be punished. He has established himself in a town, becoming mayor and a public benefactor. One day, Jean learns that another man, a vagabond, has been arrested for a minor crime and identified as Jean Valjean. Jean is first tempted to remain quiet, reasoning to himself that since he had nothing to do with the false identification of this hapless vagabond, he has no obligation to save him. Perhaps this man's false identification, Jean reflects, is "an act of Providence meant to save me." Upon reflection, however, Jean judges such reasoning "monstrous and hypocritical." He now feels certain that it is his duty to reveal his identity, regardless of the disastrous personal consequences. His resolve is disturbed, however, as he reflects on the irreparable harm his return to the galleys will mean to so many people who depend upon him for their livelihood -- especially troubling in the case of a helpless woman and her small child to whom he feels a special obligation. He now reproaches himself for being too selfish, for thinking only of his own conscience and not of others. The right thing to do, he now claims to himself, is to remain quiet, to continue making money and using it to help others. The vagabond, he comforts himself, is not a worthy person, anyway. Still unconvinced and tormented by the need to decide, Jean goes to the trial and confesses. Did he do the right thing?

7. A Callous Passerby

   Roger Smith, a quite competent swimmer, is out for a leisurely stroll. During the course of his walk he passes by a deserted pier from which a teenage boy who apparently cannot swim has fallen into the water. The boy is screaming for help. Smith recognizes that there is absolutely no danger to himself if he jumps in to save the boy; he could easily succeed if he tried. Nevertheless, he chooses to ignore the boy's cries. The water is cold and he is afraid of catching a cold -- he doesn't want to get his good clothes wet either. "Why should I inconvenience myself for this kid," Smith says to himself, and passes on. Does Smith have a moral obligation to save the boy? If so, should he have a legal obligation ["Good Samaritan" laws] as well?

8. The Last Episode of Seinfeld, not in Grassian.

   The cast of Seinfeld, Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer, have a layover in a small New England town. They witness a robbery in broad daylight. The robber has his hand in his pocket, and the victim shouts that the man has a gun. As soon as the robber runs away, a policeman appears on the scene; but instead of pursuing the robber, he arrests Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer for having violated the new "Good Samaritan" law of the town. Since the four of them spent the time of the robbery making fun of the victim, who was fat, their role in the matter doesn't look good, and at their trial everyone who has ever felt wronged by them in the course of the television series testifies against them. They are convicted. Is this just? What were they supposed to do during the robbery? Should they have rushed the robber, just in case he didn't really have a gun?

9. A Poisonous Cup of Coffee, with Jane and Debbie added for the sake of gender equality.

   Tom[/Jane], hating his[/her] wife[/husband] and wanting her[/him] dead, puts poison in her[/his] coffee, thereby killing her[/him]. Joe[/Debbie] also hates his[/her] wife[/husband] and would like her[/him] dead. One day, Joe's[/Debbie's] wife[/husband] accidentally puts poison in her[/his] coffee, thinking it's cream. Joe[/Debbie] has the antidote, but he[/she] does not give it to her[/him]. Knowing that he[/she] is the only one who can save her[/him], he[/she] lets her[/him] die. Is Joe's[/Debbie's] failure to act as bad as Tom's[/Jane's] action?

10. The Torture of the Mad Bomber. cf. Clint Eastwood's movie, Dirty Harry. Now, however, after 9/11/01, we have the case of terrorist suspects who may know of planned operations that could cost the lives of thousands. The otherwise four-square civil libertarian and Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz has actually suggested legalized torture to deal with such people.

    A madman who has threatened to explode several bombs in crowded areas has been apprehended. Unfortunately, he has already planted the bombs and they are scheduled to go off in a short time. It is possible that hundreds of people may die. The authorities cannot make him divulge the location of the bombs by conventional methods. He refuses to say anything and requests a lawyer to protect his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination. In exasperation, some high level official suggests torture. This would be illegal, of course, but the official thinks that it is nevertheless the right thing to do in this desperate situation. Do you agree? If you do, would it also be morally justifiable to torture the mad bomber's innocent wife if that is the only way to make him talk? Why?

11. The Principle of Psychiatric Confidentiality, cf. the 1997 movie, Devil's Advocate, and the 1993 movie, The Firm, on confidentiality between lawyers and clients.

    You are a psychiatrist and your patient has just confided to you that he intends to kill a woman. You're inclined to dismiss the threat as idle, but you aren't sure. Should you report the threat to the police and the woman or should you remain silent as the principle of confidentiality between psychiatrist and patient demands? Should there be a law that compels you to report such threats?

12. The Partiality of Friendship

    Jim has the responsibility of filling a position in his firm. His friend Paul has applied and is qualified, but someone else seems even more qualified. Jim wants to give the job to Paul, but he feels guilty, believing that he ought to be impartial. That's the essence of morality, he initially tells himself. This belief is, however, rejected, as Jim resolves that friendship has a moral importance that permits, and perhaps even requires, partiality in some circumstances. So he gives the job to Paul. Was he right?

13. The Value of a Promise, Compare with the role of David Cash in the murder of Sherrice Iverson by Jeremy Strohmeyer.

    A friend confides to you that he has committed a particular crime and you promise never to tell. Discovering that an innocent person has been accused of the crime, you plead with your friend to give himself up. He refuses and reminds you of your promise. What should you do? In general, under what conditions should promises be broken?

14. The Perjured President, not in Grassian.

    A long time Governor of a Southern State is elected President of the United States on a platform that includes strong support for laws against sexual harassment. After he is in office, it comes out that he may have used State Troopers, on duty to protect him as Governor, to pick up women for him. One of the women named in the national press stories as having been brought to the Governor for sex felt defamed because she had actually rebuffed his crude advances, even though he had said that he knew her boss -- she was a State employee. She decides to clear her name by suing the now President for sexual harassment. The Supreme Court allows the suit to proceed against the sitting President. Because the sexual harassment laws have been recently expanded, with the President's agreement, to allow testimony about the history of sexual conduct of the accused harasser, the President is questioned under oath about rumors of an affair with a young White House intern. He strongly denies that any sexual relationship had ever taken place, and professes not to remember if he was even ever alone with the intern. Later, incontrovertible evidence is introduced -- the President's own semen on the intern's dress -- that establishes the existence of the rumored sexual relationship. The President then finally admits only to an ambiguous "improper relationship." So the question is: Is it hypocritical of the President and his supporters to continued to support the sexual harassment and perjury laws if they do not want him to be subject to the ordinary penalties for breaking them?

The above article can be read at http://www.friesian.com/valley/dilemmas.htm

Copyright (c) 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005,2006 Kelley L. Ross, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved

My favorite place in the world.

Each time I am there, my mind is at perfect peace. :)

Whoever took this wonderful photo, thank you!!

Vaise bhi itnaa gham .........

This is posted as a jpg file. Click on it and zoom to read more clearly. This is in Hindi.

రేపు నేను ఇన్డియా వెల్తున్నాను. మదిలో ఎన్నో ఆలోచనలు, ఎందుకో కొద్దిగా గాబరాగ వుంది. వచ్చే సంవత్సరం చేయవలసిన పనులన్నిటికీ ఈ ట్రిప్ లో పునాది వేయాలి.

ఈ ట్రిప్ లో ఎవరిసోసము ఏమీ తీసుకువెల్లట్లేదు. శనివారం అశోక్ కలుస్తాను అన్నడు. కశ్యప్ ఈ వీకెండ్ అత్తారింటికి వెల్తున్నాడు. సో వాడిని సొమవారం నాడే కలవడం కుదురుతున్ది. కల్యాణ్, బాబు తో కూర్చుని #Dying Traditional Art Forms# కోసం కావలసిన విషయాలు చర్చించి, పూర్వపు #governmental policies and benificieries# గురించి #Right to Information# కిందా సమాచారం సేకరించాలి.

Muppvarapu Murali Mohan


Everytime I think about Karna, one person who comes to my mind is Muppvarapu Murali Mohan.
He is a friend from my Inter days in Vijayawada. He is driven by the sense of morality derived from the life of Karna (as shown in DVS Karna). Murali is a huge fan of NTR (the original one), is committed to Kammas, and so on. A typical hard core Vijayawada resident.

I once had a fight going on with another of my classmates for some time. This slowly got escalated and was almost creating trouble at the highest levels known to us those days. At one such time, Murali intervened on my behalf a resoved a very big row. Afterwards, he told me, Even though the argument/fight started justly, at that moment of time, I was in the wrong. He still supported me because I was a friend and my cause did not matter.

That day has passed and so many after that. I think about it a lot of times. I have even faced situations where I was in Murali's position. But the question still remains, were Murali's actions justified? Is that the way we should be?

That is a huge question for me always hanging over me.

Even though I have tried to emulate the same path, it has created a lot of sleepless nights for me. I have never fully justified my actions myself.

BTW, Murali today I believe still thinks the same way. He is now a citizen of Australia and lives a sucessful life in Sydney with his family.

Karna....

Growning up Karna was an idol to me. He still is a great character and gets a lot of respect from me.
One view of Karna can be that he may be your self sacrificing kind of guy, who knows his limitations, but tries to achieve personal fame through his deeds and actions. He might be selfish in this aspect. His aim was for eternal fame. :) (Atleast that is what I think, my personal opinion)
He is simply a very interesting Psychological study.

Karna did not suffer much different than a lot of other people either in his time or later times. That is not an excuse provided by him either. People assume it to be his excuse. That is all.
Karna knows he is not on the side of Dharma but still elects to honor his friendship with Suyodhana rather than jump the ship when it was sinking. He is honored and respected because of his decision to continue with Duryodhana. He elects to be a normal human being by giving up a lot of his god given advantages.

You also see that his conduct on the battlefield is beyond reproach. The moment he becomes the commander, he follows the dharma correctly and does not continue war after sunset. If you point out Abhibanyu’s death, karna attacks him in the beginning and breaks his bow and then just watches the killing. You also need to understand that he was under the command of Drona and had to follow orders.

Do you think Karna does not know he would die in the battle? He knows that his last fight with Arjuna would be the most crucial moment in his life. And he knows that his perceptor has cursed him to lose all knowledge of weaponry at the most crucial moment in his life. Karna, assuming that he is a person of normal intelligence atleast, can equate both.

From Pradip Bhattacharya's work:

For Karna, the fact of his inferior birth is a poison eating into his soul and impelling him to acts of incredible prowess. He conquers single-handed for Duryodhana all the territories that the four Pandavas had won for Yud’s Rajasuya Yajna. Once he even worsted the mighty Jarasandha, who gifted him the town of Malini in appreciation. For the same reason he took the vow of never refusing a mendicant, and thereby knowingly deprived himself of his invulnerability and his benefactor Duryodhana of sure victory.
It is karna’s inflexible determination to stick to his word, whatever the consequences, which leads to doom. It is of him that Yudhishthira is the most apprehensive. Krishna sets much store by Karna, Knowing that if he stands aside Duryodhana would not dare go to war. On more than one occasion Krishna tries to persuade Karna to join the Pandavas.
Unfortunately, Vyasa does not tell us of the inner workings of Karna’s mind and heart.
Karna, is a man divided against himself, yet undoubtedly noble in his silence about his mother’s secret and wise in his judgement. For, he tells Krishna not to reveal the secret to Yudhishthira who will invariably offer the kingdom to him and he will inexorably hand it over to Duryodhana. All his tremendous power has throughout been put in the service of adharma because of his profound sense of a lacerated ego.
Here is a hero who knows, that he is on the side of wrong, but is a slave of his word and will not shift to support what he knows to be the right. His greatness as a man shines radiantly in the fact that while he knows that he is battling his blood brothers, and is promise-bound not to slay them, they are all eager to kill this charioteer’s son! His slicing off the skin-armour and flesh earrings is an external symbol of the inner splitting-in-two of his very psyche. One part of him knows that Duryodhana’s plans are evil. This part in Karna is all that is admirable in a human being.

My Favourite Poem:

Abu Ben Adam - James Henry Leigh Hunt

•Abu Ben Adam (may his tribe increase)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace
And saw, within the moonlight of his room
Making it rich, like a lily in bloom
An angel writing in a book of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Abu Ben Adam bold
And to the presence in his room he said
'What writest thou?'
The vision raised its head
And with a look of all sweet accord
Answered: 'The names of those who love the Lord
'And is mine one?' said Abu.
'Nay not so' Replied the Angel:
Abu spoke more low
But cheerily still and said 'I pray thee then
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men'
The angel wrote and vanished. The next night
It came again with awaking light
And showed the names of whom love of God had blessed.
And lo! Ben Adam's name led all the rest.

This was a poem I read in I think 5th class in the English Text book. And since then it has always lurked in the back of my mind somewhere. Some of my actions, not some a lot actually, may have violated the essence of this poem, but since college, and since I have started earning, I believe I have respected the values in life and beleive in this poem more and more

Finally, going to India this weekend for a week.
This new jobs allows me to work offsite for a week once every 4 weeks. I have opted to travel to India instead of going back to the US.

This is very exciting! Just wondering at what I should shop and for whom!!
Just remember the idiotic expense my first France to India trip was in '98! $5k and still noone was happy. The luggage restriction is idiotic. What will I carry in 20kgs??

But it is still exciting. I have become a member of this online networking site courtesy of Triparna and it has been very useful.

Learnt so much History and Mythology. And, met a lot of people online who are also into Rural Development and so on. My life seems to be so small and insignificant compared to others knowledge, experience and goals.

:) Well, lets see what happens. If everything goes according to plan, I will be doing volutary work atleast for a few months starting in 3 months. And jobs in Europe seem to be good. Maybe I can get jobs here and travel to India regularly.

Strasbourg, France:

I am now working in Strasbourg, France. Interesting work, staying in an Apart Hotel. Not bad actually. Can travel a lot and see Europe all over again. Have been checking out some Museums also.
Strasbourg is in the Alsace region and is right on the Rhine River and borders France. This place has been under French/Prussian domination during the course of its history. The oldest building here is from the 13^th century, and I suppose still functional. I am not sure about that but, there is an ice cream shop on the ground floor.

Musee Alsacien:

This is a museum of folk art and very small. It basically shows the Alsatian way of life with its regional traditions, designs, etc. The display included farming instruments, household and kitchen goods, costumes, furniture, paintings, wooden masks, and other mementoes belonging to different communities of Strasbourg.

This was located in 3 very old buildings which themselves are I suppose relics and worth a visit. The building is from the 14^th or 15^th century. I am not sure.

It is not a real big museum but more to attract the tourist population who visit Strasbourg. It was well laid out and logically takes the user around. Depicts Farm, household life, entertainment/hobbies, craft, industry and so on. One difficult thing in Strasbourg is the language. Not knowing French is a huge negative here and makes life very difficult.

Musee Archeologique:

This museum is actually in the basement of the Rohan palace and it was the most interesting for me. It actually depicts the course of Alsatian History from Prehistory to 800 AD. It is an archeological museum and depicts Sculptures of the Bronze and Iron Ages with their arms, jewelry, decorated pottery, religious sculptures, frescoes, objects of everyday life in medieval Alsace and collection of glass objects.

Musee Des Arts Decoratifs:

The museum is divided into two parts – one is representing the apartments of cardinal Rohan and the other offers a collection of decorative artifacts dating from 16th century. The apartments show the beautiful ceilings, tapestries, and other décor. Also some busts and huge paintings. Antique furnishings, (actually a huge collection), porcelain, ceramics and so on. There were also clocks from 14^th century onwards and mechanical toys of the early 20^th century.

Musee des Beaux-Arts:

This is also in the Palace Rohan and house a very good collection of European paintings from the Middle Ages to 1870. The periods it covers are: Primitive Italian and Flemish works, Renaissance and Manierism, Baroque, Realism and Classicism in the 17^th -19^th centuries.

I am not at all familiar with art, but some of the names I did recognize are Goya, Boticelli and Rapheal.

Palace Rohan was built between 1732 and '42 as a residence for the Prince Bishop and was auctioned as a National Property in 1791, it was used as a Town Hall during the Revolution. In 1805, it was refurbished and used as an imperial palace by Napoleon. It was again restored and now houses three museums in it. Musee Archeologique in the basement, Musee Des Arts Decoratifs-1^st floor and Musee des Beaux-Arts-2^nd floor.

I did like this museum and will go back there to speak with the Curator and ask him questions. I first need to come up with what I want to ask though!!

But it was a good tour.