Monday, September 27, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Spirit of Mumbai
Exact Narration by an auto-rickshaw passenger
By Suvendu Roy of Titan Industries, who shares his inspirational encounter with a rickshaw driver in Mumbai: Last Sunday, my wife, kid, and I had to travel to Andheri from Bandra.
When I waved at a passing auto rickshaw, little did I expect that thisride would be any different...
As we set off, my eyes fell on a fewmagazines(kept in an aircraft style pouch) behind the driver's backrest.
I looked in front and there was a small TV. The driver had put on theDoordarshan channel.
My wife and I looked at each other with disbelief and amusement. Infront of me was a small first-aid box with cotton, dettol and somemedicines.This was enough for me to realise that I was in a special vehicle.
Then I looked round again, and discovered more - there was a radio, fireextinguisher, wall clock, calendar, and pictures and symbols of allfaiths
- from Islam and Christianity to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism.
There were also pictures of the heroes of 26/11- Kamte, Salaskar, Karkareand Unnikrishnan.
I realised that not only my vehicle, but also mydriver was special.I started chatting with him and the initial sense of ridicule anddisbelief gradually diminished.
I gathered that he had been driving anauto rickshaw for the past 8-9 years; he had lost his job when hisemployer's plastic company was shut down.
He had two school-goingchildren, and he drove from 8 in the morning till 10 at night.
No break unless he was unwell. "Sahab, ghar mein baith ke T.V dekh kar kya faida? Do paisa income karega toh future mein kaam aayega." We realised that we had come across a man who represents Mumbai –the spirit of work, the spirit of travel and the spirit of excelling inlife.
I asked him whether he does anything else as I figured that he did nothave too much spare time.
He said that he goes to an old age home forwomen in Andheri once a week or whenever he has some extra income, wherehe donates tooth brushes, toothpastes, soap, hair oil, and other itemsof daily use.
He pointed out to a painted message below the meter thatread: "25 per cent discount on metered fare for the handicapped.
Free rides for blind passengers up to Rs. 50.
My wife and I were struck with awe. The man was a HERO! A hero who deserves all our respect!!! Our journey came to an end; 45 minutes of a lesson in humility, selflessness, and of a hero-worshipping Mumbai, mytemporary home. We disembarked, and all I could do was to pay him a tip that would hardly cover a
free ride for a blind man. I hope, one day, you too have a chance to meet Mr Sandeep Bachhein his auto rickshaw: MH-02-Z-8508.
----------------------------------------------------------
This is probably the best forwarded email I've ever gotten, and it's from my Mom :D
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Twitter ‘onmouseover’ security flaw widely exploited
It looks like many users are currently using the flaw for fun and games, but there is obviously the potential for cybercriminals to redirect users to third-party websites containing malicious code, or for spam advertising pop-ups to be displayed.
Hopefully Twitter will shut down this loophole as soon as possible - disallowing users to post the onMouseOver JavaScript code, and protecting users whose browsing may be at risk.
Some users are also seemingly deliberately exploiting the loophole to create tweets that contain blocks of colour (known as "rainbow tweets"). Because these messages can hide their true content they might prove too hard for some users to resist clicking on them.
I like the fail whale better
Monday, September 20, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Herbal Cigarette
As 43-year-old S Radhakrishnan holds up a cigarette and starts explaining its healing and medicinal properties, one could only stare at him in disbelief. The cigarette he is holding in his hand is not the usual kind available in stores. This one is special – an herbal, 100 percent tobacco free cigarette! If the cigarette has the properties that Radhakrishnan claims it has, it could be the panacea smokers wanting to kick the habit have been seeking.
Herbal cigarettes may not be new to the world. Wikipedia lists about twenty such brands, but none of them seem to be popular among Indian smokers. L Prema, a psychologist at the tobacco resource centre in Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai, told The Weekend Leader, “Nicotine gums are available in the market, which we recommend to people who want to quit smoking. But as far as I know, there is nothing like an herbal cigarette available in India.”
According to Radhakrishan, a Coimbatore based psychologist, who is also an emerging motivational speaker at schools and corporate institutions, the herbal cigarette is a far less harmful substitute to tobacco cigarettes. “I am not claiming its hundred percent safe, but I can assure you it’s far better than a tobacco stuffed cigarette,” he says.
A small room adjoining his house is the “factory” where herbal cigarettes are made by two women employees using a tiny imported machine. Twelve ingredients including pepper, ginger, and turmeric are used in the cigarettes. The cigarettes are put inside attractive packets carrying the brand name, HOPE.
Launched first in 2000, the cigarettes were sold at a couple of places in Coimbatore including the popular Nilgiris Departmental Stores. “I used to have loyal customers, though we made only a few hundred packets a month. Even doctors recommended it to their patients who wanted to quit smoking. Some managed to quit also,” says Radhakrishnan.Production was stopped three years ago. The product was re-launched a couple of weeks ago with plans to expand the business slowly. Dr S Arivazhagan, a diabetologist, practicing in Coimbatore told The Weekend Leader that some of his patients reported increased appetite and a better sleeping pattern after using the cigarettes.
According to Radhakirshnan, the Indian Tobacco Research Institute at Rajmundry had endorsed the sample of ingredients used in his herbal cigarettes as tobacco free. One of his brands, though, has thirty percent tobacco content in it. “It is for those who would find it too difficult to quit tobacco all of a sudden,” he says.
Prices of the herbal cigarettes are on par with leading tobacco brands in the country.
Anti-smoking campaigners though are restrained while commenting on the herbal cigarette. Prema at Adyar Cancer Institute feels a scientific study on the effects of the herbal cigarette on smokers could reveal more details.
ummm,,.....
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
My meeting with Rahul Gandhi : Abdul Chowdhury (via @greenrains)
Rahul Gandhi, in retrospect, gave me the impression of an aristocratic patrician: brought up around Prime Ministers, Economists and Cabinet Secretaries, the man is extremely sharp, suave and most importantly, convinced, and that helps him frame his arguments in such a way so as to win over people, and also give him that touch of sincerity. His heart is in the right place, and he wants to do good, but like they say, the most dangerous enemy is the one with a clear conscience. So I'm curious as to the Prince will rule the Kingdom, and i'm also a little terrified.
An enlightening read.
I really like the articulation of Arnab, and am glad that he brings to light that critical thinking is more than alive in Indian politics, or at least will be in its future.
Coitus interruptus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This method was used by an estimated thirty-eight million couples worldwide in 1991.
Why is this the THIRD sentence in the article?
