The renaming 'keeda' (hindi for worm) has finally caught up with the politicians of Kerala. There is demand that the state should be renamed as Keralam as that is how most Malayalees pronounce the word.
By this logic it could also be renamed as Keral as rest of India pronounces Kerala as Keral.
It could also be renamed as Kera as Keralam means land of Kera (coconut trees).
Being an SMS generation, Ker would be more popular.
Best would be just K. Imagine a state which has a single character K as its name. No other country or state in the world has a single character name. Soon there will be demand to rename India as I and USA will try to register U before United Kingdom or Uganda does.
Kids learning history will learn that between 1964 and 1975 U fought with V (Vietnam) and I was wondering what to do!
It is so sad that after building a global brand of Kerala, petty politics wants to undo all the effort. Anyway, as Shakespeare said in Romeo and Juliet, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet".
By the way, how is Kerek. Like Malayalam, Kerek would be a palindrome ( a word that can be read the same way in either direction).
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Why Indian Students are attacked abroad......
Received this mail as a forward. Don't know the source, but was forwarded by my friend Anand Shah. Replicating it without permission as the piece is funny and readers will enjoy.
Why Indian Students are attacked abroad...... .....
It was the first day of a school in USA and a new Indian student named Chandrasekhar Subramanian entered the fourth grade.
The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History.
Who said 'Give me Liberty , or give me Death'?"
She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Chandrasekhar, who had his hand up.
'Patrick Henry, 1775' he said.
'Very good! Who said 'Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?'' Again, no response except from Chandrasekhar.
'Abraham Lincoln, 1863' said Chandrasekhar.
The teacher snapped at the class, 'Class, you should be ashamed. Chandrasekhar, who is new to our country, knows more about our history than you do.'
She heard a loud whisper: 'F___ the Indians,'
'Who said that?' she demanded.
Chandrasekhar put his hand up.'General Custer, 1862.'
At that point, a student in the back said, 'I'm gonna puke.'
The teacher glares around and asks 'All right! Now, who said that?'
Again, Chandrasekhar says, 'George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991.'
Now furious, another student yells, 'Oh yeah? Suck this!'
Chandrasekhar jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to the teacher, 'Bill Clinton, to Monica Lewinsky,1997'
Now with almost mob hysteria someone said 'You little shit. If you say anything else, I'll kill you.'
Chandrasekhar frantically yells at the top of his voice, ' Michael Jackson to the child witnesses testifying against him, 2004.'
The teacher fainted. And as the class gathered around the teacher on the floor, someone said, 'Oh shit, we're screwed!'
And Chandrasekhar said quietly, 'I think it was Lehmann Brothers, November 4th, 2008'.
Regards,
Ayyappan Swamy
Why Indian Students are attacked abroad...... .....
It was the first day of a school in USA and a new Indian student named Chandrasekhar Subramanian entered the fourth grade.
The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History.
Who said 'Give me Liberty , or give me Death'?"
She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Chandrasekhar, who had his hand up.
'Patrick Henry, 1775' he said.
'Very good! Who said 'Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?'' Again, no response except from Chandrasekhar.
'Abraham Lincoln, 1863' said Chandrasekhar.
The teacher snapped at the class, 'Class, you should be ashamed. Chandrasekhar, who is new to our country, knows more about our history than you do.'
She heard a loud whisper: 'F___ the Indians,'
'Who said that?' she demanded.
Chandrasekhar put his hand up.'General Custer, 1862.'
At that point, a student in the back said, 'I'm gonna puke.'
The teacher glares around and asks 'All right! Now, who said that?'
Again, Chandrasekhar says, 'George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991.'
Now furious, another student yells, 'Oh yeah? Suck this!'
Chandrasekhar jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to the teacher, 'Bill Clinton, to Monica Lewinsky,1997'
Now with almost mob hysteria someone said 'You little shit. If you say anything else, I'll kill you.'
Chandrasekhar frantically yells at the top of his voice, ' Michael Jackson to the child witnesses testifying against him, 2004.'
The teacher fainted. And as the class gathered around the teacher on the floor, someone said, 'Oh shit, we're screwed!'
And Chandrasekhar said quietly, 'I think it was Lehmann Brothers, November 4th, 2008'.
Regards,
Ayyappan Swamy
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Water show at Akshardham Temple, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
On our visit to Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar (Gujarat), we were witness to a wonderful water show at the Akshardham temple.
It's a one of a kind laser show where a nine-year-old Nachiketa questions the lord of death Yama. The conceptualization and execution is so brilliant that chances are you will not forget the encounter for years to come.
This technical masterpiece was directed by Yves Pepin, who had also directed the inaugural and concluding ceremonies at the Olympic Games in China.
A unique blend of modern pyrotechnics with ancient wisdom culminates in a never before experience.
I was zapped with a sequence wherein Nachiketa travels to the netherworld. A child actor is shown walking up a fleet of stairs. Along the way the actor is replaced a video. The child is shown floating in air to enter the kingdom of Yama, God of death. The sequence is so seamless that you cannot make out when the actor was replaced by an image. Simply superb.
On meeting Yama, he questions him as to why humans are afraid of him. Yama demonstrates that he can use elements like water, fire, wind etc to create fear in the mind of human being. This demonstration is creative stroke that helps in showcasing modern pyrotechnics.
As the questioning continues, Yama find the going tough and decides to tempt Nachiketa with gifts that could floor anyone. Once again the director has enough scope to showcase techniques that can be blended with the story.
By the time the show concludes, you leave the venue in a daze. Feels like the 45 minute show ended in a few seconds.
Hope I am able to watch the show once more in the near future.
Youtube link to a promotional video of this event.
Sat-Chit-Anand water show.
The link above is only a promotional video released by the organizers. As cameras were not allowed inside the complex, we have to make do with this promotional video.
If you decide to travel to Gandhinagar only to witness the show it is worth the trouble. Don't visit on Saturday, Sunday or holidays, chances are you will have to return without watching the show due to a full house!!
There are no shows on Mondays. Tickets for the 7.30 show is available only after 4pm.
It's a one of a kind laser show where a nine-year-old Nachiketa questions the lord of death Yama. The conceptualization and execution is so brilliant that chances are you will not forget the encounter for years to come.
This technical masterpiece was directed by Yves Pepin, who had also directed the inaugural and concluding ceremonies at the Olympic Games in China.
A unique blend of modern pyrotechnics with ancient wisdom culminates in a never before experience.
I was zapped with a sequence wherein Nachiketa travels to the netherworld. A child actor is shown walking up a fleet of stairs. Along the way the actor is replaced a video. The child is shown floating in air to enter the kingdom of Yama, God of death. The sequence is so seamless that you cannot make out when the actor was replaced by an image. Simply superb.
On meeting Yama, he questions him as to why humans are afraid of him. Yama demonstrates that he can use elements like water, fire, wind etc to create fear in the mind of human being. This demonstration is creative stroke that helps in showcasing modern pyrotechnics.
As the questioning continues, Yama find the going tough and decides to tempt Nachiketa with gifts that could floor anyone. Once again the director has enough scope to showcase techniques that can be blended with the story.
By the time the show concludes, you leave the venue in a daze. Feels like the 45 minute show ended in a few seconds.
Hope I am able to watch the show once more in the near future.
Youtube link to a promotional video of this event.
Sat-Chit-Anand water show.
The link above is only a promotional video released by the organizers. As cameras were not allowed inside the complex, we have to make do with this promotional video.
If you decide to travel to Gandhinagar only to witness the show it is worth the trouble. Don't visit on Saturday, Sunday or holidays, chances are you will have to return without watching the show due to a full house!!
There are no shows on Mondays. Tickets for the 7.30 show is available only after 4pm.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
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