This is what i saw in a Pakistan news link
http://www.apakistannews.com/republic-day-of-india-2010-26th-january-158394
They criticize when they are not even there where we are.....
The pathetic new version of the legendary song "mile sur mera tumhara"...it is not so appealing because the one we saw as kids were having legendary and noted personalities... not just movie actors/actresses or music directors.... the only part which could be liked was Salman Khan's bit... he is at least a person who tries to be good unlike so many , for ex SRK...who is just so sissy and drama queen... sometimes i think he is from the third gender
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
new challenges
How many times in your career as Application Support and Maintenance Team member/leader you would have heard that "KT in progress and we would start working on the issues from so-so date with minimal or less assistance from seniors or the functional team?" .... a minimum 10 times in 10 years right?...
yeah, this is what i had to hear on the this months team meeting with the manager's manager's manager.. :) ... Actually i have completed just 32 days in this organization , of which many days went off without having any plans from the PL nor the other team members who are supposed to start the KT. Being a new joinee i cannot go to them and ask what is the plan, i can just request... tell me is there any other way out for this?
well , after couple of days they had put the plan. But i had told the PL clearly that putting a plan always does not mean it would be done by then. You also need to put the date also else i cannot go to the senior team members and ask for KT. If there is a date to which the have agreed upon, then they would make time and give me KT and things will go as planned. for one module, i guess the KT is almost done. for another the process is on. SO we are much on the target. But i feel my manager's manager's manager is bit impatient on the resources. I am not angry on him for him as he said you need to start working on PRODUCTION soon... i very well appreciate it as i now have a reason to force my seniors to give me KT.
One thing about which i am happy is , during my 6+ years of Professional expreience and having worked on 6 different projects, for the first time i am receiving KT on things which i will be working.. is it not a big change? , a big positive change...
i hope this continues, i would learn more and perform more than my manager's manager's manager's expectations... my dream of becoming a Migration expert with BANKING functional knoweldge needs to be realised and hence i am ready for the challenge.
ALL IZ WELL....
yeah, this is what i had to hear on the this months team meeting with the manager's manager's manager.. :) ... Actually i have completed just 32 days in this organization , of which many days went off without having any plans from the PL nor the other team members who are supposed to start the KT. Being a new joinee i cannot go to them and ask what is the plan, i can just request... tell me is there any other way out for this?
well , after couple of days they had put the plan. But i had told the PL clearly that putting a plan always does not mean it would be done by then. You also need to put the date also else i cannot go to the senior team members and ask for KT. If there is a date to which the have agreed upon, then they would make time and give me KT and things will go as planned. for one module, i guess the KT is almost done. for another the process is on. SO we are much on the target. But i feel my manager's manager's manager is bit impatient on the resources. I am not angry on him for him as he said you need to start working on PRODUCTION soon... i very well appreciate it as i now have a reason to force my seniors to give me KT.
One thing about which i am happy is , during my 6+ years of Professional expreience and having worked on 6 different projects, for the first time i am receiving KT on things which i will be working.. is it not a big change? , a big positive change...
i hope this continues, i would learn more and perform more than my manager's manager's manager's expectations... my dream of becoming a Migration expert with BANKING functional knoweldge needs to be realised and hence i am ready for the challenge.
ALL IZ WELL....
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
a talk with manager
As usual work is going on fine.
Had few bad habits of missing some hours, but compensating the same day. But my manager gave a small hint that he is getting comments from some people( i doubt it, probably our senior team might ) have commented on me leaving as per the time ( 8 hours of work as mandated by the company).
This is the big problem in INDIA. even if you work for 8 hours completely people are not happy because they are not going home early as per time. May be our people in india think staying longer is hard work which is noticed by manager. What ever be the logic, i need to be more disciplined and not get the same remarks again. I need to put lots of hardwork and get recognized by the manager ... cause i want to grow in my career....
Had few bad habits of missing some hours, but compensating the same day. But my manager gave a small hint that he is getting comments from some people( i doubt it, probably our senior team might ) have commented on me leaving as per the time ( 8 hours of work as mandated by the company).
This is the big problem in INDIA. even if you work for 8 hours completely people are not happy because they are not going home early as per time. May be our people in india think staying longer is hard work which is noticed by manager. What ever be the logic, i need to be more disciplined and not get the same remarks again. I need to put lots of hardwork and get recognized by the manager ... cause i want to grow in my career....
Friday, January 15, 2010
Soorya Grahana
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth so that the Sun is fully or partially covered. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from the Earth. At least two and up to five solar eclipses can occur each year on Earth, with between zero and two of them being total eclipses.[1][2] Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any location because during each eclipse totality exists only along a narrow corridor in the relatively tiny area of the Moon's umbra.
A total solar eclipse is a spectacular natural phenomenon and many people travel to remote locations to observe one. The solar eclipse of August 11, 1999 in Europe helped to increase public awareness of the phenomenon, as illustrated by the number of journeys made specifically to witness the total solar eclipse of October 3, 2005 and the total solar eclipse of March 29, 2006. The recent solar eclipse of January 26, 2009, was an annular eclipse (see below), while the solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 was a total solar eclipse.
The next annular event is the Solar eclipse of January 15, 2010 and the next total event is the solar eclipse of July 11, 2010.
In ancient times, and in some cultures today, solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes. Total solar eclipses can be frightening for people who are unaware of their astronomical explanation, as the Sun seems to disappear in the middle of the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes.
There are four types of solar eclipses:
A total eclipse occurs when the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon. The intensely bright disk of the Sun is replaced by the dark silhouette of the Moon, and the much fainter corona is visible. During any one eclipse, totality is visible only from at most a narrow track on the surface of the Earth.
An annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line, but the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun. Hence the Sun appears as a very bright ring, or annulus, surrounding the outline of the Moon.
A hybrid eclipse (also called annular/total eclipse) transitions between a total and annular eclipse. At some points on the surface of the Earth it is visible as a total eclipse, whereas at others it is annular. Hybrid eclipses are comparatively rare.
A partial eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are not exactly in line and the Moon only partially obscures the Sun. This phenomenon can usually be seen from a large part of the Earth outside of the track of an annular or total eclipse. However, some eclipses can only be seen as a partial eclipse, because the umbra never intersects the Earth's surface, passing above the Earth's polar regions.
The Sun's distance from the Earth is about 390 times the Moon's distance, and the Sun's diameter is about 400 times the Moon's diameter. Because these ratios are approximately the same, the Sun and the Moon as seen from Earth appear to be approximately the same size: about 0.5 degree of arc in angular measure.
The Moon's orbit around the Earth is an ellipse, as is the Earth's orbit around the Sun; the apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon therefore vary.[4][5] The magnitude of an eclipse is the ratio of the apparent size of the Moon to the apparent size of the Sun during an eclipse. An eclipse when the Moon is near its closest distance from the Earth (i.e., near its perigee) can be a total eclipse because the Moon will appear to be large enough to cover completely the Sun's bright disk, or photosphere; a total eclipse has a magnitude greater than 1. Conversely, an eclipse when the Moon is near its farthest distance from the Earth (i.e., near its apogee) can only be an annular eclipse because the Moon will appear to be slightly smaller than the Sun; the magnitude of an annular eclipse is less than 1. Slightly more solar eclipses are annular than total because, on average, the Moon lies too far from Earth to cover the Sun completely. A hybrid eclipse occurs when the magnitude of an eclipse transitions during the event from smaller than one to larger than one—or vice versa—so the eclipse appears to be total at some locations on Earth and annular at other locations.[6]
The Earth's orbit around the Sun is also elliptical, so the Earth's distance from the Sun varies throughout the year. This also affects the apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon, but not so much as the Moon's varying distance from the Earth. When the Earth approaches its farthest distance from the Sun (the aphelion) in July, this tends to favor a total eclipse. As the Earth approaches its closest distance from the Sun (the perihelion) in January, this tends to favor an annular eclipse.
Central eclipse is often used as a generic term for a total, annular, or hybrid eclipse. This is, however, not completely correct: the definition of a central eclipse is an eclipse during which the central line of the umbra touches the Earth's surface. It is possible, though extremely rare, that part of the umbra intersects with Earth (thus creating an annular or total eclipse), but not its central line. This is then called a non-central total or annular eclipse.[7] The next non-central solar eclipse will be on April 29, 2014. This will be an annular eclipse. The next non-central total solar eclipse will be on April 9, 2043.[8]
The phases observed during a total eclipse are called:
First Contact - when the moon's shadow first becomes visible on the solar disk. Some also name individual phases between First and Second Contact e.g. Pac-Man phase.
Second Contact - starting with Baily's Beads {cause by light shining through valleys on the moon's surface} and the Diamond Ring. Almost the entire disk is covered.
Totality - with the shadow of the moon obscuring the entire disk of the sun and only the corona visible
Third Contact - when the first bright light becomes visible and the shadow is moving away from the sun. Again a Diamond Ring may be observed
Historical eclipses are a valuable resource for historians, in that they allow a few historical events to be precisely dated, from which other dates and a society's calendar can be deduced. Aryabhata (476–550) concluded the Heliocentric theory in solar eclipse. A solar eclipse of June 15, 763 BCE mentioned in an Assyrian text is important for the Chronology of the Ancient Orient. Also known as the eclipse of Bur Sagale, it is the earliest solar eclipse mentioned in historical sources that has been successfully identified. Perhaps the earliest still-unproven claim is that of archaeologist Bruce Masse; on the basis of several ancient flood myths that mention a total solar eclipse, he links an eclipse that occurred May 10, 2807 BCE with a possible meteor impact in the Indian Ocean.[20] There have been other claims to date earlier eclipses, notably that of Mursili II (likely 1312 BCE), in Babylonia, and also in China, during the 5th year (2084 BCE) of the regime of Emperor Zhong Kang of Xia dynasty, but these are highly disputed and rely on much supposition.[21][22]
Herodotus wrote that Thales of Miletus predicted an eclipse which occurred during a war between the Medians and the Lydians. Soldiers on both sides put down their weapons and declared peace as a result of the eclipse. Exactly which eclipse was involved has remained uncertain, although the issue has been studied by hundreds of ancient and modern authorities. One likely candidate took place on May 28, 585 BCE, probably near the Halys river in the middle of modern Turkey.[23]
An annular eclipse of the Sun occurred at Sardis on February 17, 478 BCE, while Xerxes was departing for his expedition against Greece, as Herodotus recorded.[24] Hind and Chambers considered this absolute date more than a century ago.[25] Herodotus also reports that another solar eclipse was observed in Sparta during the next year, on August 1, 477 BCE.[26][27][28] The sky suddenly darkened in the middle of the day, well after the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, after the departure of Mardonius to Thessaly at the beginning of the spring of (477 BCE) and his second attack on Athens, after the return of Cleombrotus to Sparta. The modern conventional dates are different by a year or two, and that these two eclipse records have been ignored so far.[29] The Chronicle of Ireland recorded a solar eclipse on June 29, 512 CE, and a solar eclipse was reported to have taken place during the Battle of Stiklestad in July, 1030.
It has also been attempted to establish the exact date of Good Friday by means of solar eclipses, but this research has not yielded conclusive results.[30] Research has manifested the inability of total solar eclipses to serve as explanations for the recorded Good Friday features of the crucifixion eclipse.[31] (Good Friday is recorded as being at Passover, which is also recorded as being at or near the time of a full moon.)
The ancient Chinese astronomer Shi Shen (fl. 4th century BCE) was aware of the relation of the moon in a solar eclipse, as he provided instructions in his writing to predict them by using the relative positions of the moon and sun.[32] The 'radiating influence' theory for a solar eclipse (i.e., the moon's light was merely light reflected from the sun) was existent in Chinese thought from about the 6th century BCE (in the Zhi Ran of Zhi Ni Zi),[33] and opposed by the Chinese philosopher Wang Chong (27–97 CE), who made clear in his writing that this theory was nothing new.
A total solar eclipse is a spectacular natural phenomenon and many people travel to remote locations to observe one. The solar eclipse of August 11, 1999 in Europe helped to increase public awareness of the phenomenon, as illustrated by the number of journeys made specifically to witness the total solar eclipse of October 3, 2005 and the total solar eclipse of March 29, 2006. The recent solar eclipse of January 26, 2009, was an annular eclipse (see below), while the solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 was a total solar eclipse.
The next annular event is the Solar eclipse of January 15, 2010 and the next total event is the solar eclipse of July 11, 2010.
In ancient times, and in some cultures today, solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes. Total solar eclipses can be frightening for people who are unaware of their astronomical explanation, as the Sun seems to disappear in the middle of the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes.
There are four types of solar eclipses:
A total eclipse occurs when the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon. The intensely bright disk of the Sun is replaced by the dark silhouette of the Moon, and the much fainter corona is visible. During any one eclipse, totality is visible only from at most a narrow track on the surface of the Earth.
An annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line, but the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun. Hence the Sun appears as a very bright ring, or annulus, surrounding the outline of the Moon.
A hybrid eclipse (also called annular/total eclipse) transitions between a total and annular eclipse. At some points on the surface of the Earth it is visible as a total eclipse, whereas at others it is annular. Hybrid eclipses are comparatively rare.
A partial eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are not exactly in line and the Moon only partially obscures the Sun. This phenomenon can usually be seen from a large part of the Earth outside of the track of an annular or total eclipse. However, some eclipses can only be seen as a partial eclipse, because the umbra never intersects the Earth's surface, passing above the Earth's polar regions.
The Sun's distance from the Earth is about 390 times the Moon's distance, and the Sun's diameter is about 400 times the Moon's diameter. Because these ratios are approximately the same, the Sun and the Moon as seen from Earth appear to be approximately the same size: about 0.5 degree of arc in angular measure.
The Moon's orbit around the Earth is an ellipse, as is the Earth's orbit around the Sun; the apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon therefore vary.[4][5] The magnitude of an eclipse is the ratio of the apparent size of the Moon to the apparent size of the Sun during an eclipse. An eclipse when the Moon is near its closest distance from the Earth (i.e., near its perigee) can be a total eclipse because the Moon will appear to be large enough to cover completely the Sun's bright disk, or photosphere; a total eclipse has a magnitude greater than 1. Conversely, an eclipse when the Moon is near its farthest distance from the Earth (i.e., near its apogee) can only be an annular eclipse because the Moon will appear to be slightly smaller than the Sun; the magnitude of an annular eclipse is less than 1. Slightly more solar eclipses are annular than total because, on average, the Moon lies too far from Earth to cover the Sun completely. A hybrid eclipse occurs when the magnitude of an eclipse transitions during the event from smaller than one to larger than one—or vice versa—so the eclipse appears to be total at some locations on Earth and annular at other locations.[6]
The Earth's orbit around the Sun is also elliptical, so the Earth's distance from the Sun varies throughout the year. This also affects the apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon, but not so much as the Moon's varying distance from the Earth. When the Earth approaches its farthest distance from the Sun (the aphelion) in July, this tends to favor a total eclipse. As the Earth approaches its closest distance from the Sun (the perihelion) in January, this tends to favor an annular eclipse.
Central eclipse is often used as a generic term for a total, annular, or hybrid eclipse. This is, however, not completely correct: the definition of a central eclipse is an eclipse during which the central line of the umbra touches the Earth's surface. It is possible, though extremely rare, that part of the umbra intersects with Earth (thus creating an annular or total eclipse), but not its central line. This is then called a non-central total or annular eclipse.[7] The next non-central solar eclipse will be on April 29, 2014. This will be an annular eclipse. The next non-central total solar eclipse will be on April 9, 2043.[8]
The phases observed during a total eclipse are called:
First Contact - when the moon's shadow first becomes visible on the solar disk. Some also name individual phases between First and Second Contact e.g. Pac-Man phase.
Second Contact - starting with Baily's Beads {cause by light shining through valleys on the moon's surface} and the Diamond Ring. Almost the entire disk is covered.
Totality - with the shadow of the moon obscuring the entire disk of the sun and only the corona visible
Third Contact - when the first bright light becomes visible and the shadow is moving away from the sun. Again a Diamond Ring may be observed
Historical eclipses are a valuable resource for historians, in that they allow a few historical events to be precisely dated, from which other dates and a society's calendar can be deduced. Aryabhata (476–550) concluded the Heliocentric theory in solar eclipse. A solar eclipse of June 15, 763 BCE mentioned in an Assyrian text is important for the Chronology of the Ancient Orient. Also known as the eclipse of Bur Sagale, it is the earliest solar eclipse mentioned in historical sources that has been successfully identified. Perhaps the earliest still-unproven claim is that of archaeologist Bruce Masse; on the basis of several ancient flood myths that mention a total solar eclipse, he links an eclipse that occurred May 10, 2807 BCE with a possible meteor impact in the Indian Ocean.[20] There have been other claims to date earlier eclipses, notably that of Mursili II (likely 1312 BCE), in Babylonia, and also in China, during the 5th year (2084 BCE) of the regime of Emperor Zhong Kang of Xia dynasty, but these are highly disputed and rely on much supposition.[21][22]
Herodotus wrote that Thales of Miletus predicted an eclipse which occurred during a war between the Medians and the Lydians. Soldiers on both sides put down their weapons and declared peace as a result of the eclipse. Exactly which eclipse was involved has remained uncertain, although the issue has been studied by hundreds of ancient and modern authorities. One likely candidate took place on May 28, 585 BCE, probably near the Halys river in the middle of modern Turkey.[23]
An annular eclipse of the Sun occurred at Sardis on February 17, 478 BCE, while Xerxes was departing for his expedition against Greece, as Herodotus recorded.[24] Hind and Chambers considered this absolute date more than a century ago.[25] Herodotus also reports that another solar eclipse was observed in Sparta during the next year, on August 1, 477 BCE.[26][27][28] The sky suddenly darkened in the middle of the day, well after the battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, after the departure of Mardonius to Thessaly at the beginning of the spring of (477 BCE) and his second attack on Athens, after the return of Cleombrotus to Sparta. The modern conventional dates are different by a year or two, and that these two eclipse records have been ignored so far.[29] The Chronicle of Ireland recorded a solar eclipse on June 29, 512 CE, and a solar eclipse was reported to have taken place during the Battle of Stiklestad in July, 1030.
It has also been attempted to establish the exact date of Good Friday by means of solar eclipses, but this research has not yielded conclusive results.[30] Research has manifested the inability of total solar eclipses to serve as explanations for the recorded Good Friday features of the crucifixion eclipse.[31] (Good Friday is recorded as being at Passover, which is also recorded as being at or near the time of a full moon.)
The ancient Chinese astronomer Shi Shen (fl. 4th century BCE) was aware of the relation of the moon in a solar eclipse, as he provided instructions in his writing to predict them by using the relative positions of the moon and sun.[32] The 'radiating influence' theory for a solar eclipse (i.e., the moon's light was merely light reflected from the sun) was existent in Chinese thought from about the 6th century BCE (in the Zhi Ran of Zhi Ni Zi),[33] and opposed by the Chinese philosopher Wang Chong (27–97 CE), who made clear in his writing that this theory was nothing new.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Makar Sankranti
Makar Sankranti(Sanskrit: मकर संक्रान्ति) or Sankranti or Sankranthi marks the transition of the Sun into Capricorn on its celestial path. This is significant considering the Winter Solstice marks the beginning of the gradual increase of the duration of the day. Remember actually the shortest day on the earth is December 21st, 22nd and from this point onwards day begin to increase. Hence actual Winter Solstice begin on December 21st or December 22nd when the tropical sun enters Makara rashi. Now because of the earth's tilt of 23.45 degrees and sliding of equninoxes ayanamasha occurs and causing makara samkranti to slide further. 1000 years back in 1000AD makar samkranti was in Dec 31st and now January 14th and After 5000 years Makara sankranti will come in the end of february, begining of march. After 9000 years Makara sanranti will come in the june (it will be the time when summer will be already there). Hence actual Uttarayana is December 21st when the tropical (Sayana) sun enters capricorn. This is because at one point of time they were the same. Because of this precession of the equinoxes ayanamsa occurs and hence sliding of makara sankranti. Traditionally, this has been one of many harvest days in India.
Due to the geography and size of India, this festival is celebrated for innumerable reasons depending on the climate, agricultural environment, cultural background and location.
Cultural Significance
1. The Puranas say that on this day Surya (Sun) visits the house of his son Shani(Saturn), who is the swami of Makar Rashi (Zodiac Capricorn). These father & son do not ordinarily get along nicely, but in spite of any difference between each other Lord Sun makes it a point to meet each other on this day. Father in fact himself comes to his son’s house, for a month. This day symbolized the importance of special relationship of father & son. It is the son who has the responsibility to carry forward his fathers dream and the continuity of the family.
2. From Uttarayana starts the ‘day’ of Devatas, while dakshinayana is said to be the ‘night’ of devatas, so most of the auspicious things are done during this time. Uttarayana is also called as Devayana, and the next half is called Pitrayana.
3. It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing terror of the Asuras by finishing them off and burying their heads under the Mandara Parvata. So this occasion also represents the end of negativities and beginning of an era of righteous living.
4. The great savior of his ancestors, Maharaja Bhagiratha, did great Tapasya to bring Gangaji down on the earth for the redemption of 60,000 sons of Maharaj Sagar, who were burnt to ashes at the Kapil Muni Ashram, near the present day Ganga Sagar. It was on this day that Bhagirath finally did tarpan with the Ganges water for his unfortunate ancestors and thereby liberated them from the curse. After visiting the Patala for the redemption of the curse of Bhagirath’s ancestors Gangaji finally merged in the Sagar. Even today a very big Ganga Sagar Mela is organized every year on this day at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. Lakhs take dip in the water and do tarpan for their ancestors.
We salute such a great devotee & benefactor of his ancestors. One who can express such gratitude to his ancestors, work with tireless resolve to redeem the pride, pledges & resolves of his forefathers, alone possess a personality, which the history reveals to be a true benefactor of the world too. A person who has severed his own roots gets soon rooted out in the flow of time. Moral of the story is to see to it that the roots of the tree of ‘our’ life are not only intact but nourished well, thereafter alone the tree blooms & flourishes.
There is another spiritually symbolic aspect of this story. The 60,000 cursed son of Maharaj Sagar represent our thoughts, who become dull & dead-like because of uncultured & blind ambition. Redemption of such people is only by the waters of Gangaji, brought down ‘to’ & later ‘from’ the Himalayas with great tapasya. This represents dedicated hard work to get the redeeming Brahma-Vidya, which alone enlightens, enthuses & enlivens the life of anyone.
5. Another well-known reference of this day came when the great grandsire of Mahabharata fame, Bhishma, declared his intent to leave his mortal coil on this day. He had the boon of Ichha-Mrityu from his father, so he kept lying on the bed of arrows till this day and then left his mortal coil on Makar Sankranti day. It is believed that the person, who dies during the period of Uttarayana, becomes free from transmigration. So this day was seen as a sure-shot Good Luck day to start your journey or endeavors to the higher realms beyond.
In Karnataka, we celebrate like this
In Karnataka it is called 'Yellu-Bella'. Yellu means 'til' or Sesame seeds and 'Bella' is Jaggery. A mixture of sesame seeds, jaggery, coconut and groundnuts are distributed to relatives and friends. 'Yellu-Bella' is normally distributed by women. There is a saying in Kannada "Yellu bella thindu olle maathadi" which means 'Eat the mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery and speak only good'. Cattle are decorated with various colours and are made to jump over a bon-fire.
Due to the geography and size of India, this festival is celebrated for innumerable reasons depending on the climate, agricultural environment, cultural background and location.
Cultural Significance
1. The Puranas say that on this day Surya (Sun) visits the house of his son Shani(Saturn), who is the swami of Makar Rashi (Zodiac Capricorn). These father & son do not ordinarily get along nicely, but in spite of any difference between each other Lord Sun makes it a point to meet each other on this day. Father in fact himself comes to his son’s house, for a month. This day symbolized the importance of special relationship of father & son. It is the son who has the responsibility to carry forward his fathers dream and the continuity of the family.
2. From Uttarayana starts the ‘day’ of Devatas, while dakshinayana is said to be the ‘night’ of devatas, so most of the auspicious things are done during this time. Uttarayana is also called as Devayana, and the next half is called Pitrayana.
3. It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing terror of the Asuras by finishing them off and burying their heads under the Mandara Parvata. So this occasion also represents the end of negativities and beginning of an era of righteous living.
4. The great savior of his ancestors, Maharaja Bhagiratha, did great Tapasya to bring Gangaji down on the earth for the redemption of 60,000 sons of Maharaj Sagar, who were burnt to ashes at the Kapil Muni Ashram, near the present day Ganga Sagar. It was on this day that Bhagirath finally did tarpan with the Ganges water for his unfortunate ancestors and thereby liberated them from the curse. After visiting the Patala for the redemption of the curse of Bhagirath’s ancestors Gangaji finally merged in the Sagar. Even today a very big Ganga Sagar Mela is organized every year on this day at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. Lakhs take dip in the water and do tarpan for their ancestors.
We salute such a great devotee & benefactor of his ancestors. One who can express such gratitude to his ancestors, work with tireless resolve to redeem the pride, pledges & resolves of his forefathers, alone possess a personality, which the history reveals to be a true benefactor of the world too. A person who has severed his own roots gets soon rooted out in the flow of time. Moral of the story is to see to it that the roots of the tree of ‘our’ life are not only intact but nourished well, thereafter alone the tree blooms & flourishes.
There is another spiritually symbolic aspect of this story. The 60,000 cursed son of Maharaj Sagar represent our thoughts, who become dull & dead-like because of uncultured & blind ambition. Redemption of such people is only by the waters of Gangaji, brought down ‘to’ & later ‘from’ the Himalayas with great tapasya. This represents dedicated hard work to get the redeeming Brahma-Vidya, which alone enlightens, enthuses & enlivens the life of anyone.
5. Another well-known reference of this day came when the great grandsire of Mahabharata fame, Bhishma, declared his intent to leave his mortal coil on this day. He had the boon of Ichha-Mrityu from his father, so he kept lying on the bed of arrows till this day and then left his mortal coil on Makar Sankranti day. It is believed that the person, who dies during the period of Uttarayana, becomes free from transmigration. So this day was seen as a sure-shot Good Luck day to start your journey or endeavors to the higher realms beyond.
In Karnataka, we celebrate like this
In Karnataka it is called 'Yellu-Bella'. Yellu means 'til' or Sesame seeds and 'Bella' is Jaggery. A mixture of sesame seeds, jaggery, coconut and groundnuts are distributed to relatives and friends. 'Yellu-Bella' is normally distributed by women. There is a saying in Kannada "Yellu bella thindu olle maathadi" which means 'Eat the mixture of sesame seeds and jaggery and speak only good'. Cattle are decorated with various colours and are made to jump over a bon-fire.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
First 15 days in my new company (not mine really)
Does initially everything everywhere looks rosy. It should not be... Correct, because rosy imaginations would make you not realize the reality existing there... Right now I am facing the same thing here... Actually there is no problem which itself is a problem...Sounds confusing right…
I have now joined one of the big companies in terms of Bank. In this company everyone, I can say 50% are of my experience level. So now start thinking of the problems one might encounter. IT industry is one industry where people tend to become more egoistic once they stay in a company or project or application for 1 year. We start thinking that we know everything until the application would say ‘you idiot take this challenge which does not work in the application. Get these working now in 2 hours, a million users are suffering because this is not working’ Luckily or because we are talented, we would solve this problem. Challenges help us grow, but unfortunately even the ego in us also grows with it.
First 2 days on Dec 14th and 15th of 2009 went in Induction. It was an in-house induction; hence don’t expect it to be extravaganza. Same old thing which is said in every company on every induction ‘we are the best company; we treat our associates like our extended family. Welcome to the family’ I am waiting to see this coming true at least in this company
From Dec 16th 2009, the day I entered the production floor, met with my colleagues in the project. I also met the manager and his manager in a meeting. One thought which caught me was, my manager’s manager said “See MS (My Manager) and SM (my Team Lead), as we now are going through the Pay4Performace process, I would not be giving promotions unless I have the data of How the resources worked in the applications, how they have innovated their processes, how they resolved certain issues which brought costs down, how many trainings they attended etc when you send them for promotion to me. Without these I would not be considering them for the lateral growth” I was like shocked, because the life and appraisal process I had heard from my old company( for that matter most of the IT service based companies) are not meritocracy based ones rather they are personality based ones. By personality based ones, I mean that how close are you to your manager, which specific region, language are you from, how much buttering can you do, how much lying can you do, how much stumbling block can you become for your colleagues’ growth etch. This is at least (even if are not following it, I don’t know this yet) a different approach, a good approach.
Now coming back to project, I was actually mentioning about the Ego in IT professionals right. Sorry, I am like this only. I normally forget and wander around while speaking or writing. Ego in our guys is so much that we tend to hide the knowledge unless you are a good leader and person to begin with. We tend to feel that ‘OK I had to learn this knowledge by hard work, let others also do the same. Why the damn I have to make other’s learning smooth’ But I don’t say they are doing this to trouble the work. Babe its only ego. Nothing wrong. But we fail to understand that I am going to ruin the work culture. Though the main intention was not this, but unfortunately the result of our ego is finally this. Another twist to this story is, if your manager is gentle man and a perfect manager, he would take all necessary action, not needed a strict one, albeit a tactical one to correct this anomaly.
Currently I am roaming from seat to seat in search of Knowledge transfer which is so much required for me now to come up with short term goals and the long term goals of the organization. Short term goal is to be able to support the Mainframe modules in terms of Application support and long term goal related to the shaping of my career here. I am done with the basic planning. I do have a meeting in a week or so with my manager to finalize this and update in the Career Planning website. This, as per them, is the basis of my appraisal. It’s good, right, that I have planned and agreed for something and I would be verified wrt that. This is what I was searching in my old organization. Don’t tell me now that I dream so much or I come to conclusions. This only shows how much positive mindset I have on myself and the organization I am currently working with.
ahem ahem ... i know i am boasting myself and my new company...but whats wrong in that ;)
I have now joined one of the big companies in terms of Bank. In this company everyone, I can say 50% are of my experience level. So now start thinking of the problems one might encounter. IT industry is one industry where people tend to become more egoistic once they stay in a company or project or application for 1 year. We start thinking that we know everything until the application would say ‘you idiot take this challenge which does not work in the application. Get these working now in 2 hours, a million users are suffering because this is not working’ Luckily or because we are talented, we would solve this problem. Challenges help us grow, but unfortunately even the ego in us also grows with it.
First 2 days on Dec 14th and 15th of 2009 went in Induction. It was an in-house induction; hence don’t expect it to be extravaganza. Same old thing which is said in every company on every induction ‘we are the best company; we treat our associates like our extended family. Welcome to the family’ I am waiting to see this coming true at least in this company
From Dec 16th 2009, the day I entered the production floor, met with my colleagues in the project. I also met the manager and his manager in a meeting. One thought which caught me was, my manager’s manager said “See MS (My Manager) and SM (my Team Lead), as we now are going through the Pay4Performace process, I would not be giving promotions unless I have the data of How the resources worked in the applications, how they have innovated their processes, how they resolved certain issues which brought costs down, how many trainings they attended etc when you send them for promotion to me. Without these I would not be considering them for the lateral growth” I was like shocked, because the life and appraisal process I had heard from my old company( for that matter most of the IT service based companies) are not meritocracy based ones rather they are personality based ones. By personality based ones, I mean that how close are you to your manager, which specific region, language are you from, how much buttering can you do, how much lying can you do, how much stumbling block can you become for your colleagues’ growth etch. This is at least (even if are not following it, I don’t know this yet) a different approach, a good approach.
Now coming back to project, I was actually mentioning about the Ego in IT professionals right. Sorry, I am like this only. I normally forget and wander around while speaking or writing. Ego in our guys is so much that we tend to hide the knowledge unless you are a good leader and person to begin with. We tend to feel that ‘OK I had to learn this knowledge by hard work, let others also do the same. Why the damn I have to make other’s learning smooth’ But I don’t say they are doing this to trouble the work. Babe its only ego. Nothing wrong. But we fail to understand that I am going to ruin the work culture. Though the main intention was not this, but unfortunately the result of our ego is finally this. Another twist to this story is, if your manager is gentle man and a perfect manager, he would take all necessary action, not needed a strict one, albeit a tactical one to correct this anomaly.
Currently I am roaming from seat to seat in search of Knowledge transfer which is so much required for me now to come up with short term goals and the long term goals of the organization. Short term goal is to be able to support the Mainframe modules in terms of Application support and long term goal related to the shaping of my career here. I am done with the basic planning. I do have a meeting in a week or so with my manager to finalize this and update in the Career Planning website. This, as per them, is the basis of my appraisal. It’s good, right, that I have planned and agreed for something and I would be verified wrt that. This is what I was searching in my old organization. Don’t tell me now that I dream so much or I come to conclusions. This only shows how much positive mindset I have on myself and the organization I am currently working with.
ahem ahem ... i know i am boasting myself and my new company...but whats wrong in that ;)
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
New Year Resolutions for 2010
I am now 29. I will be 30 in about 115 days. SO it means I have passed 29 years of my life, most of the times without even passing resolutions. Sometimes I have passed and sometimes I have violated my own principles. But over the year I have become more matured and I normally don’t break promises and commitments. That’s one good thing about me.. Are you saying me to stop bragging about myself...? Ok ok…let’s now get back to the topic...
Let’s recollect my 2009 resolutions and its status as of Today
Count Resolution description Status
1 Stop boozing indefinitely - strictly followed
2 Change job - Completed
Now planning of 2010 resolutions
Count Resolution description Status
1 take GMAT by July - Not Started
2 Take Domain training and knowledge - Not Started
3 2 wheel Gear Driving License - Not Started
4 Decide on MBA - Not Started
5 Reduce waist size from 32/33 to 30 - Not Started
6 Start eating fish - Not Started
so many things in mind, but some are listed excluding some very personal and professional topics which would be covered far from publishing in web. i hope you all understand that..right..
Shubham
Let’s recollect my 2009 resolutions and its status as of Today
Count Resolution description Status
1 Stop boozing indefinitely - strictly followed
2 Change job - Completed
Now planning of 2010 resolutions
Count Resolution description Status
1 take GMAT by July - Not Started
2 Take Domain training and knowledge - Not Started
3 2 wheel Gear Driving License - Not Started
4 Decide on MBA - Not Started
5 Reduce waist size from 32/33 to 30 - Not Started
6 Start eating fish - Not Started
so many things in mind, but some are listed excluding some very personal and professional topics which would be covered far from publishing in web. i hope you all understand that..right..
Shubham
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