Mischievous Musings

I muse my brethren,
how such cantilevering
could be god given.

Bane of Brilliance

It tends to be blinding.

Andrew Marvell

But at my back I always hear
Time's winged chariot hurrying near

So Far

Course work has been mainly number crunching. Even marketing, since we are engineers and our professor specialises in quantitative marketing (Bayesian Econometrics, Pricing, etc.), involves analyses of numbers in large quantities.

Accounting just doesn't make any logical sense until one begins to accept that it is not meant to expalin observable phenomena but to organise as best as possible (read - as best suits the interests) the commercial transactions of firms. Even then some 'concepts' are simply counterintuitive.

One saving grace has been Excel. Before coming here, I never thought I would appreciate anything sold by MS, but Excel so far has been absolutely indispensable. So much so that I would even purchase MS Office for it.

Durham is a crime ridden ghettoed hick town. Entertainment is therefore largely restricted to on campus activities and neighbouring towns. Thankfully, Duke provides high quality entertainment and cultural experiences. Over the course of my stay, I have seen basket ball matches between the US and Australian womens' teams, a performance of Cats, performances by famous classical musicians from Iran and Turkey, various orchestras apart from other events. More Broadway shows including The Great Game and The Man from La Mancha set to hit the campus. One great thing about education in USA is the abundance of free food, free T-shirts and free booze. Roti, kapda aur sharab.

Last week, the Chinese ambassador gave a speech in what is normally our classroom. He essentially conveyed that China is in no hurry to fully deregulate its exchange rate, that USA should stop crying about it and take concrete steps to up its economy instead. He suggested USA might decrease its trade deficit (deficit is simply inadequate to describe the situation) by selling more products that China is looking to import (read - restricted arms and other sensitive high tech equipment). When questioned about IP issues, he frankly admitted this was a problem and that they trying to tackle it. He also told USA in no uncertain terms to keep off Taiwan. Contrasted to the spinelessness of Indian politicians and bereaucrats, the Chinese approach is refreshing and admirable. I wonder if Microsoft's review of its China policy might be a consequence of this speech, farfetched perhaps.

Last month, the Indian ambassador, Mr. Ronen Sen visited Duke. The visit was rather short and low key, no speeches, only a few words for us, mainly on the emerging co-operation in space technology.

Potomac, Squirrels and Drinking Fountains

I used to associate all of USA with the foreign policy of its government and the present coterie in power. It is only on coming here that I realise there is so much more.

Walking between the Potomac and the C&O Canal early in the morning, one can see some of the most breathtaking scenery. The Potomac gushes down the Piedmont, foaming and raging at places, while the C&O flows at a more sedate pace, still as a pond at places, controlled by the various locks that were used for navigation of barges. It is difficult to believe that they are separated only by a few meters or that the canal, in that area, flows thro' the bed originally cut and occupied by the river itself during the last ice age. The vast virgin (hopefully) woods around these two channels are extremely beautiful, comparable even, to some of the lower reaches of the Himalayas.

Walking around the university campus is a very pleasurable experience. I have never seen squirrels so big or so alert and mischievous. A friend tells me that even pigeons here are very bold, that in New York, you would have to come close to stepping on one for it to merely hop away!

So far, most people here have been friendly as well. They are mostly polite and happy to help out. My only grouse is that their accent is very American (Texan), rather grating on the ears.

Am I actually beginning to like this godforsaken country? Oh the horror!!! :)

On a different note, the drinking fountains here are absolutely fascinating. Water jets out of a spout and people bend down to drink from it. Quite a waste of water tho'; since they use so much paper here, I wonder why they don't provide paper cups.

Ghalib

Some have the gift that allows them to coax just the right words into sentences that express precisely their ideas and feelings, evoking powerful images and emotions, and presenting powerful thoughts very simply.

Na tha kuch to Khuda tha, kuch na hota to Khuda hota
Duboya mujhko hone ne, na hota main to kya hota?


Ishq par zor nahin, hai ye vo aatish Ghaalib
jo lagaaye na lage aur bhujaye na bane

- This verse also figures in Chaiya Chaiya in Dil Se


Unke dekhe se jo aati hai muh par raunak
Wo samajhti hai ki bimaar ka haal achchaa hai


From some of his other couplets, it seems that he must've been quite a rogue, as he himself says

Hoga koi aisa bhi ki Ghalib ko na jaane
Shair to vo achcha hai pe badnaam bahut hai

Tagore

I was going thro' some of Rabindranath Tagore's poems on the internet and found the following. More poems can be found at http://www.allspirit.co.uk/tagore.html

My Polar Star

I have made You the polar star of my
existence; never again can I lose my way in the
voyage of life.

Wherever I go, You are always there to
shower your benefience all around me. Your face
is ever present before my mind's eyes.

If I lose sight of You even for a moment, I
almost lose my mind.

Whenever my heart is about to go astray, just
a glance of You makes it feel ashamed of itself.

The Kiss

Lips' language to lips' ears.
Two drinking each other's heart, it seems.
Two roving loves who have left home,
pilgrims to the confluence of lips.
Two waves rise by the law of love
to break and die on two sets of lips.
Two wild desires craving each other
meet at last at the body's limits.
Love's writing a song in dainty letters,
layers of kiss-calligraphy on lips.
Plucking flowers from two sets of lips
perhaps to thread them into a chain later.
This sweet union of lips
is the red marriage-bed of a pair of smiles.

Somehow always thought of Tagore as an aged and saintly person whose poems had only to do with preaching wisdom. I could not have been more wrong.

Manachanaa

That's how a <5'2" <50 kg Taiwanese guy who has drunk two bottles of beer pronounces Mainland China!!!