The Vista of Dawn - My Pensieve

Indian Space Program – The Way to Go

2008-11-04T10:03:00.002+05:30

A couple of weeks ago, to be precise on the 22^nd of October, I was sitting at the café of my office, munching my lunch. There was an animated team at the table behind me, and they were discussing about the significant happening of that day – the launch of Chandrayaan-1 by the Indian Space Research Organization. A gentleman was asserting that such satellite missions are a waste of a common tax payer’s money and development ought to be focused on other essential areas. This set me thinking and my speech today has what the Indian Space Program has to offer.

Let us start with a brief history.

Indian Space Research Organization was founded a year after Intel (the place where I work now), that is in 1969, in a small church in Thumba in Kerala. If we think that’s where Indian Space Program began, we are wrong. Our feats in the field date back to 1802 when Tipu Sultan in Mysore war used defense rockets made of iron cases filled with black powder as propellant fuel. That rocket could go up to 2 miles. But this in fact motivated the British to develop a similar and more successful design called Congreve rocket. Well that was the innovation and risk taking story of Tipu.

Coming back to modern Space program in India, the first satellite Aryabhata was launched in 75. I’m not going to talk about the list of satellites or other statistics. Let’s rather turn our attention to what these satellites are trying to acheive. There are 2 categories of satellites. 1. Communication and 2. Remote Sensing

Comm. Satellites as most of us know have a quiet yet profound effect on our daily lives. From good old Doordhashan to the latest Navigator series, comm. Satellites have left their mark in our lives.

But what are these Remote Sensing satellites? Okay what is remote sensing? The simplest form of Remote Sensing could be you or I reading a book or taking a snap with a camera. I believe many of us here have sent their entries to the photography contest. In the same way, Remote Sensing is used to model and understand the dynamics of geo-activities like no other land based study has ever done. The power of synoptic coverage gives a totalitarian objective and helps draw a holistic picture.

All fine, but where do I see the applications of these satellites?

Agriculture – the long, strong back bone of our country. As we all know plants have chlorophyll and this chlorophyll has a specific reflectance which is picked by the remote sensing sensors aboard. This prediction is used to find the total production of a crop in the state, where we meet the demand etc. The crops having specific diseases are also being identified.

The direction and spread of forest fires and deforestation have been detected and checked using Remote Sensing satellites especially in Nagaland and other north-east districts.
Oceanology - Not just in land, the chlorophyll in ocean along with the temperatures is used to advice the fishermen about the exact location of fish population. The boats have GPS and their job is highly simplified. This has been implemented in many districts along the east coast.
Disaster prediction and mitigation - How else did US know when and where Katrina and Rita were going to strike and how many were to be relocated!!

And finally Mineral and rock mapping as is the case in Chandrayaan. How is it going to help the common man? As some of us might know, this latest ISRO baby is checking how useful the minerals and Helium found on moon would be. Helium is found in abundance and even if we are able to tap 2 tons from the moon, it could be sued to generate power supply to the entire country for a year.

So what do we conclude and what do we tell the critics?

In any structure, there should be a sustainable development; we can’t hinder progress for the sake of some other progress. In case of remote sensing satellites like Chandrayaan, the chain to reach the end mile or grass roots is highly scientific, lengthy and indirect in a way.

I believe, like all other systems in our country, the benefits space has to offer us will reach the common man but with a delay.

The awesome twosome

2007-12-16T21:19:00.000+05:30

The two of them were a part of my family until a few years ago. They both were German Shepherds. One was Jackie, the tan and black father, with a majestic walk and a sharp look that most humans and dogs would give more than just a second thought before interfering with him. The other was Tony, the ebullient gray furred son, full of life and a darling to every one who had managed to come near him irrespective of his inherited outer shell. It was difficult for anyone to believe that the two were related because they never got along well. They probably would have been, had the mother lived with them.

When Jackie was a year old, his owners left the town and news spread in the locality that the dog was for sale. So it was destined that he spent the rest of his life with us. I was at a boarding school then and Jackie had been in my house for a year before I returned. So when I came back, I was a stranger to him. It took me another year to be at ease with him. He was closest to dad; German Shepherds are known to be a little possessive but till the end, whenever dad was at home, he would never let anyone come near him or dad. Other times, he was a very good friend to mom and me. He was a real person(You got to believe me, he really was!), a mature one in that; sometimes when I used to be sad, he would recognize that and look at me with consoling eyes which had made me feel I was much smaller than he was. Other times, whenever a guest came home, he was at his best, barking his throat out (he was tied during day. So all he could do was to bark) to protect his family from potential invaders.

So when Tony arrived at our house 4 years later as a 10-day old infant, it was a matter of not just Jackie’s loss of privacy but also a possessiveness that his place in our hearts was going to be shared. The fact that this toddler was just as smart as he was (He hadn’t made out his bloodline obviously) only more charming and innocent, gave him a revulsion whenever he saw Tony. We had imagined that the two would be good friends (after all, we thought, dogs of the same genes would flock together) if not any extended sentiments. Now everything had to be done twice and separate for the two, accommodation, feeding, bathing, taking them for a walk (morning and eveningL) etc.

Tony indeed drew our attention most of the time and required our attention other times. For the first two nights after arriving at our home, he never slept. Neither did he let us to. He was weeping, obviously searching for his mother’s warmth. I kept him in a bed sheet in a corner of my bedroom tending to him. Moreover that would keep him away from Jackie, who we feared, if left free would devour Tony.

Tony grew into a pampered pup, doing everything and anything he wanted around the house. He used to sneak into Jackie’s room prudently, and then walk in with style as if on a ramp, wagging his tail exuberantly at him. When the latter saw him and barked, he would tantalize him by going nearer (of course ensuring he was in the safe zone out of Jackie’s reach) apparently grinning, turn back, and rush out; the same would continue after some time. His father would be frenzied but finally he gave up and reminded quiet. After all he was a dog with dignity. But Tony’s feats did not end there. He spent his time chasing his tail going round and round about himself upsetting things that were on his way. I had to buy a second set of higher secondary books that year because they had been nibbled by my beloved pup. The same was the case with my footwear. There have been days when I used to wake up in terror only to realize that it was my canine kid that had woken me by licking my face putting his forelimbs on the bed (he was too small to climb) My mom then started to use this as a strategy to wake me by placing him right on my bed. Whenever I call him as I enter the house, he used to come dashing and unable to stop, he would fall, get up with the same speed and put his forelimbs around to welcome me.

Tony lacked the aggression which Jackie had and that made the two complementary. One thing that bound me to them was that they always let their eyes do the talking. They would listen to me and respond too. I used to talk to them, play with them or just stroke their fur starring else where lost in my thoughts, while the two would just lie by my side (of course one at a time!) starring at the same direction as me. They left this world in successive years in 2002 and 2003. I remember them often especially whenever I hear a movie song which translates into something like “When we understand nature and let the hearts speak, there is no need for any language created by man”. For those folks to whom the previous line doesn’t make any sense, you really got to own a dog. It was a very special friendship to me. In fact it still is.

Reflecting the inner me..

2006-12-21T22:20:00.000+05:30

Finally I decided not to wait for another accident to fill my blog space.. I was thinking on wat to write. Not because there s nothing to write, but because there are a lot of things going on in my mind these days that i cant streamline. Vairamuthu has said he writes on the command of his emotions (உணர்ச்சி௧ளின் உத்தரவால்). Writing and poetry are a means to capture and save transitory (though not always) emotions. let me give a try too..so wat dominates my thoughts these days,.. okay wat do i think right now (9 pm, 21st dec) .. hmmm.. 3 things rise immediately to the surface of my cerebrum.

One (not the first), my final year project. I wish i had acquired more technical knowledge these years at college. Two, my career which is right now a little uncertain. This is one area where i was (am) quite confused. Or is it just that i m thinking too much unnecessarily? I honestly dont know.. As one of my friends adviced, my options are now open and wat else.. lets wait and see. Last (definitely not the least), college days are going to end in a couple of months. This has been bugging me for sometime now. From 4 years to 4 months today. Soon it would become 4 weeks, then 4 days.. Though i ll be here at college for an additional year, most of my friends would be leaving, searching for horizons across the metros of the country (and abroad too). The worth of something is best realised when about to part. I wish i had a time machine to take me back to 17th july,2003. I'm already missing my friends now, while still being with them.. love ya all!!!

Ils appellent ça un accident (they call it an accident)

2006-08-24T17:05:00.000+05:30

Scene 1
Venue: college parking lot
Scooty starting….
(g2 driving with g1 behind)
g1: ouch!! wats this thing tats hitting my leg..
g2: it s the helmet dear
g1: why don’t u wear this hardware to protect your software (giggling)
g2: heheee..
g1: kkiee..here v go….

Scene 2
Venue: adyar signal
g1 proudly and little hesitantly take the driver’s seat…
after a few seconds..
g2: y don’t u drive??
g1: I’m wait ing for the traffic to clear a bit..
g2: (encouragingly) hey go ahead…
g1: hmmm…bit of starting trouble actually…

Scene 3
Venue: beasant nagar murugan idli shop corner
Scooty instead of turning, goes straight… g1 caught up with panic ..slightly turned the vehicle with appln of brakes…
g2: turn turn…
Bike skids around the corner…both g1 and g2 fell off the bike
g1 : are you okay?
g2: (getting up) yeah I think so..
g1 (catching up wit a tinge of guilt) I’m sorry
g2: oh never mind..
they both cross to the safer side of the road.
g1: hey I think I’m feeling giddy.. my vision is blurring
g2: don’t worry.. sit on the bike
g1: (trying to reach the bike) hey I cant see anything…where is the bike??
Crowd gathers…
Man : make her sit….
g2 to g1 : yeah come with me…
A girl gets some water for g1
g1 to g2: now I’m able to c.. I think I’m okay..
g2: Shall v go to the hospital?
g1: no.. v ll go…

Then g2 drives and they soon catch up with their frnds at the beach and have a nice time, g1 with bloody bruises right at her palms, elbow, knee and a shoulder (which g1 realizes later to be perfect places to make half of your body immovable when hurt) and g2 with a swelling in her beau lips (oh.. she shud have worn that hardware) and similar bruises..g1 is very thankful tat g2’s intensity of injuries were somewat less.. The bike requires 2 days treatment.

Yet another episode for g1’s recklessness. she resolves not not to drive again but to drive thereafter with caution.

Moral of the story: Be careful while driving.. heheee

leaving behind

2006-07-30T23:33:00.000+05:30

I m on my boat now
leaving my home land, home n you.
The wind brushes against my face
last time I realized this
it was bliss
You were with me
talking, fighting…
I always knew you loved me

Have I lost you
I ask myself
for a hundredth time
‘no’ says a small voice within
‘yes’ screams the whole world
making me deaf, making me blind
making me lose all my senses
I open my eyes, I can’t see a thing

All is fair in love and war
but love is not fair
when there is war.
My name is changed
I am a refugee now
you stay but fight
for your smaller piece of the pie
in the bottle-necked island

I ve always loved you
but I never told you
My love buried in the lankan sands
amongst those land mines
The long wait begins now
of a hopeful dawn
We part to meet again
in this world or in the next

A picture speaks one thousand words

2006-05-07T23:14:00.000+05:30

The Trip to the Capital

2006-04-08T11:54:00.000+05:30

It was supposed to be a wats-more-important sorta presentation…Well…we also presented our paper. The trip was given an exciting touch when we first disembarked at Agra from the Tamil Nadu express. Had it been any other circumstance, we would have been easily mistaken for talibans (with only eyes exposed) with the cold weather. We were given a tour of the Agra fort by a guide, the history of Babar, Zahanhir , Shah jehan et cetera. Taj was magnificent. We wandered through its marble disposition for more than three hours.

The conference ‘Map India 06’ held in Taj Palace, New Delhi was an eventful one. I never realized till then that there were these many companies in the field of geo-informatics and the delegates from various latitudes and longitudes were excellent. This is not to say that I was there in the various conference halls listening to their speech (I was hardly there for two). We pocketed all the magazines and literature kit we could lay our hands on. It is especially for this awareness that I would eulogize Map India.

The Indira Gandhi memorial reminded me of her life and the saying “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”

I wouldn’t boast the trip (named ‘thailai nagaril thalapathigal’ by my classmates) wasn’t a bit blemish. But those petty misunderstandings failed to dampen down our spirits. Getting into the wrong bus and going elsewhere, strolling around unknown places, those tense moments before the paper presentation (Lav was remarkably composed. She was our presenter… Great!! ), the serious but equally funny discussion with a couple of buddies at 3 am in our room, pulling each others’ leg, the night when myself and my friend were sitting on the steps of bus combating the cold and pushing the bus when it stopped at midnight, these can be included in the inexhaustible list of memories. I wish I had a pensieve like the one Dumbledore has in HP.

Thiruvizha nu vandaa....

2005-10-10T14:46:00.000+05:30

I'm not an atheist. Going to temple or in general any place of worship would give peace of mind, alrite... Though not regularly, even i go to temple. But 'sometimes' v r literally tattered to pieces.... Tat "sometimes" now...During local car festivals or special religious ocasions (like the sani/guru peyarchi), all the devotees in the world seem to gather in one temple in which tat lord resides. Of course it's a common belief tat, once the 'parikaram' is done in tat place, the intensity of difficulties tat would befall them in the future would drop down. But are v really in the right track? The temples are jam-packed throughout the day and people spend the whole day waiting on a never-ending queue with the costliest 'archanai ticket', only to be beleaguered by the 'archagar' at the place of darshan. Is this all really necessary? The answer is of course subjective. One may argue tat, in times of festivals like diwali n christmas, it's one's duty to visit the temple. I'm definitely not saying tat is wrong. But how do v find peace when the possibility there is nothing short of a stampede??

I'm not really emphasizing on certain views or something like tat. I'm jus trying to find the correct (or atleast the most probable) answers.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT: The fact tat i was made to go round the 'praharam' 24 times by an archagar today, is in no way related to my writing this blog :-)

In-Plant Training Contd....

2005-08-21T11:46:00.000+05:30

whew..i'm afraid many of u wud have come to the conclusion that i've deserted my blog.. if i don post now, lavanya wud hack my account n post something here..:-)
sorry makkale.. its been really a long time..

back to hostel..n the earth keeps rotating..:-)

am posting this blog from The Blogger for Word software.. hope it works out…

my last post abt in-plant training to the port trust... tat was jus a sample.. not tht the entire training went in vain..the training was for 6 days n v were supposed to learn some stuff about hydrological surveying n abt Differential Global Positioning System. v went on frequent trips in a launch, once farther into the sea. Sounding (measuring the depth of the sea) was done using DGPS softwares. V also visited a dredger n the tide gauge..

ppl reading this.. r u bored with this sort of survey stuff?? no no am not a civil student..
i'm in the field of Geo Informatics which in my words maybe defined as the use of Remote Sensing, Surveying, Geographical Information System (GIS) n Photogrammetry in applications related to earth sciences.. my hunch is that atma would be able to define it more appropriately.. enna atma?? :-)

Apart from all these educative process, lotsa time was spent on reading novels, su-do-ku, crosswords (thanks to Deccan Chronicle), and non-stop rigmaroles. At times v chatted with our counterparts in tutocurin port who were equally jobless. But after a solitary month of hols, it was an enjoyable get-together with friends.

In-Plant Training

2005-06-23T23:40:00.000+05:30

Twas the third day of my training,
I woke up without the alarm screaming,
Waking up early is still paining…
Well I guess enough of this whining…

This morning I washed my hair,
As the port had made it dry n dirty
I opened the windows to allow the air
Letting my hair n breeze flirting

Everyone was there but me
And I made my every day’s pledge
Tomorrow on time will I be
By eight I shall have crossed the bridge

We managed to reach there on time
But the instructor was yet to come
So we sat there on the usual wall
Bickering about all n all.

Three hours had passed so far
With the training going no fair.
Our master brains started planning
To sneak out, then come back shamming.

We set off the gates with a slight flutter,
Telling each other that it dint matter
Took us long to walk to the gate
We were all thinking of the bait.

We set off to Abi mall
To watch the movie “ullam ketkumey”
Guilty of our conscience’s fall
But trying to be happy and gay.

The movie was the usual stuff
With triangle love and all those bluff
But it did help us kill the time
At the expense of few a dime.

Met my school friends after the show
Accused each other for losing contact
We’ll surely keep in touch, came the vow
This consensus secured our bond intact.

Back to the training was awful
But vital was there our presence
For we would be needed there
At least to explain our absence

Saying we encountered a trouble
A fake five hundred note made a good fable
Our innocuous story we did manage to sell
After all, all’s well that ends well….

Well.....this is jus an amateur attempt to say how we spent one of our days in the In-Plant Training to ---(details about the place to be filled once the training gets over...u see..jus in case...:-) )

abolision of entrance exams

2005-06-09T19:26:00.000+05:30

The state govt of tamil nadu has abolished the common entrance tests(CET) which were held hitherto for professional courses admission in the state…admission will now solely depend on higher secondary marks n rule of reservation...well…in my opinion, this is not a good idea… the standard of the state education is already not up to the mark,…many students try to understand the concepts for the prime sake of entrance tests..will this new system not lead to 200 200/200s claiming for a particular 100 seats???

CET, “a traumatic experience “ for students and parents in the words of the chief admistrative person of the state was got rid of for the benefit of rural students…hold on…aren’t we here bargainin the quality of education for the sake of education itself???

They say the board exam syllabus itself is now upgraded to cbse level…well that may be true… but then..shouldn’t this have waited until next year when the students learning this new revised syllabus face their board exams???

This system could’ve definitely waited for a year…but of course the assemble polls wouldn’t…

shahab has blogged on the same topic..he has discussed both the pros n the cons..do look at this too

hostel fable

2005-05-23T16:04:00.000+05:30

My last blog was about joining hostel and homesickness.... Now here I am after three long months of hostel life.... Phew….learnt a lot of things.... the most important thing being how to overcome homesickness....though I thought I was quite normal from the beginning, my friends figured some paleness in me. Maybe face was indeed the index of mind. Gradually, I transformed into a typical hostel girl...:-)

To start with I was put up in a room of already four, adding to (my roommates’) misery…ha ha.... I somehow was comfortable with the “roll and lay” of my mat (at least I could put it right under the fan unlike the cots ).... I used to stuff all my things into my almirah for fear of misplacing them.... After all there I was supposed to take care of my things unlike at home where mom was at my command 24x7… My favorite place was the 1st to 2nd floor staircase where I used to study, chat over the phone etc. All the combined studies I did with one of my friends were all fun... The chattering used to start when we start our record works.... while our hands did the writing part, our mouths never spared a topic....

My classes usually get over by 7:30 to 8pm. Hostel life not only saved my traveling during that peak hour Chennai traffic, but also facilitated a few after-dinner moon light walks around the campus watching the pairs sitting along the platform whispering to each other and part-time students hurrying off after class...

Did I forget anything? Yes, of course!!! My mess food... Criticized by almost all of being bad, it had the honor of being liked meJ. The fact was I dint expect it to be any good at all n therefore it was better...... My favorite was the Tuesday morning pongal and the evening tea... Though I enjoyed the food n the weekly ice-creams n gulab-jamuns, I should admit, I had majority of lunch with a friend who brought me also lunch from home…

The fourth semester of college life has taught me hostel life …to have fun, to enjoy n repent, additional courage and….. what not!!Next semester, I may or may not be in hostel…I dunno about it. Whatever be it…I’ve got the confidence now I can manage under any circumstances

small things do matter

2005-02-28T06:18:00.000+05:30

The crack of the dawn was so boisterous that I was twitchy even before waking up…”At last the day has come”, I thought wryly. I closed my eyes again not wanting to get up petrified that time may run very fast. The day somehow departed very quickly with mom’s food advice n dad’s list of vitamin n calcium pills. There came that 7pm when every luggage was put up in room n I was standing at the hostel gates with mom n dad. ‘So this is it’.
THE ONLY WAY TO OVERCOME A PROBLEM IS WALKING THROUGH IT...
I couldn’t forget a sms I received at that very jiffy from a buddy,
“When you feel forlorn, when your heart is subjugated with sorrows, when your eyes are filled with tears, remember one thing,
I’m there with you,
Still with you,
Always with you.”
It might be just another forwarded sms, but suddenly my heart lightened and the sadness ebbed out of me. I became cognizant that small instances, passionate smiles, a pat on the shoulder, a take care msg all these do matter. Life is not made up of great things, but of little things which have great impact.

2005-02-27T17:10:00.000+05:30

The dark is always followed by dawn

Turning into a hostel bird

2005-02-07T06:37:00.000+05:30

I'm gonna join my college hostel today in about half an hours time.Though it was not unexpected, its hard to take in.Actually the final decision regarding hostel admission was mine....i feel this is the only rational possibility under present circumstances.

What makes some people dearest is not the happiness when we are with them, but its the pain we feel when we miss them....
I'm already feeling the pain Ma....

My maiden poem

2005-01-23T05:04:00.001+05:30

I'm not tat good at writing poems but occationally I try to put in words wat I feel..

This is the first poem i wrote in my life when i was 14...
I wrote this for my best friend...in fact the word best is an understatement when i think of my friendship with her...but only memories remain now...
comments are welcome....

Just like the breeze that kisses you and me,
Into my heart from my eyes you entered through;
Not like the breeze, that passes away,
You cannot come out of my heart in any way;
Just like the atmosphere that hangs onto the earth,
You'll be there in my heart, till the last of my breath;
This is nothing but a mutual bond,
Between two souls which are each other fond;
You'll be there in all the seconds of my future,
This is the only promise I can assure;
Now the only thought that makes me scare,
Is being away from you which I can't at all bear;
You are God's gift to me, I will say,
And I love you so much because you make my day;
HEY! How do I think so much, I wonder,
It's because of you darling, I SURRENDER.