Bio-wise and otherwise

STC conference in Goa

I just returned from the sunny beaches of Goa after presenting a paper titled: 'The truth about blogging' at the STC India chapter. Boy, did it elicit a lot of discussion! I showed the audience Jonathan's blog entry on 'Going Bollywood' and I could see jaws drop with amazement. Well, that's how we are made at Sun- tell it, show it, and watch the community grow. I love the Phil-osophy (the hyphen in between is coz' I love Dr Phil too). Here are a few pictures from Goa:

Jus'  a liltin' melody...the Goan way

Paradise on Earth!

The wondrous St Francis Xavier's Church in Goa soaked in sunlight

The beautiful interiors of an old museum  

 

That said, I gotta move now with my knapsack on my back. Coz' nothing in this world is permanent, and yet, the love, the friendship, the support I got from folks out here at Sun will keep me going to the end of a lifetime- or is there an end at all? Ha ha. Here I go again. 
 

My other blog site is: http://yourstrulymanju.blogspot.com/

Will we meet again? The answer, my friends, is  blowin' bloggin' in the wind...  

Posted at 08:51PM Nov 02, 2007 by Manju in Sun  |  Comments[0]

Celebrating Cilantro

The spirit of Dasara festival is slowly setting in Bangalore. The Dasara festival is celebrated for nine nights and symbolizes victory of positivity over negativity. Nine nights of festivities which end in Victory to  Goddess Durga over a demon, will be celebrated with much pomp and splendor.

A depiction of the traditional Mysore Dasara procession

To be sure, no festival out here in India is complete with a whole lot of flowers- jasmine, roses, hibiscus, you name it. Joy overflows from every heart just as the riot of colors livens up every home.

 

   Woman selling flowers at the market

(Pic taken with permission from Kamat's Potpourri) 

It is also a time for calming one's mind, and reflecting on one's goals. To do this, one has to cleanse the body and spirit by eating light, and easily digestible foods. This will eliminate stress on the digestive system and make one active and alert.

According to the principles of Ayurveda, Satvic foods include fruits, fresh vegetables, milk, butter. Satvic diet increases alertness and keeps one active. But one should not get overactive, and so there are two more attributes to food that keep one balanced. Tamasic foods are the opposite of Satvic food and include onion, garlic, red meat, leftovers and packaged food. They are said to have little life force. Rajasic foods are said to be bitter, hot, sour, salty, pungent, hot and dry. Lemon, carrot, meat, sweets are included in the Rajasic food list. Generally, we tend to balance out all these three types of food since our body actually lets us know what we need, through a craving.

During festivals like Dasara, a true devotee or a health-conscious person (or both) tends to stay off Tamasic and Rajasic food altogether.

Coriander chutney is light on the stomach and can be eaten with rice.

Coriander leaves (or cilantro) are often sprinkled in Indian meals to enhance the flavor. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is rich in Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C and carotene. The leaf also is rich in oil content which comprises of coriandrol and geraniol. It is considered to be an astrigent, and improves digestion.

Here's a recipe straight out of the  ashram magazine (Rishimukh): You need a bunch of fresh mint leaves, a bunch of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, a tiny cube of ginger, a couple of green chillis (medium size), a teaspoon of sugar, two teaspoons of lime juice and salt to taste.

Cut off roots and stalks from the mint and coriander leaves. Wash the leaves well and grind the leaves with the rest of the ingredients. You can also grind using a blender or a pestle and mortar (for that 'grandma-just -made-it' effect).

To Indian-ize it a bit more, you can go ahead and season it by heating up some oil, popping in some mustard seeds, and some fenugreek seeds. Add the seasoning to the chutney and enjoy that spicy aroma.

Chill the chutney a bit for that wonderful flavor to sink in good and proper.

Coriander mint chutney is great as side dish along with another Indian speciality- Samosas.

It can also be used as a  wonderful sandwich spread with cucumber slices sprinkled with pepper powder tucked in between the bread. So, what are you waiting for? Just take out that wheat loaf and slice that cucumber...

Posted at 10:11AM Oct 11, 2007 by Manju in Mystic masala  |  Comments[0]

Sprout salad for the soul

Come mornings these days, contemplative thoughts on the day's menu start sticking around in my mind like fluffy cotton lint. So, instead of concentrating on my my morning (spiri)ritual exercise, I end up visualizing all these meals.

That's when I resolved to plan my meals better to keep my meditative mind off food.

Seasoned Rice and lentil  is considered to be a great offering to Lord Krishna.

 

Pic of Lord Krishna in the battlefield with Arjuna. Source: ISKCON 

Vegetable broth with Indian bread is light on the stomach and prevents you from dozing off  in the afternoons. Spicy Rasam (seasoned tomato 'soup' which has a dash of tamarind juice added as well- a South Indian delicacy) and rice are great for holidays, when the family likes to nap after a meal.

Well, I started preparing  well in advance, for today's lunch. Yesterday morning, I had soaked a cupful of seeds like whole Green gram and Chickpea in water. Towards evening, I had drained out the water and washed the seed with fresh water. Then I transfered the swollen seed mix into a light, wet, muslin cloth. Left it overnight in a dark, moist corner on the kitchen counter.

While waiting for the seed to germinate, here's a story of sprouts and their nutritional value. Apparently, Chinese physicians used to prescribe sprouts for curing many disorders, more than 5000 years ago. Green gram is high in nutritional and fibre value.

Nutritional value of Green Gram (Per 100 grams)

Energy : 30 calories
Protein : 3 grams
Carbohydrate : 6 grams
Dietary Fiber : 2 grams 

The protein is especially rich in the amino acid, lysine, but it is somewhat deficient in sulphur-containing amino acids. The seeds are rich in calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, folate and other B Vitamins. They also contain appreciable amounts of Vitamin C. Check this out for a general look into the nutritional value of pulses.

Early in the morning, I walked into the kitchen to check on my sprouts. I could see tiny white stalks emerge from the seed, a sign of mystic, vibrant life. I then transfered the sprouted seed into a nice ceramic bowl.  I tend to wash my sprout for just a few brief seconds in boiled water, to discourage any infections that might come about from any lurking bacteria.

I diced tomatos and cucumber nice and fine. Added it to the seed. There was a bright yellow lemon in the refrigerator and so I took it out and  cut it in two. I have this nice contraption in my kitchen that manages to squeeze out the lime juice from a lemon without  allowing the seeds to flow along with the juice. So I gently squeezed the juice on top of the salad and added salt to taste.

 

Pic taken from the web 

Now I like to season the salad lightly. So I take a small deep pan (called a 'Kadai' in India and the equivalent is probably a 'wok') and heat it on a medium flame. I add a spoonful of light oil (you can use olive or refined oil) and wait for the oil to heat up without getting too hot. I add a dash of mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. I wait for the seeds to sputter before I add finely cut green chillis and coriander leaves.I then layer the salad with the seasoning before mixing it in.

After the fenugreek step, I use asafotida in my seasoning, since this recipe was brought down straight from grandma's cookbooks. But you can add a dash of garlic instead, if you like. Both work well to add that zing to your salad.

There, I had a nice simple sprout salad. I can serve it as a side dish, along with fluffy white rice and a light curry

Unlike eating meat (which is cut out from the flesh of dead animals), when we eat sprout and salads, we are energizing our body, mind and spirit with life. Sure to do great on our health. Just try it, you will find your mind alive and awake throughout the day with no signs of lethargy whatsoever.

Tomato, onion and cucumber salad

And while on the topic of salads, here's  a pic straight out of Rachel Ray's recipe- tangy tomato, onion and cucumber salad. (Love your style, girl!)

I enjoy watching all the vibrant veggie colors in a salad glint back at me in the warm sunlight streaming from my kitchen window. It always seems to be Nature's way of saying Hello.

Posted at 08:58PM Oct 01, 2007 by Manju in Mystic masala  |  Comments[0]

GlassFish V2 launch

GlassFish V2 is out and has received a much deserving praise. The emails are still pouring in.

GlassFish is reputed to be the fastest Open Source Application Server beating BEA and IBM in SpecJ2004 Benchmark!!

It does me proud to note that Chinmayee and Rajeev Jayarajan have been part of Alan Sommerer's and my team in producing the documentation. I really admire their passion and drive to evangelize this stunning product.

For a curtain-raiser and a sneak preview, check out this article in InfoWorld.
 

Posted at 10:59PM Sep 17, 2007 by Manju in Sun  |  Comments[0]

Rice puddin' for the Elephant-God

In India, many festivals occur during the monsoon season, when the rain finally shows mercy on the parched earth. Thereafter, a riot of greenery bursts forth, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of moist earth.

India has always been predominantly an agrarian society, so after the farmers have sown the seeds in the soil, they really have to wait for months to reap their harvest. But then, no one's complaining! The wait is well worth it, and is even blessed by the Celestial Gods.

So from July to October, there is a celebration for every God, or God-concept. True spirituality declares that God, Soul, Nature, Spirit is One. But there are several  manifestations of this Spirit that cater to every whim and fancy and desire and 'fetish' of  mankind. And that's where all the fun really begins.

So during this festive season, the doorstep of every Hindu home is brightened with a sprig or two of mango leaves. The women of the house use rice powder to decorate the entrance with beautiful traditional motifs (art form is called 'Rangoli').

 A 'rangoli' drawn with rice flour

September 15th  is celebrated all over India as the festival of Ganesh, the Elephant-God.

There is a beautiful fable around how Ganesh got the head of an elephant. Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva wanted to bathe and needed a guard to ensure that no one entered the cave where she dwelt. So she created a young boy with turmeric, and breathed Life into him. The boy took his job rather seriously, so much so that he refused to even allow Lord Shiva to enter his own abode. Lord Shiva grew angry, and chopped off the boy's head. Naturally Mother Parvati was terribly upset and Lord Shiva regretted his hasty action. So he brought the head of a sleeping elephant and fixed it to the beheaded boy. So that was how Ganesh was 're-born'.

 

Baby Ganesh with his parents, Shiva and Parvati 

Ganesh is the God to be invoked at the beginning of every ritual, or at the beginning of any new venture. We pray to him that there are no obstacles in all that we do.

Today, in honor of the Ganesh Festival, I made rice pudding for the Elephant-God.

Rice pudding is prepared in many ways but  I have my very own recipe.

I wash a cup of Basmati rice (even ordinary large-grained rice does well) in a steel vessel and add twice the measure of milk to it. I put it for boil for about 30 minutes till the rice is soft and tender. I take a heavy base pan (called a 'kadai') and add a large spoonful of ghee (clarified butter). I then put in some chopped cashewnuts, almonds and raisins to the heated ghee and saute the mix until the nuts turn a golden brown color. Then I add the rice boiled in milk, into the pan. I add more milk and stir like my life depends on it. At this point you can sprinkle some cardamom powder and/or saffron, but I personally find these flavors too sharp.

Finally I add jaggery (unrefined sugar) to sweeten the pudding. Now some folks add sugar, in which case it is roughly one cup of sugar for a cup of rice. Jaggery, however is less sweet, so I add more than just a cup. As soon as jaggery is added, the pan needs to be taken off the fire before stirring in the jaggery. This is because jaggery can curdle milk if heated any further.

Jaggery has several benefits over sugar. It is made of sugar cane (scientific name: Saccharum species) or date palm. Ayurvedic doctors prescribe Jaggery for lung and throat infections. It is rich in iron, vitamins and minerals. According to ancient medicinal scriptures, jaggery is said to purify blood, prevent rheumatic disorders and even disorders of the bile.

After chanting mantras in praise of the Elephant-God,  I  sat myself down with a large portion of rice pudding served on a freshly washed banana leaf.

Hmm...it tasted so good.

E-G got the Prayer, while I got the puddin'.

 

Creamy Rice puddin' for the Gods

Pic taken from: http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/512369

 

Posted at 02:06AM Sep 15, 2007 by Manju in Mystic masala  |  Comments[0]

A simple Sunday Brunch

My Sunday brunches are usually very thought-provoking.  Between my deep breathing Pranayams and  bouts of writing, I take time to check out the kitchen shelves.

This weekend, I had a large eggplant staring back at me from the fridge. It was a wonderful purple, turgid, completely clear of blemishes. In the prime of youth, so to speak.

To its right was a wedge of pumpkin. Bright orange, simply waiting to be cooked. 

Then I saw this bag of wonderful chickpeas on the kitchen shelf. Like Basmati rice, chickpeas are often packaged in nice cloth bags, a pretty sight indeed.

So upon seeing these ingredients, I thought to myself, 'why not cook them together in a simple yet effective manner?'

Quite often potato is added to chickpea curry since it lends volume and taste to this rich dish.
But pumpkin is more nutritious than potato- with a store of Vitamin A. Pumpkins are very low in calories and are rich in potassium as well.

Eggplant by itself can be a bit too tangy in taste. Moreover, it is known to cause allergies. So when cooked in modest amounts, just lending a flavor, it is a great veggie. Moreover, Eggplant has a host of vitamins and is a good source of fibre.

Chickpeas, are, well, just  fabulous to cook and eat. When soaked overnight, they become tender and swollen and sweet. Chickpeas are rich in folate and also in fibre. Boiled chickpeas can be eaten plain and still delight the palate.

You can now begin to  imagine how this combo curry would taste.

I found this recipe on the web. Just check it out, it's great. I'm going to replace ghee (clarified butter) with oil, since it takes care of the cholesterol bit. Cauliflower is optional. So is garlic, since at home we go slow on this ingredient.

 

Pic acknowlegement: from the web 

Black pepper (scientific name: Piper nigrum) has replaced red chilli powder in this recipe. It is sooooo much better than red chilli on the stomach lining. It is used in many ayurvedic medicines and this regal spice has its reference in the Yajur Veda (an ancient book of the Hindus). Black pepper, along with ginger helps free flow of oxygen to the brain, helps enhance digestion and circulation and reduces joint pain.

You can eat this curry with Basmati rice. Or you can eat it with rotis (home-made Indian  'bread'). If you are in no mood to cook, then simply eat it with wholewheat bread. Alongside, have a simple salad of sliced cucumber, tomatos and onions.

Now that I have diced the veggies, sorted the spices in tiny bowls, put chickpeas on the boil, it's time to sit in my favorite cross-legged position and reach out for the comic strips.

Namaste!

Pic acknowledgement: Blackpepper land

Posted at 10:00PM Sep 08, 2007 by Manju in Mystic masala  | 

Cybrids for cure?

 

It's rather intriguing to note that the UK which once frowned upon its cattle for causing mad cow disease, is now using them for serving mankind in the making of  'cybrids'. Cybrid technology is said to be of great value in finding therapy for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Cybrids are prepared by injecting the nucleus from a human cell into an empty cell taken from another animal.  Because these cybrids contain about 99.9 per cent human material and 0.1 per cent animal, their use is being frowned upon by many ethical and religious organizations. However, one of the chief advantages of using them is that  they are a substitute for human eggs which are more difficult to obtain in such large quantities. Use of hybrid embryos is also questioned by many for a variety of ethical reasons.

The cybrid technology offers a way to derive embryonic stem cells corresponding to individual patients suffering from a genetic disease, such that the disease or potential therapies can be studied on cells in the lab - rather than on the patients themselves.

The principle of cybrid technology is to take a stem cell (of a cow, in this case), empty its contents, inject it with adult human DNA and culture the cell in the lab. It will multiply from 2 to four to eight to sixteen cells and so on. After around 6 days,  these cells are harvested and observed under circumstances akin to diseases such as Alzheimer's. If a cybrid is implanted, it can grow into a freak 'chimera'.

However, the legal proposal clearly states that such cybrid cells be destroyed in 14 days' time, beyond which they cannot survive an  implantation.

Chimera concept?

Posted at 05:06AM Sep 07, 2007 by Manju in Sun  | 

Dates for dessert, anyone?

As a kid, I was skinny as a beanpole. Mom used to place my breakfast plate in front of me and coax me to tuck into the gooey mass of fried eggs. But all I would do is to pop a morsel in my mouth before puking on the dining room rug.

I was always good with veggies and so I am and will continue to be, a confirmed vegetarian.

Our moods can be governed by what we eat and how we live. I always find that on days that I eat well-balanced light meals, drink lots of fluids, and follow my regular Yoga routine, I just don't seem to get tired or irritable. But when I eat fat-rich food, I know it's time for that dreaded drowsy feeling to sink in shortly thereafter.

I am always reading stuff on health, fitness, yoga. Not to mention food for the soul- meditation tips, and a 'V' bit o' Vedanta.  So I thought to myself, why not start a blog and share all this with all my blogger friends out there?

Let me start by sharing a recipe of a sweet made with dates.

Dates have been known to the Arabs and Indians from 5000 BC. The scientific name is real pretty- Phonenix dactylifera.

Dates are low in calorific value (a single date might contain around 23 calories) and rich in minerals like Selenium. Selenium is said to lower the risk of cancer and heart diseases, keeping the immune system healthy. Dates also contain vitamins A1, B1, N2, B3, B5 and C.

Upon much coaxing, Rahim sent me this recipe for making date 'burfis'.

Ingredients:

Condensed milk or milk cream- 100 gms
Dates (deseeded and coarsely crushed) - 500 gms
Ghee (clarified butter)- 2 tbspns
Marie biscuits (low sugar biscuits) - 10.12 nos

 
Procedure:

Heat ghee  (clarified butter) in a pan. Add the dates and  condensed milk.
Cook it well, constantly stirring the  contents, until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Add powdered biscuits and cook for another couple of minutes.
Spread the mixture on a plastic sheet or an aluminium foil. Twist it into a roll (like a Swiss roll)
Refrigerate the roll until it thickens.
Remove the roll from the fridge and cut it into small pieces. You can eat it all by yourself or serve to the bunch of folks who are watching with hope.

For some ayurvedic recipes made of dates, do check out:

http://franlife.blogspot.com/2006/05/recipe-date-molasses-scones.html

Until next time then.

Namaste! 

Posted at 09:23AM Sep 06, 2007 by Manju in Mystic masala  | 

Chak De India leads the way

Hockey coach Kabir Khan was once disgraced for having allegedly mismanaged the men's hockey team.

After a few years of going underground, he resurfaces to attend an interview for coaching the Girls' National Hockey team. In the interview session, he is warned by the 'Hockey Committee',  about the 'thankless' job of coaching girls. "They should be baking bread at home. You know how it is with these girls...hyuk hyuk." they remarked, with an all- knowing wink.

But Khan stood ground. The Committee sighed and shrugged. "Ok, they're your problem now." they said and handed him the job.

The team then marched into the hockey field with 'Attitude'. They came from all corners of India. With eyes only on the World cup. They were queen players in their own zones. So they casually shrugged off their jackets  to indulge in what they thought would be just a lil' bit o' training.

Then they met coach, who was clearly in a mood to have it his way.

At crack of dawn it was time for some rigorous training. Some didn't mind this, and some positively hated it. Some shouted, some cried. But coach Khan persisted and was determined to bring out  the best in each player.

This movie portrays some of the best forms of coaching. The take home lesson was that with strong  interpersonal skills and constant communication you can have a winning team. You need not have the most knowledgeable team, but if you persist in coaching, you can mold your team to compete with the best of breed.

 

 Chak De India

Great leaders move us. We've known that from time immemorial.  They ignite passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision and powerful ideas. But according to Daniel Goldman (co-author of Primal Leadership- Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence), the reality is much more primal: Great leadership works through the emotions.

When leaders drive emotions positively, they bring out the team's best. Some of the attributes of emotional intelligence are:

• Impulse control: separating feelings from actions
• Anxiety control: ability to moderate worry and fear
•  Hope and optimism: the belief you have the will and the way to accomplish your goals, despite the set-backs
• Flow: the ability to reach a state of peak performance free of emotional static
• Empathy: ability to read emotional cues, to listen and to hear other perspectives
• Authentic response: the ability to synchronize with and influence the emotional states of other people while staying true to one’s own self.

Why do our emotions relate to our performance? For this we need to take a peek into how our brain is organized. At a gross level, scientists have organized the brain into the primitive brain (self-preservation), the rational brain (the intellectual seat) and the intermediate brain (emotions).

The intermediate brain comprises the limbic system (structures like amygdala and hippocampus are part of this system). Recent studies of the brain reveal the neurological mechanisms for primal leadership and explain why emotional intelligence abilities are so crucial. Scientists refer to the open-loop nature of the limbic system, our emotional centers.  The open loop design of the limbic system means that other people can change our very physiology and so our emotions.

Therefore, a leader's emotions are contagious.

Organizations tend to provide trainings in managerial and organizing skills, while steering clear of the more difficult waters such as influencing the emotional state of our teams. Thus companies tend to teach public speaking more than listening. A lot of such training actually begins from childhood.

Backtrack a bit to the reel scene.

Khan proves that great coaches are also great leaders for they show the way, by becoming role models to their teams. Khan skillfully switches emotions in tune to the needs of the players. In a game like hockey, one cannot be too soft and the situation called for tough training methods. Nevertheless, he is sensitive to the girls' background and was empathetic to their own emotional states. He switches tactics, sometimes opting for an All-hands, sometimes one-on-ones and sometimes chatting up two players at a time. He is all 'tuned into' the players, the game and the tremendous challenge ahead of them.

I'm glad I watched this movie. Come to think of it, Sun Microsytems India has a hockey field right next door. One of these days, I'll certainly go and watch a match.

Reference: Primal Leadership : Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee

Acknowledgement- Pic downloaded from the Rediff.com.

Posted at 09:46PM Sep 01, 2007 by Manju in Sun  | 

From Bacardi Breeze to Boiled beans

Bangalore's  a place where the average rainbow gets edged out by the smog clouds while the nocturnal screech of car tyres has learnt to harmonize with sounds of Metallica. A place where the baskets of fruit are outbound and the caskets of wine are inbound. A place where the spiritual gurus share the dais with politicians because of a strange similarity. One believes in God while the other believes he IS God.

But who cares about this 'n that? For it's fun and more wild and whacky fun for the new kid on the Bangalore-block. Yep, that's the one- the jeans- clad man with gelled hair and an overnight stubble to catch, er, match. Ditto for the woman, minus the stubble.

          

Where History meets Hotspots: Left: Vidhana Soudha building. Right: a nightclub

That's Bangalore. Or 'Bengalooru' (and some say 'Bengaluru'), as per the recent dictates of the government.

Based on information from the Gazetteer of India (taken from the web), Karnataka State, Bangalore District section, the name "Bangalore" is an anglicised version of "Bengalooru," a word in the local Kannada language that was given to a town. Apparently this word was derived from the phrase "bende kaalu ooru," which translates into "the town of boiled beans." It is said that King Ballala of the Hoysala dynasty lost his way in the jungle while on a hunting expedition. Tired and hungry, he encountered a poor, old woman who offered him the only food she had - some boiled beans. Grateful to her, the king named the place "bende kaalu ooru." However, historical evidence shows that "Bengalooru" was recorded much before King Ballala's time in a 9th century temple inscription in the village of Begur.

Now that the whole city is officially renamed 'Bengalooru' should a visitor expect any change in the hospitality department?. Well, don't expect to be served boiled beans like ol' times.You'll likely get pasta. Don't expect to meet kings with head gear. You'll only meet lads with headbands.

Bengalooru may be a de-anglicised version of a name, but English is still the top-ranking language.

That is, next only to Java. ;-)

Posted at 09:51AM Aug 30, 2007 by Manju in Personal  | 

IEC folks have fun!

Posted at 09:14AM Aug 19, 2007 by Manju in Sun  |  Comments[6]

From I-Pods to I-Day

 Probably in keeping with the growing popularity of the IT era, the Indian people have gone and lovingly recoined 'Independence' Day as I- Day.

No, I'm not kidding. I saw dozens of I-mails (Indiatimes mails) freely dotted with this word. All to celebrate 60 years of India's Independence from the British empire.

Sixty has a very significant meaning in India. Men and women consider their 60th birthday with great reverence and spiritual value.

I -Day today seemed to have the same significance. It was the day when the Prime Minister of India  announced the growth of several I-nstitutions- namely, IISc (Indian Institute of Science ), IIT (Indian Institute of Technology- Dilbert's favorite) and IIM (Indian Institute of Management).

'Twas the day for many lilting I-tunes- from the National anthem to Irrational pop. I heard my all-time favourite patriotic song 'Sara Jahan se accha' in a vibrant rendition by the music group Euphoria. (was surprised the name wasn't changed to I-phoria to suit the day).

The telly beamed out so many smiling faces- of farmers, budding musicians, actors and freedom fighters- all through the day. It was also time to see many I-competitions. I checked out the new band Yodhaka with Subhiksha, a young lady singing a patriotic song in chaste Tamil. They used a percussion instrument called Darbuka- it seemed a bit noisy but still, it was novel. Check out  an interesting rendition of Darbuka on the Youtube.

Every year, I -Day is always a very happening day in India. For sixty years we have proudly celebrated our gaining freedom from the British empire. We pay homage to Gandhiji, the grand old man who envisioned a free India. A simple yet dynamic man who spun his own cloth and lived in an ashram. As recent as this year, a new film ('Gandhi, my father') has been released with a theme based on Gandhiji. For more details, check out famous Indian actor (and director of 'Gandhi, my father') Anil Kapoor's blog.

Famed for being a powerful statement of rebellion against the use of British cloth during pre-independence days, Khadi (home-spun cotton) has now become a fashion statement in India (probably many parts of the world as well).

 Gandhiji spinning yarn using a wheel known as a Charkha

I watched the cleaners drop by early in the morning to sweep the I-ndian streets. And kids in wh-I-ite uniforms walk eagerly to their schools, to participate in all those I- Day programs. It was an exciting day, for them.

I watched at least I (read: One) movie on the famous freedom struggle with ardent zeal. I distributed sweets in the morning to show that I too cared for my country.

And so, in keeping with the spirit of I-day, here's a toast to all my fellow Indians who I-dentify themselves with their motherland.  Come, soak in the I-feeling.

Jai Hind.

 

NOTE:  Sun Microsystems India celebrated I-day by releasing Code for Freedom for students in India.

 

Posted at 09:25AM Aug 16, 2007 by Manju in Sun  |  Comments[0]

Diann Olden chats up women@IEC

At a time when us women were sipping endless coffee and pondering over our questionable future, Diann Olden came along and did some good ol' straight talkin'.

 

Her message was so simple and yet so meaningful. "Draw that 'T' and chalk out what you need to do and what you don't want to do. But go for your dreams and aspirations." she insisted.

When Diann  got married, she stitched and baked and played 'home 'n hearth'.  She brought up her kids like any mommy should, or as any mommy-in-law would think appropriate.

But no matter how hard she tried to push her aspirations into the background and wear her apron steadfastly, she continued to dream of taking up a job. And so one day, she got herself a job. There was no looking back, thereafter.

At some point of time Diann joined Xerox. Where she was hired to play secretary. And that role, she flatly refused. A few boring assignments later, she found herself in a field position which was definitely in her line. Then on, she planned her career one step at a time.

Diann advised us to always follow our interest and keep re-assessing our occupation to see if we still felt passionate about pursuing it. People, according to Diann, often change their aspirations in different stages of their lives, and therefore, must be open to any corresponding change that has to be made in career.

It was a great meeting and we enjoyed watching Diann's expressive face, as she unfolded the story of her career and family. She has two great kids, an 87 year old dad, and a sister. Life has given her a bundle of experiences and strangely, many of them match with those in the knapsacks that we ferry along in our own lives.

If there's one thing we want to say, that is: Diann, you ROCK! 

A picture is worth a thousand words and I decided to  write 4000 more... 

 

 The ladies smile as Diann shares a joke

The clocks kept ticking but who's keeping tabs?

 In case you wanted numbers...and switches (the white squares up front!)

 

Then the grand female, er sorry,  finale!

Posted at 11:02AM Aug 09, 2007 by Manju in Sun  |  Comments[1]

Happy Friendship day!

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Posted at 02:14AM Aug 05, 2007 by Manju in Personal  |  Comments[0]

Tree's Company!

Sun is an eco-friendly place. We car-pool, bike, walk, jog to the office. We diligently switch off our monitors at the end of the day or whenever. We recycle office paper- and doodle on the back of meeting minutes pages. Sometimes folks only read the doodles, but that's another matter.

We even bring our own gigantic ceramic mugs for coffee and carry them all around the office in an eco-friendly wheelbarrow.

So when we saw this very green sign recently put up in our office...

...we said to ourselves (in our own eco-friendly vernacular languages): "Ha, this is the way to go and we're goin' that way!"

A few days later, we were walking down to a food center close by, quietly towing our mugs along, when we saw this tree. Something drew us to the trunk- it was a tiny ad pasted in a cozy corner:

Talk of tapping 'Solar' energy!

Here's a toast to all  'recruitrees'!

Posted at 08:30AM Aug 01, 2007 by Manju in Sun  |  Comments[0]