My MBA dept - DOMS, Madras University

Was pleasantly surprised to see a big photo & an equally big write-up on DOMS (Department of Management Studies) University of Madras in the Hindu.

The occasion was "release of Placement brochure".
The Placement activities are fully handled by the students themselves through the VOX Management committee. VOX is VoiceOfeXellence, an elected student body that comprises of a General Secretary, Placement Coordinator, Cultural Secretary, Public Relations Officier & a Treasurer.

I was the cultural secretary during my years at DOMS (1999-2001).
Want to know more about VOX - Click www.voxmanagement.org

Can you believe that VOX was formed way back in 1977 !
The MBA department is one of the oldest Management institutions ..started way back in 1955!!!

Moral behind marriages - love?

Yesterday happened to attend a 'love-cum arranged marriage' of a relative. It was a first for me for many reasons.
1. The girl was from a different state (Kerala). The guy is our relative (Tamil). Both of them are working.
2. The girl's family didn’t turn up or rather..they didnt know
3. The guys’ family had arranged for the marriage in a very happy manner with out any ill feeling of being compelled by their son
4. The marriage was held in the Groom's house with all the "dhada pudal" associated with a typical South Indian marriage.
5. Only the near & dear were invited which could easily mean there was a crowd of 50-60 people.

After marriage, the bride's family was called up to inform that the marriage had happened. They had earlier refused all discussions on the marriage topic. After a six year wait, the couple decided to move on.

We came home after a sumptuous meal. Something kept on nagging me...

Was the happiness of the marriage complete without the bride's family's blessings?
If the bride's family had also accepted the marriage, it would have been one gala evening of festivities, But…they chose the other way.
The guy is from a good family, works in a good company..more than that, their daughter loves the guy & they have been going around for the past six years.. so 'infatuation' argument is also ruled out.

I'm left to wonder, in these times of globalization when marriages across cultures are fast happening, what makes the parents so rigid. I can safely say "ego".
Most of the parents do a turn around after a year or two, & accept the marriage. Why not before?

Chimps & Humans

Came across this extremely interesting site on Human Evolution.
http://www.becominghuman.org/
It contains a well made documentary on 'Becoming Human'...It traces the origin of Human Race. Technically, the site seems to be well made.

Wish this should be shown at the school level to all the students lest they get corrupted / confused by the millions of magical gods outside :-))

Hard to digest fact is
"Scientists have sequenced the genome of the chimpanzee and found that humans are 96 percent similar to the great ape species."
More on this in National Geographic News

Saravana Bhavan - Sprialling Prices

It came a rude shock for me when the cashier told me 80+ Rs. for tamilnadu meals in Saravana Bhavan.
It is the not the question of affordability but the value-for-money.
Come-on.. this was supposed to be an upper middle class restaurant till a little while ago.
U are not pampering urself by dining in a 5 Star hotel..be it the ambience...or be it the variety. The quality is definitely much better than many hotels around. But quantity takes a beating.
Dhams & me finally settled down to quick lunch, which was costing us around 40+ per head.
Now what do I get for that..one small helping of sambar sadam, tomato rice, curd rice, sarkarai pongal, potato chips & pickles.

I might as well have walked down a little to New Woodlands or Savera...

Indian Government Website

Comeon ..try guessing the name of our official government website...
I'm sure u would not be able to guess it...
It is
http://goidirectory.nic.in/

It is quite a huge directory of links to all departments.
Incidently, I lost count of the number of states & union territories that we have..
Checked it out..
The grand total is 35

Interesting Observations on Godmen!

Read a probing article - Where have all Brahmin godmen gone? by T S Sreenivasa Raghavan.

"The mutts promoted by Mata Amritanandamayi, Kalki Bhagawan, Bangaru Adigal, Vethathiri Maharishi, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and others in a growing list, are enjoying unprecedented influence today. Meanwhile, the number of mutts promoted by Brahmins since the time of Adi Sankara is more or less the same."

"The most defining difference is the extent of social commitment and the associated visibility of non-Brahmin mutts, particularly Sai Baba’s and Mata Amritanandamayi’s. Sai Baba, while producing holy ashes and gold chains, also created unique drinking water projects, hospitals and educational institutions for the poor."

"Mata Amritanandamayi’s social contribution in Kerala and other parts of the country is enormous. Brahmin mutts have not built such enduring visible monuments for the poor but have poured plenty into dressing up or washing the gods. The Seer of Kanchi recently gifted a diamond studded crown to a temple. Grand, captivating events, but transient and forgettable unlike huge modern hospitals and colleges. "

"Even today, orthodox Brahmins claim to worship only higher forms of god. Lakshman Singh, an ardent follower of Bangaru Adigal the head of Melmaruvathur Mutt, says: "Non-Brahmin worship is different from Brahmin cult. Brahmins worship the higher form of Shiva and Parvati. Non-Brahmins worship them in the lower form of Muneeswaran and Kali."

Agassi - defies age

A well written commentry in Rediff , on the great Agassi - James Blake quarterfinals in the US Open Tennis Championship 2005.

"Agassi had no answers to Blake's baseline play. The errors, especially on the forehand, were on the rise. And in an hour he had conceded the first two sets, 3-6, 3-6. Then he lost his serve early in the third set. But another brave effort from the Las Vegan was ready to unfold under the floodlights of the Arthur Ashe stadium.

If anyone had to comeback from a hole like this, it had to be Agassi. He may be seeded seventh, is the crowd favourite, but all know that every round he wins is a bonus at the age of 35. The depth of men's tennis does not provide any place to hide."

From there on Agassi went on to win the next two sets and forced a tie breaker in the fivth set.

"The match hung at 6-6, ready for a tie-break. Blake began on a high, winning the first three points, but, in the end, it was Agassi who lapped it at 8-6."

Great way to..Agassi..
Now Agassi would be facing Federer in the Finals..One hell of a match that would be...

Twisted Technology

The 190-metre high, 54-floor Turning Torso apartment tower in Malmo, Sweden become the talk of the town...
See the picture to know the reason.

Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan

Ponniyin Selvan is a 'must-read' for all tamil lovers.
Was thrilled to see the entire Ponniyin Selvan on the web
Ponniyin Selvan on the web is maintained by Baskaran Sankaran.
The site has all popular historic novels of Kalki. And also, has detailed steps on how to download & use the Tamil Fonts.

Happened to find the book cover in the wikipedia of Ponniyin Selvan.

Go ahead or rather Go back to the great times of Cholas & Pandiyas.. Njoy the trip!!