Excess Baggage

Being on the road is never easy and one invariably tends to carry excess baggage. Here's a compilation of a few jottings and readings which I carried along let's see from Shillong to Bangalore and from there to Hyderabad then to Singapore until I wrote them down now in dil walon ki Dilli.

1. What is love?

When you don’t rejoice in making fun of somebody, feel terrible instead and apologise soon after.

2. Ambiguity breeds misunderstanding

3. Hurting and calling back is not the idea, not hurting and calling back is.

4. Lord… take me HOME… because I don’t remember… Take me HOME

5. I devour ephemeral social encounters but sadly run away from even a hint of a longer term social commitment.

Now, some news items that caught my eye..

6. A senior British Cabinet Minister caught up in a controversy over her husband’s (a high-profile corporate lawyer) allegedly murky financial dealings, decided to leave him to stave off accusations of a conflict of interests.

In a statement, latter’s solicitor said, “… He is as mortified as she has been angered by the embarrassment he has caused her. They hope that over time their relationship can be restored, but, given the current circumstances, they have agreed to a period of separation.”

Here’s hoping that the “separation” was only on paper otherwise, it saddens me to acknowledge the “dharma-sankat” of a person.

7. The western world leaders fear Iran would obtain Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU). What is it?

It is Uranium in which U-235, the isotope capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction, has been concentrated to levels of 20% or more by weight.

More than 1 lakh nuclear weapons have been produced by a few nations.

8. Following information is presented here courtesy Transitions Optical, still the only manufacturer using photo-chromatic surface technology through their exhibition ‘Eye-didn’t-know-that!’ at National Science Centre, Delhi.

• Prolonged exposure to the sun’s ultra-violet rays can make a person visually-impaired.

• The word ‘cataract’ means ‘waterfall’. People with cataract say it’s like they’re looking through water.

• Results of glare are squinting, eye strain, eye fatigue and in extreme cases, temporary blindness.

• They’re over 2 million working parts in our eyes.

• Mosquitoes can see in the IR range. Our body heat makes us ‘neon dinner’.

• Roman emperor Nero wore lenses made of emeralds to view gladiator games

9. A Special Course to Empower Women through Education

‘Millenium Mams’ – a national forum for empowerment of women- is offering a special two-year course titled “Capital Markets” aimed at educating women about various facets of the industry and the economy of the country and the rest of the world. The intake would be 35 students each year, the criteria being that they should be housewives who are interested in exploring other avenues of learning. They would be taught about the various facets of the markets in order to help them become investors, entrepreneurs or even to just learn.

10. Truth presumes trust.

In virtually all engaged institutions – museums, hospitals, schools, libraries - a culture of trust and integrity allows the institution to serve as a credible guide to the complex resonance of our lives, a resource to embrace for clarity in a complex culture… We educate a public so that it might think in new ways.

11. An excerpt on Housekeeping from a research paper

I was brought up in a very traditional manner and was instructed by my grandparents to be very careful how I handled items I did not make. “Be gentle and careful with them,” my grandmother used to tell me. “Someone’s good eyes and love made that item.”

... Because cleaning is such a basic and time-consuming task, it is often overlooked or postponed. But by eliminating the dust and dirt that disfigure and abrade items, support mold growth and attract insects, you are slowing deterioration of items so they can continue to be used. Although good housekeeping is a basic task, it is one of the most important for preservation of your cultural items.

12. Dear Student,

We find that a name similar to yours appears in the success list of the 2005 Civil Services (Main) Examination.

We would like to share in the joy of your success…..

Thanking you and with best wishes for success in all your future endeavours.

This was followed by a gift of Rs. 2000 and a lovely Parker pen set.

13. Check out www.blanknoiseproject.blogspot.com