I have a thing against the Burqa. I think that thing represents a system of oppression designed by religion and men. Burqa, in my mind, has always remained to be a symbol of oppression, no matter how much those religious folks try to justify it by calling it a way of “protection”. So I was slightly amused when this Burqa-clad woman followed me on Twitter and had a look at her profile and there she is – A Burqa-clad woman who is fighting the very same thing that I think Burqas represent – Oppression.
Meet Masarat Daud, who is working to set girls of our rural areas free from oppression using education as a tool and bringing an event like TEDx to India’s villages, even with fighting the religious orthodoxy. Masrat runs an educational program called 8 Day Academy. She is changing the face of education in rural India through her work and is responsible for hundreds of girls getting the opportunity to attend schools. Since February 2009, Masarat has held three sessions of 8-Day Academy in her hometown Fatehpur, Rajasthan, training teachers and students from a local school in Computers and in Public Speaking & Communication skills. After eight days of Computers training, the team was able to use MS Word, MS Paint and know the theory of computing. All this by people who had never seen a computer before!
And then she brought TEDx to Shekhavati and you can read/listen more about her exciting and inspiring stories here and here . Also see her TEDx Shekhavati speech below:
I love experimental art. For they dare to do something new, fresh and original. Here is one, called The Rain Orchestra and it’s a group of people making the sound of rain with their hands and feet. The raining begins with small drops of water, then it comes heavy with thunder etc and then finally sets off. I would recommend that you just close your eyes and listen to it first and then watch the visual. I don’t know who orchestrated it and where did this happen, so if any of you get any more info on this, please pass on.
By the way, don’t forget to put your headphones on!
The graffiti inside the toilets in our trains usually have vulgar language and/or sexual graphics. In India, the public toilet is the kind of place where people get to release their closeted sexual perversion or desires through graffiti. But never in the recent post have I seen any message of love in such places. And on last Sunday I saw a very peculiar message of love, on the walls of toilet in the Mangalore-Trivandrum express train, while I was on my way to Trivandrum from my hometown Thrissur.
“I love my Pedali” – that was written all over the four walls of the toilet in that train. In different ways. Now those who are used to the wall graffiti in India may not find that interesting enough, but what captured my interest is the name “Pedali“. The word “Pedali” in Malayalam means the side of the neck. So I wonder, who would be so much self-obsessed with his Pedali that he took the effort of filling in the toilet space with his love for his Pedali? Or is there actually a name called Pedali? Anyways, this guy/gal really really loves his pedali!
I read the following article posted in a website by a senior HR executive. I’m not sure if this is for real or a work of fiction. However, most of what Mr. Job Hopper said would make sense to many employees. Some companies don’t care much about people who are loyal to the company. It looks like to get a good pay hike, either you have to be a chamcha of your boss or get an offer letter from another company and negotiate. But why waste your time playing all those dirty games?
Anyways, before you start job-hopping after reading this article, keep a few things in mind.
== Equip yourself with the latest technology in your area of expertise – Be the best.
== Not all companies hire people like Mr. JH – Some companies which prefer long term association and look for people who have stayed for at least 2-3 years in their previous companies, may not be quite impressed with such a CV.
== If you prefer comfort level rather than money, consider that before you start job hopping.
Now go ahead and read.
Some, rather most organizations reject his CV today because he has changed jobs frequently (10 in 14 years). My friend, the ‘job hopper’ (referred here as Mr. JH), does not mind it…. well he does not need to mind it at all. Having worked full-time with 10 employer companies in just 14 years gives Mr. JH the relaxing edge that most of the ‘company loyal’ employees are struggling for today. Today, Mr. JH too is laid off like some other 14-15 year experienced guys – the difference being the latter have just worked in 2-3 organizations in the same number of years. Here are the excerpts of an interview with Mr. JH: Continue reading
Ever heard of a hospital for your Pen? And a doctor could help you heal your pen whenever it fell sick? Here is Honest Pen Hospital at Thrissur. If you are in Thrissur, walk through the historical Palace Road, and you will find it in the middle of thriving new shopping malls in the city. This hospital has become an integral part of Thrissur’s history. In the early days, this pen hospital used to help people when they refused to replace their favorite pens. I had an old Hero pen fixed at the place many years back. The doc in the Honest Pen Hospital knew how to fix them all and had the spare parts for surgery; even for the imported and expensive pens. And the doc’s favorites were fountain pens.
Times changed. Ball pens and computers came. People changed too. They no longer wanted to fix things. Pens, relationships or life in general. Or perhaps they have very little time to fix things and would rather find replacements. And in this new consumerist world, the pen hospital has no role to play.
When I walked past the pen hospital on Saturday, I found that it’s closed. I felt kind of sad and I don’t know why…
Update: Kuttan Menon has confirmed that the shop is not closed yet. It is still operating. So get your pens rolling there.
Check out this interview (courtesy: Asianet) with Prof. Rodney F Moag, who has been teaching at the University of Texas, Austin. See how he speaks Malayalam with ease, considering that he is a foreigner. Check out his profile at Kerala Tourism website. He is also a country music performer. See his music profile at his music website.
If you had thought Google’s is the best work place ever, check out the office space of Fog Creek (yes, the photo given above shows their coffee bar). It will make you drool. Joel Spolsky, the founder of Fog Creek says this in his blog: “Fog Creek Software, a New York company that proves that you can treat programmers well and still be highly profitable. Programmers get private offices, free lunch, and work 40 hours a week. Customers only pay for software if they’re delighted.”
Sounds cool? Now check out Joel’s blog to read about the features of his new office space and to see some pictures. You can also check out their Picasa photo stream here.
I just got this email forward from my friend Don, and it shows the musician Tony Meléndez playing guitar and singing the famous Beatles song Let It Be. Tony is a Nicaraguan American guitar player, composer and singer and songwriter who was born without arms. Check out this video and see what is called ‘human spirit’. Also check out this video where Tony speaks about his journey. An amazing and motivating story.
The songs re-produced (cover versions) as well as original compositions or songs in this blog are not for commercial use, but for personal listening pleasure only.
