Two Years...

It's been two years since i wrote last. I guess i should have a lot more to write now for the two year sabbatical should do one good. Yet I find no ideas to write about- It's as if life has gone through a vacuum where the fate has just changed the dates with no change in the character. Haven't you gone through such feeling where time flies by but you have no major recollection, no memories? 

Life has been kind, with many happy moments inter-spread in between not so happy ones. The period has seen a change in my living city- I have moved from Mumbai to Delhi. Each city has its own unique soul, its own language, weather, people and ways. I had thought that Delhi would be easy after living in Mumbai... Yet it is a different experience. For one I am happy that I can manage to stay in an independent house with nice gated community (unlike a flat in Mumbai). And I am sad that I can't take the 24 hr electricity or life guaranteed ( NCR). 

I do hope that I get into groove and start writing again- for it is the only occasion when one gets to sit alone with himself and have internal dialogue. The rest of the time is spent chasing one thing or the other.

 

Believe in yourself

Believe in your heart that
something wonderful is about to happen.
Love your life.
Believe in your own powers,
and your own potential,
and in your own innate goodness.
Wake every morning
with the awe of just being alive.
Discover each day the magnificent,
awesome beauty in the world.
Explore and embrace life in yourself
and in everyone you see each day.
Reach within to find your own specialness.
Amaze yourself and rouse those around you
to the potential of each new day.
Don't be afraid to admit
that you are less than perfect;
this is the essence of your humanity.
Let those who love you help you.
Trust enough to be able to take.
Look with hope to the horizon of today,
for today is all we truly have.
Live this day well.
Let a little sun out as well as in.
Create your own rainbows.
Be open to all your possibilities;
all possibilities and Miracles.

The Song of the Free

The wounded snake its hood unfurls,
The flame stirred up doth blaze,
The desert air resounds the calls
Of heart-struck lion's rage.

The cloud puts forth it deluge strength
When lightning cleaves its breast,
When the soul is stirred to its in most depth
Great ones unfold their best.

Let eyes grow dim and heart grow faint,
And friendship fail and love betray,
Let Fate its hundred horrors send,
And clotted darkness block the way.

All nature wear one angry frown,
To crush you out - still know, my soul,
You are Divine.  March on and on,
Nor right nor left but to the goal.

Nor angel I, nor man, nor brute,
Nor body, mind, nor he nor she,
The books do stop in wonder mute
To tell my nature; I am He.

Before the sun, the moon, the earth,
Before the stars or comets free,
Before e'en time has had its birth,
I was, I am, and I will be.

The beauteous earth, the glorious sun,
The calm sweet moon, the spangled sky,
Causation's law do make them run;
They live in bonds, in bonds they die.

And mind its mantle dreamy net
Cast o'er them all and holds them fast.
In warp and woof of thought are set,
Earth, hells, and heavens, or worst or best.

Know these are but the outer crust -
All space and time, all effect, cause.
I am beyond all sense, all thoughts,
The witness of the universe.

Not two nor many, 'tis but one,
And thus in me all me's I have;
I cannot hate, I cannot shun
Myself from me, I can but love.

From dreams awake, from bonds be free,
Be not afraid.  This mystery,
My shadow, cannot frighten me,
Know once for all that I am He.

— Swami Vivekananda

This poem is an excerpt from a letter written by Swami Vivekananda from New York to Mary Hale on 15th February 1895.
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 8, pg 162, An Interesting Correspondence.

The Debt Conundrum : Biggest Debtor Nations

"May you live in interesting times", as ancient chinese would often say to their enemies. The first decade of twenty first century would definitely give any other decade a run for it's money. We indeed are living in interesting times if the recent news events and financial debacles are anything to go by. The housing bubble of US disintegrated into a rotten corpse of financial greed and misdeeds and left a turmoil in its wake. Just as there was some semblance of calm returning another storm can be seen brewing on the horizon- the storm of sovereign debt. It started with Greece ( Spain, Hungry, Italy in line) and is in the process of undermining the very essence of European Union. A large number of EU banks are exposed to this debacle, and the fact that only Germany is currently in good position economically, obviously undermine the confidence in Euro. The sad fact is that even dollar is not doing too good. And UK is also caught up in it's own problem.

David Cameron, the British PM,  told an audience that the "overall scale of the problem is even worse than we thought" and that "The decisions we make will affect every single person in our country. And the effects of those decisions will stay with us for years, perhaps decades, to come,". Not a too optimistic outlook.  “[Y]ou can’t smell the sulfur in the air right now and not think we might be on the threshold of an age of rage,” observed British historian Simon Schama recently . The developed world is currently facing a “tinderbox moment,” he added further. Some European countries have seen the incidence of riots over the financial tightening approach adopted by the governments.  


Interesting times indeed! And to add to it the sinking of S Korean ship by DPRK, and an armed attack on relief flotilla by Israel. But I am wandering.... 


Here is the list of top 20 debtor countries. It is just compiled by me from the CNBC page (http://www.cnbc.com/id/30308959/The_World_s_Biggest_Debtor_Nations?slide=1)   :

20. US -  External debt (as % of GDP): 96.5%
Gross external debt: $13.77 trillion (2009 Q3)
2009 GDP (est): $14.26 trillion


19. Hungary - External debt (as % of GDP): 121.9%
Gross external debt: $225.56 billion (2009 Q2)
2009 GDP (est): $184.9 billion

18. Australia - External debt (as % of GDP): 124.3%
Gross external debt: $1.025 trillion (2009 Q2)
2009 GDP (est): $824.3 billion

17. Italy - External debt (as % of GDP): 147.4%
Gross external debt: $2.594 trillion (2009 Q3)
2009 GDP (est): $1.76 trillion

16. Greece - External debt (as % of GDP): 170.5%
Gross external debt: $581.68 billion
2009 GDP (est): $341 billion

15. Germany - External debt (as % of GDP): 182.5%
Gross external debt: $5.13 trillion
2009 GDP (est): $2.81 trillion

14. Spain - External debt (as % of GDP): 186.1%
Gross external debt: $2.55 trillion (2009 Q3)
2009 GDP (est): $1.37 trillion

13. Norway - External debt (as % of GDP): 202.6%
Gross external debt: $553.4 billion
2009 GDP (est): $273.1 billion

12. Finland - External debt (as % of GDP): 220.2%
Gross external debt: $402.24 billion
2009 GDP (est): $182.6 billion

11. Hong Kong - External debt (as % of GDP): 223.1%
Gross external debt: $672.9 billion
2009 GDP (est): $301.6 billion

10. Portugal - External debt (as % of GDP): 235.9%
Gross external debt: $548.45 billion
2009 GDP (est): $232.4 billion

9. France - External debt (as % of GDP): 248%
Gross external debt: $5.23 trillion (2009 Q3)
2009 GDP (est): $2.11 trillion

8. Austria - External debt (as % of GDP): 256.2%
Gross external debt: $827.9 billion
2009 GDP (est): $323.1 billion

7. Sweden -  External debt (as % of GDP): 264.3%
Gross external debt: $881.5 billion
2009 GDP (est): $333.5 billion

6. Denmark - External debt (as % of GDP): 316%
Gross external debt: $627.6 billion
2009 GDP (est): $198.6 billion

5. Belgium - External debt (as % of GDP): 328.7%
Gross external debt: $1.25 trillion
2009 GDP (est): $381 billion

4. Netherlands - External debt (as % of GDP): 376.6%
Gross external debt: $2.46 trillion (2009 Q3)
2009 GDP (est): $654.9 billion

3. Switzerland - External debt (as % of GDP): 382.2%
Gross external debt: $1.21 trillion (2009 Q3)
2009 GDP (est): $317 billion

2. United Kingdom - External debt (as % of GDP): 425.9%
Gross external debt: $9.15 trillion
2009 GDP (est): $2.15 trillion

1. Ireland - External debt (as % of GDP): 1,312%
Gross external debt: $2.32 trillion
2009 GDP (est): $176.9 billion

It's time for fiscal prudence by these countries. Any tightening in government spending would see a slower recovery. And no tightening would see debt's ballooning further which would undermine the countries means to raise resources. So in my view the global uncertainty isn't easing anytime sooner. Nor are the developed countries likely to recover from the slowdown anytime soon. It looks like the day for the developing countries to become growth engines of the world has arrived. It truly is a chaotic period to live in. But it is full of hope too - hope that the old corrupted financial systems would give way to new ones, hope that the world would become more equitable, hope that the chasms between have and have nots will fill some more...But till it comes to fruition  it is at best, well a hope.

Looking forward to the future...as and when it plays out!

Shyam Bajaye aaj muraliya By Pt. Bhimsen Joshi

Listening to Pt. Bhimsen Joshi is always a magical experience. Here he sings a devotional song to Krishna and transforms it to divine plane by his range and control of voice. At the end of 10 minutes you would be left pining for more...but alas this is what is available. A good way to start listening to Indian classical music! 

A song by Shafqat Ali Khan

A beautifully rendered song. Listen to the range of voice.

LOST : Finally comes to an end! Or, does it?

There is no need to say anything about LOST to the modern generation. It has been a long running series (6 seasons) and has kept the suspense and speculations going episode after episode, season through season. And like all good things in life this highly rated serial had to end at some point, and end it did this month on 23rd. Wish i could say, "What an ending it was!". Sadly that's not to be..
I was left unsatisfied and perplexed by the ending to this long running series. Not to spoil the fun i would merely say that not all the issues were tied off and not all the mysteries revealed. The ending was merely a half-hearted attempt to see some kind of closure to the series, a closure that would leave a warm after glow in the people, tie up cleanly with their religious beliefs, so that they can overlook the various issues not answered, the various plot twists introduced just to keep the series interesting that had nothing to do with the original story line.
If you look at it on the episode level (micro) each episode was interesting and left us mystified, kept us just enough in the dark to keep us returning for more and more of the island.However if you look at the entire storyline arc (macro), you are left stumped. So what was the island? Which timeline was real? Was the world (sideways arc) really just a purgatory where dead people stayed till all their friends came along? And it functioned just like everyday world? Then what role Desmond had to play to bring them all together? And when was one one ready to "move on" ( the police officer, Lucia, who set desmond, sayid & kate free wasn't yet ready..).
Various people are saying that it was in keeping up with the tune of the sci-fi genre of the show that not all storylines are explained, not all loose ends are tied off. I would just say that the writers had taken too many liberties with the story down the lane, had branched off too much, that it was not possible to tie off all ends ...explain all the mysteries...atleast logically.Well maybe it's just me, but the ending episode did not bring the show full circle.It left me intellectually unsatisfied. Ending the show with Jack dying in the bamboo jungle ( it started with him opening his eyes there) may have been symbolical of the full circle that the show traced up...but it did not explain much!


In the end i have come to realize this that the show was never meant to bring anything to logical conclusion. It was just a good drama wrapped up in the garb of sci-fi. Let's leave it to that. And for that whatever it was worth, it was a great show. Now the search for new series that may hold our attention in the same way begins...