Ekoshapu (Archive): September 2009

Monday, September 28, 2009

समर्थ रामदास स्वामीं विषयी थोडेसे (बऱ्याच विषयांतरासकट)

नुकतेच मी पुणे मराठी ग्रंथालय इथून समर्थ रामदास यांच्यावरचे एक पुस्तक आणले होते...अचानकच मिळाले आणि जरा चाळल्यावर घ्यावेसे वाटले.

तसा मी ’रामदासी’ नाही...म्हणजे रामदासांचे जास्त काही वाचलेले नाही...त्या मानाने तुकारामांना बरेच follow करतो...

रामदासांचा आणि माझा शेवटचा संबंध हा प्राथमिक शाळेत ’मनाचे श्लोक’ पाठांतर स्पर्धा इतकाच मर्यादित होता. माझ्या आयुष्यातले दुसरेवसरे (पहिलेवहिले च्या धर्तीवर) बक्षीस हे ’मनाचे श्लोक’ स्पर्धेतले होते. ज्याबद्दल मला ’रंगीत खडूची पेटी’ बक्षीस मिळाली होती...(ज्यातले रंग ’ढ’ दर्जाचे होते...आमच्या चित्रांसारखे)

पहिले बक्षीस, विश्वास ठेवा किंवा नका ठेऊ, ’पाकशास्त्रात’ होते! होय, पाकशास्त्र स्पर्धेत मी ’दडपे पोहे’ बनवायला मदत केली होती...म्हणजे सगळे काम आमच्या ’बाईं’नी च केले होते (हल्ली ह्यांना’टीचर’ म्हणतात म्हणे) मी फक्त त्यात ’रस’ दाखवला - बाकीच्या मुला-मुलींपेक्षा - म्हणून मला बक्षीस मिळाले. अर्थात माझा ’रस’ हा त्यानिमित्तानी पोह्यांची ’चव’ बघायला मिळेल ह्यात जास्त होता...असो. तर हे पहिले बक्षीस म्हणून मला कपडे लावायचा ’हँगर’ मिळाला होता...

म्हणजे स्पर्धा प्रकार, मुलांचे वय, ईयत्ता तुकडी, त्यामागचा ’प्रोत्साहन’ द्यायचा हेतू ह्या सगळ्या-सगळ्याशी संपूर्ण विसंगत असे बक्षीस देण्यात आमची शाळा तरबेज होती...मनाच्या श्लोकाला ’खडूची पेटी’, पाककलेला ’हँगर’, चमचा लिंबूला छोटी स्टीलची वाटी/ वाडगा, तीन पायाच्या शर्यतीला ३ ’भेट द्यायची पाकिटे’ (प्रत्येक पायाला एक ह्या हिशोबानी...पण तीन पायाच्या शर्यतीत दोनच जण भाग घेतात, हे मात्र त्यांच्या लक्षात यायचे नाही)

ही अशी काही तरी बक्षीसे द्यायचे आमची शाळा...म्हणजे त्यानी प्रोत्साहन मिळणे तर दूरच राहो, उलट हसंच जास्त व्हायचे. माझी तर ’हँगर’ ह्या बक्षीसावरून खूपच चेष्टा झाली होती...कारण माझा ’तोळा-मासा’ बांधा बघून (हल्ली असा बांधा बघायला मिळत नाही...हल्ली सगळेच ’अति-सुपोषित’ असतात...) मल ’हँगर’ असे चिडवायचे...जणू काही हँगरला शर्ट अडकवालाय असे वाटायचे म्हणून...आणि त्यात परत हँगरच बक्षीस....असो. पण अशा टीका, टक्के-टोणपे सहन करतच थोर लोकं (उदा: ’स्वतः’) मोठी होतात...मी ’मोठा’ दुसऱ्याच अर्थानी झालो...माझे आत्तचे ’बाळसेदार’ रूप बघता ’हाच का तो हँगर’ असा प्रश्न पडेल...पण कसे का असेना...मीही मोठ्ठा झालो!

असो...हे थोडे (जास्तच) विषयांतर झाले. तर सांगायचा मुद्दा हा की...लहानपणी मनाचे श्लोक किंवा ईतर श्लोक, ओवी, अभंग असे वाचनात यायचे. त्यावरुन बऱ्याच गंमतीजंमती पण व्हायच्या...

म्हणजे - जे का रंजले गांजले च्या ऐवजी ’जे कारंजे गंजले’ असे काही तरी...एकदा संत चोखा मेळा यांच्या ’चोखा म्हणे माझा भोळा भाव देवा’ ही ओळ एकाने चुकून गडबडीत ’चोखा म्हणे माझा भाव कमी आहे’ अशी वाचली...आणि मग मास्तर असा हात सैल करायचा ’मणिकांचन योग’ कसा सोडतील...

आमच्या शाळेतले शिक्षक पण ’प्रीपेड’ शिक्षा करायचे...सगळ्यांना नाही...काही निवडक मान्यवरांना, आणि अर्थातच माझा नंबर त्यात फार वरचा होता! म्हणजे शिक्षक वर्गात आले की काही कारण नसताना आम्ही काही मुले दंगा करणारच असे ग्रुहीत धरून ५-५ छड्या मारयचे आणि मग हजेरी घ्यायचे...आमची ’हजेरी’ आधीच झालेली असायची...मग आम्हीसुद्धा मार तर आधीच खाल्ला आहे मग आता दंगा का करु नये? असा विचार करुन खाल्लेल्ल्या माराची भरपाई म्हणून दंगा करायचो. ’कुठल्याही गोष्टीचा पुरेपूर मोबदला मिळाय

Sunday, September 27, 2009

To all of you who feel like giving up

~ Kaustubh

Thursday, September 17, 2009

A R Rahman's BLUE

Uploaded 2 songs from A R Rahman's upcoming movie - BLUE

Chiggy Wiggy is already famous, but I liked the Blue theme more!

Finally - The first look of Blue

Can't wait to watch this movie!

~ Kaustubh

PDA has new meaning...in Indian politics

Heard of term PDA? No it is not Public Display of Affection...at least not in India!

Of late our ruling party - Indian National Congress - has given an all new meaning to PDA and that is: Public Display of Austerity

First the ruling Congress party publicly asked two ministers to vacate 5 star hotel and move to modest homes. Then the young leader Rahul Ganhi joined the bandwagon and traveled chair car (economy class).

Here is a good article on this Great Austerity Race!

This whole episode also made it clear that the government seriously lacks 'sense of humor'!

Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor is twittering to a growing fan club of about 5,000 followers.

On his page on Twitter, Tharoor was asked: “Tell us minister, next time you travel to Kerala, will it be cattle class?”

His reply: “Absolutely, in cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows.”

I liked the reply, there was nothing mocking/ insulting in it...in fact Tharoor showed a sense of humor which is so rare for an Indian politician.

But his party did not. It has openly expressed its disapproval of his latest remarks on Twitter. The Congress said his remarks were “unacceptable and totally insensitive”. “These remarks are unacceptable given the sensitivity of all Indians and not in sync with our political culture,” Congress spokesperson said. “Thousands of people travel by economy class.”

Anyways, that raised another question in my mind and the reason is a totally different piece of news that came out at around same time. It was the inaugeration of Infosys' world-class training facility, Global Education Center 2 (GEC II) at Mysore campus. And guess who was the chief guest - Ms. Sonia Gandhi, the party president of the Congress party that is going gung-ho about this Public Display of Austerity.

Here is brief description about Infosys' GEC:

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tyle="text-align:justify;padding-right:3px;">"Infosys’ Global Education Center is the largest corporate education center in the world. Located in the 337 acre Infosys Mysore campus, the total capacity of the center has been enhanced to educate 14,000 (GEC I – 4,500 and GEC II – 9,500) Infoscions. Infosys' total investment in the Mysore center is Rs. 2,055 crore of which Rs. 350 crore has been invested in construction of Software Development Blocks and related services and Rs.1,705 crore on education and training related infrastructure. With a built-up area of 440,735 sq ft., GEC I has 52 training rooms, 183 faculty rooms and a state of art library that can accommodate 60,000 books. The Global Education Centre which is inaugurated today has a built up area of 1,002,095 sq. ft. GEC II has eighty four 100 seater, three 200 seater, six 60 seater and two 36 seater class rooms,5 examination halls and 302 faculty rooms. It also has an induction hall which can seat 400 trainees, state of art library which can accommodate 80,000 books, MC room with a capacity of 40 seats with acoustically designed walls. The seating capacity of the cyber café is 236. The campus is home to participants of the foundation program. There are seven food courts that can cater to approximately 10,871 people at any given time. These multi-cuisine food courts offer various cuisines ranging from South Indian to continental food."

Wow! Simply amazing!!!

Now one might ask why is this piece being put together with the austerity drive? The reason is, and those who know Infosys would agree with me, that if there is one organization in the Indian corporate world that can stake a claim to 'austerity' it is Infosys! Surprised???

Let me explain...Infosys has always espoused 'middle-class' values and has been very vocal about it (in spite of all its growth over the years)...the founders still come across as simple, approachable people and they (especially Narayana Murthy) practise 'austerity'...of course they don't preach it!

Infosys has invested huge money in building world-class infrastructure, training-facility for young engineers, gym, sports complex, leisure, cafeteria etc. But they do spend for the benefit of all - not just for senior execs!

So even when Infosys opens a sprawling campus (like GEC) or an in-house Cricket/ Football stadium or build a private helipad so that its customers can visit Infy campus easily, nobody accuses Infosys of splurging money...and hence they don't have to undertake 'austerity drive'!

The obvious question I have is: Then why does the Congress party have to do this PDA stuff? Why do they need 'austerity drive' in the first place? And why now?

Anyways, anybody would understand the 'politics' behind it...but the big question is the taxpayers money that these ministers were burning all these years - was that not a theft/ robbery of India's Aam Aadmi?

Let me end with Gandhiji's view on austerity:

According to him - The idea of simplicity is "the deliberate and voluntary restrictions of wants" (Don't know how the austerity 'imposed' or dictated by the Congress party fits with this 'voluntary act')

And his view on theft:

"It is theft to take something from another even with his permission, if we have no real need of it"

No comments!!! :)

~ Kaustubh

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Lessons of life by great personalities

Courtesy: Deeksha

~ Kaustubh

Monday, September 14, 2009

मराठी पॊडकास्ट: ह्रुदयातले गाणे

माझ्या मराठी पॊडकास्ट वर बरेच दिवसांनी काही गाणी अपलोड केली आहेत...

सलील कुलकर्णी, संदीप खरे, बेला शेंडे यांच्या ’ह्रुदयातले गाणे’ मधली काही गाणी तसेच ’निशाणी डावा अंगठा’ या चित्रपटातील २ गाणी अपलोड केली आहेत...

दमलेल्या बापाची कहाणी...

Kaustubh's podcast

रुणझूण पैंजण...

Kaustubh's podcast

ह्रुदयामधले गाणे माझे कधीच नव्हते...

Kaustubh's podcast

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बाप्पा...बाप्पा कामच झालं ना

Kaustubh's podcast

क ला काना का

Kaustubh's podcast

जंतर मंतर रातीनं चंद्राची...

Kaustubh's podcast

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राती अर्ध्या राती असं सोडून जायाचं न्हाई

Kaustubh's podcast

~ कौस्तुभ

My new desktop wallpaper...

Changed desktop wallpaper... iPod theme

~ Kaustubh

Steve Jobs returns...

I have been a keen follower of Steve Jobs for some time now. He is a great leader, innovator, speaker and a hard fighter...

After fighting a near death experience, he not only survived it after his liver transplant but also recovered and made his first major public appearance at the Apple keynote event last week.

Though he sported his usual attire (blue jeans and black roundneck T-shirt), he looked distinctly pale and weak.