Amitabh Bacchan Now Blogs in Hindi (or rather: अमिताभ बच्चन अब हिन्दी में ब्लौग करते हैं)

Cross-posted from my current blog: http://ashishinbschool.blogspot.com

While I haven't figured out a 'solution' (or perhaps even a clear problem definition), I am still quite passionate about the promotion of Hindi language usage on the web, and in computers in general. I have seen first-hand the transformation of my students in Bagar when they start using a Hindi-language interface versus an English one.

Looking back: the key difference is in the confidence to explore. I have never really been formally 'taught' Windows: my guess is by now many people who use Windows on a daily basis haven't been either. Simply the amount of time you spend on it making mistakes and then learning from them probably determines how good you get at it (of course, formal training will help you get there much faster). So the basic scenario that changes is that when an error message pops up in English, the students look for the teacher to 'tell them' what to do. In Hindi, they are much much more likely to start clicking around and learning themselves from a cause-and-effect method.

I believe that access to technology is NOT the chief impediment in the uptake of computer/cyberspace by hindi-language users in rural India. The issues is compelling applications and content. So far the only things that have worked are a) Bollywood b) Bollywood and c) Matrimonials (but even THAT is usually in English).

So, Amitabh Bacchan's announcement that he is going to blog in Hindi (बिग बी ने हिन्दी में लिखा अपना ब्लौग) is somewhat exciting. It is more of what works, but the mass media appeal of Amitabh Bacchan can't be denied. We had a Diwali party a week ago at our house, and we were showing some Bollywood videos on the projector. I remember all the Indians getting excited when Big-B came on the screen during 'Kajre Re'. And I remember my American friend's comment, "He's...got funny hair", in response to his Mehendi-dyed hair. It really his appeal and legacy that draws the crowd (and not his current performances), and through a Hindi-language channel, that could be a potential draw.

Actually, having JUST read his blog, i don't think (or rather hope) that there's going to be much traffic to a site full of photos of the view from his hotel room (I sure hope the Oberoi Udayvilas is paying him for this)

Anyways, will keep posting stuff as and when it creeps up. अल्विदा।

P.S. Here's the direct link to Big-B's blog: http://bigb.bigadda.com/

Thoughts while travelling

Cross-posted from my blog on ashishinbschool

I write this on my laptop sitting here at Union Station, Chicago, on my way to Ann Arbor from my hometown of Bloomington, IL. I had a long layover, so I decided to stop by the food court. I get stopped by this (presumably) homeless lady, and she asks me for money for food. Mom had packed some stuff for me, so I said, here’s some food you can have. Turns out she doesn’t have any teeth, and would settle for a coke.

Now this is not an uncommon situation in India, and usually I tend to just ignore it and move on. I think the Indicorps training kicked in at this point. I bought two cokes, and sat down with her. The conversation was, well, VERY interesting. She really had a lot to say. I think the lady was suffering from some dementia too, and I just didn’t what to say about most things (How do you react to a lady wearing foil under her hat so that the ‘people who can change shapes’ don’t read her thoughts?)  I just listened to her politely, and when I finished my drink, I wished her good luck with her crocheting (the needlework stuff) and walked away.

Something about this experience shook me. In some sense, my experience in India was a lot about in-your-face reality. I could have chosen to like it or hate it, but as a ‘social worker’, I could not have ignored it. In America (or actually just as easily in India), you can choose to block it out, ignore it, act like it’s not there. It reminds me of a line from the movie Crash, which talked about how we’re so separated from each other within all this glass and steel. Student life has really been like a bubble. Ann Arbor has a lot of issues to work with: but it’s so much more comfortable in your room.
 

It’s been a whole week since I promised to write, and I clearly haven’t even written an iota. I can’t complain though: I’ve had an ultimately relaxing (read: lazy) break. Some TV, answer a few e-mails, run some errands. Nothing to really push the limits anyhow.

And that in itself summarizes nicely my modus operandi for the last three months. Do a little work (enough to get by), watch TV (I call it catching up on lost time), answer a few e-mails, talk a lot every now and then. If the US army helps you be all that you can be, I’m definitely operating at no more than 30% of what I can be. This is not the Ashish of the last two years. I owe it to myself (and so many more), to be much more than that. B-School can’t just be another two years to get a degree – there is much more I can do in this world. 

In the spirit of true self-reflection, I have to talk about what I’m going to do about it. B-school does provide rigorous academics, and it does nourish my intellectual curiosity (to what extent is purely my choice). But that still doesn’t take much time, and I still operate in a very me-centric world. My biggest decision of the day really is to figure out what I’m going to have for dinner. I think I’m walk upto the Chinmayanand Mission in Ann Arbor, where Shardaji is the Acharya, and start giving time there. I was really impressed by her BalVihar and her philosophy on working with kids and helping them connect to their Indian/Hindu roots. I think it’ll be really good for the soul to work with kids again: remind me that most of the joys of life are really really simple.

Plus, I think for overall health I am going to start running again – but to a particular goal. I am going to run a marathon next summer (let’s call it May 2009). I think the running is also going to provide me much needed daily discipline.

It all sounds very nice: on the eve of this next quarter to begin, here’s my plan to engage my body, mind and soul. Stay tuned for weekly progress.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Now In B-School

As I start a new chapter in my life, I've also switched over to a new blog. You can now track me at http://ashishinbschool.blogspot.com. It took me a long time to come up with the name ;-)

First post: As Easy As Apple Pie

Now publishing from Flock

Finally got my own laptop. It's not the tablet that I've been looking at for a while, but Dad had one that I could use. $900 that could be better spent on so much more, especially with the much increased price of food items in America over the last two years. The cool thing about getting my own laptop is now I can finally play around with the things I've wanted to for a while. Like the flock browser, which I'm using to blog from right now!

As I move on to the next chapter of my life, I'm also considering moving on from this blog. One that reflects the thoughts and action of the coming two years as an MBA student.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Organic Farm in Gujarat

Pics from our trip to the organic farm near Ahmedabad. We went there at the end of July as part of our closing workshop at Indicorps. The lady who runs this place - Purvi - has a pretty inspirational story herself.

Time to say goodbye

To India, to a changed Ashish, to Bagar, to GDL, to friends, family,
colleagues, community

i leave with a promise to come back, and that i'll do things that
justify the faith you have put in me, and what you have helped me
learn about myself

adieu

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

For exciting opportunities to really make a change at the grassroots
level, join GDL (www.gdl.org.in). Current posts are:
(1) GDL Director
(2) Program Manager - Entrepreneurship Development
(3) Program Manager - Community Leadership

Has anybody used this to learn English?

http://www.lingq.com/

Is it worth delving into? What exactly IS the linguist method? How much is this feature TRULY worth paying for?

mjunctionedge plans to release regional language content

Close on the heels of the announcement of mjunction in Hindi, mjunctionedge, the content & conference division of mjunction is going to offer regional language content (including Hindi). Read the article on Business Standard here.

"We have about 1100 subscribers right now for the English version. With our regional language foray, we expect to reach 5,000 subscriptions by the end of this year. Our consumers are mainly corporates and traders," Oberoi added.

Two reasons why that's interesting - it proves that there is a HUGE market for regional language content. And it AGAIN proves that you have to have a very good reason for people to come to your site. In this case (and the same for any technology project), the laser focus and a value-add application is what makes it successful. It's the same for the farmers who use e-Choupal to a) find prices for their goods and b)transact with ITC to sell their stuff. Or for the fishermen of Tamil Nadu who use it to check the weather forecast and determine the likely place for a good catch & if/when it's safe to be out there.

Again, it proves the old adage that I have learned over and over again as a technologist in the real world: A computer is simply a calculator. If you have nothing to add up, you don't need it :-)
 

Learn a new language

www.livemocha.com

It's an interesting concept - free lessons, but you have to 'earn' points - by logging in frequently, and referring people. What intrigues me is the social networking part - find other people who are learning the same language, and use them as language partners.

I'll see if we can try it here with the students to encourage them to learn English. For sure a lot of to-be volunteers will use it for Hindi. A really good friend of mine is using it to learn Russian. I might use it learn Spanish (again).

But do share your observations/lessons with us, to see if it is worth trying out on a big scale.

Of Homecoming

This article features a good friend of mine, Shubham Rai. We grew up together as kids in a little housing society in suburban Mumbai :-)

 

http://boloji.com/analysis2/0347.htm

 

While the writing may be a little 'buoyant' (just like the article's view on the Indian Economy), the central theme of the confidence of Indian youth is SO true. I remember when Shubham told me the first time about starting this company called rentimental. No joke, I think it was 3 or 4 years ago. I remember being really really intrigued by the sheer positivity and confidence - he was the face of the new emerging economy. In many sense that conversation was a turning point for me: I clearly remember thinking, man, this is another India. My parents would NEVER have thought about quitting their jobs to 'try out' anything.

 

After making that plunge into coming to rural India, that assessment hasn't changed. India, and Indians, are still quite buoyant about the future. In any case, it is refreshing to see Indians move beyond their fatalism and take destiny in their own hands.

One chapter closed

Maybe it was all the talk about everything being under my control, but it just felt like the right time.

I just shut down my Xanga account.

Why not leave it there you say? You hadn't blogged there in years, you say?

It was a different chapter of my life. I needed a different outlet. A group of people to "share" my inner feelings with. To vent. That's how I dealt.

Now I have some momentum to my life - propelled by my own will. And there is somewhat of an urgency to get there (because everything takes so much longer than you think it will). Now I make faster (better?) decisions. Its just time to close that chapter. And move on ahead. No baggage. No looking back into the mirror and trying to recognize myself in a person, God, almost 8 years my younger.

Cheers to Change!

Of Mental Toughness

One of the things I have realized (not understood, realized) is that there is nothing that I cannot do. There is nothing that you cannot do either. All that stops us is simply HOW badly we want it.

One of my all-time favourite movies is The Thomas Crowne Affair (the one made in the 90s with Pierce Brosnan, not the original one with the Rat Pack). There is a great line from it: "Anything's obtainable". I thought it was cool how Pierce Brosnan was saying it at that time. Now it's simply a fact of life.

This realization isn't quite as liberating as it might seem to be. For someone who's not a natural optimist, it's hard - it now means that everything I do in life, is a choice. It means the words I say, the people I associate with, the jokes I crack, the doodles I doodle, the noodles I eat, when I wake up, when I sleep, what I choose to do, which MBA college I go to, which MBA college I get rejected from - EVERYTHING is by my choice. Because everything, suddenly, is under my control.

You know what the irony behind this is? I found that anybody is capable of doing anything because of my life and work in India. It's funny because India is BY FAR the country which believes (relies?) most on destiny. I totally agree with Arun Sarin, ex-CEO of Vodafone, on his comment that one of the Indian values is a "heavy dose of fatalism".

Here's the thing about knowing that everything in life is a choice. It means that 1) You need to be VERY VERY clear on what you want out of life and 2) You gots to be strong. Not physically tough. But mentally very strong. And there is probably nobody more inspiring in that regards than Tiger Woods. I think about this article about him almost every day. Here's an excerpt:

During the broadcast of Monday's playoff round, Nike ran an ad that had Earl Woods's voice running over images of his son: "I'd say, 'Tiger, I promise you that you'll never meet another person as mentally tough as you in your entire life.' And he hasn't. And he never will."

You can like this model or not. Either way, the legend grows.

The Frozen Gaze by David Brooks, NY Times, June 17, 2008

Does this mean that only the mentally strong i.e. those who are willing to give what it takes to achieve what they want are the only ones destined to be happy in this world? Or, in the words of Sheryl Crow (I know), is happiness "wanting what you got"? Do you have to have and KNOW your ultimate goal in life? Or will destiny take you where you are supposed to go?

I don't know. Which means I'm rooting for destiny.

MJunction - now in Hindi language

Yet another Hindi language site goes up.

http://mjunction.in/hindi/

And this one is exciting: it claims to be India's biggest e-commerce site. According to this article, mjunction was launched in Hindi with a view to lure small and medium scale entrepreneurs, and offer them insight in Hindi.

I need to find a way to keep abreast of more of these developments, other than just chancing upon what the ad bar on top of Gmail provides. Come to think of it, it's the only ad space that I regularly seem to find value in and click on.

शब्दनिधी (Shabdnidhi)

I was recently introduced to Shabdnidhi (http://myjavaserver.com/~hindi/shabdnidhi.jsp), a new English to Hindi Online Dictionary that I was very impressed . What's especially powerful about Shabdnidhi is that it provides contextual examples on how that word is used. And, the results are not (yet?) overcrowded like www.shabdkosh.com. Having said that though, I must give MANY kudos to shabdkosh for really pushing the Hindi Dictionary effort online. It has been an invaluable resource to me and all the GDL team here in Bagar for the last two years.

I sent an email to Debashish (one of the guys working on Shabdnidhi) with a few questions on how Shabdnidhi is different, and what, in his opinion, should people use. Debashish had a very candid and straightforward reply. Basically, he recommends using both Shabdnidhi and Shabdkosh.

My recommendation? Use Shabdnidhi if you're a general user. Use Shabdkosh if you can't find the meaning. Use Google Translator for what it's really most powerful: Translating entire web pages to get the gist of it. It's a game changing equation in some sense - it allows the Hindi user to at least get SOME meaning out of English language sites. However, like most online automated translators, it's nowhere close to a natural language translation. Ahhh, memories Babelfish and freetranslation from my Spanish class days.

Source For Change on Economic Times!

Source For Change, an all-women rural BPO based right here in Bagar, Rajasthan and incubated at the GDL, is now in the papers! Check it out:

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=RVRNLzIwMDgvMDYvMjQjQXIwMTIwMA==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

Be sure to also check out their brand new website: www.sourceforchange.in

- Ashish

--
For exciting opportunities to really make a change at the grassroots level, join GDL (www.gdl.org.in). Current posts are:
(1) GDL Director
(2) Program Manager - Entrepreneurship Development
(3) Program Manager - Community Leadership

Of Showmanship, and Hope

First of all - let me make the usual "it's been a long time since I last blogged" apology. It HAS been a while. Believe you me though, it certainly hasn't been dull.

But, in accordance with my belief (now principle?) that everything I have achieved in the last two years (and perhaps most of my life) has been a crime of passion, let me talk about tonight, and let's chew over the abundant food for thought that it has provided.

So we went to see a shrine today. I was told it was a big मेला (fair), and there would be a lot of भीड़ (crowd). It is held only at certain times of the year, so it had to be today. Well, it was enough to convince 18 of us to go there. Now, first we were shown hospitality. Then the usual rounds and special places in the shrine. All very cool and ethnic. And then a long long wait for the special आरती (aarti - worship/ceremony) to be held by the head priest. After a long wait that tested everybody's patience, we finally got to the happenings.

And that's when I believe it pushed many of us out of our comfort zones. There were terminally ill patients being questioned and promised to be healed by the भभूत or the प्रसाद that the Maharaj (priest) gave to the ailing. Followed by the spirits of the possessed women 'dancing'.

Now, I'll leave the interpretation and opinion aside. Maybe it was the late night and thus nothing fazed me. Maybe it didn't faze me because I've developed a very thick skin over the last two years. But, upon retrospect, I came out with two things from there:

1. That shrine offered hope - to the terminally ill, who have gone to all major and minor doctors, is it so bad to come to a place that offers you the hope and promise of a cure by the power of God? Is it bad to share your suffering with other sufferers? Is it bad that you become the focal point of all the people there (at least 1500-2000 today)? Is it bad that suddenly for 5 minutes 2000 men and women suddenly care about your suffering, and WANT to believe that the suffering will end with a cure?

In the business of social change, I know that Hope with a capital H is perhaps paramount to long-term sustainability, both of the social servant and the community member. And Hope with a capital H is what this place offered, without any monetary price in return.

2. The maharaj is a master salesman, who knew that he had the Upper Hand in this game of tradng Hope. From creating the completely confident aura of a definitive cure, to making a religious experience for new comers, to asking those who don't benefit to never come back again, to the sheer showmanship in front of the crowd. It made me WANT to believe. I saw a man convince people that what he was saying is what was ailing them, I saw a man convince people that their pain/problem is where he tells them it pains. In that crowd of people, there was no question at all how the whole place was working: the man was a true leader. Not a manager, but a true leader, whose own followeers reinforced his personal brand.

So with these dreams of Hope, and Sales, I bid you a long overdue शुभरात्रि (good night)

- Ashish

It's Official

No, not in the same way as my friend Kali's "It's Official", but still good.

I'm just glad that the package arrived. Date of the letter - 15 March.
Date the package was sent 16 April (second try - got returned on the
first try). Date it arrived here: 15 May.

IPL

Pics First, Post Later

20080511-IPL_Jaipur

Off the beaten path...

...I'm Not.

I finally succumb to the great Indian (with a capital I) entertainment extravaganza called the IPL. For the as yet uninitiated, and there shouldn't be many, since even the NY Times is carrying the news on the IPL these days: IPL stands for the Indian Premier League - a cricket league where the franchises, with fantastic names like the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Bangalore Royal Challengers, battle it out in the Twenty20 overs version of the cricket. Best part - it's like the English Premier league: there's sick amounts of money (SICK - and the salary cap is coming OFF next year), there's international stars (as usual, the Aussies rock), and an international TV following. Unlike the EPL, there's cheerleaders (which, btw, are probably what people come to watch the matches), every match is studded by Bollywood stars (who are bigger than the sport at these games), and the skill level isn't all that high. Well, that's for snobs (like me?) who think that this "version" of the game highly dilutes the skill quotient. It does. There are none of the orthodox drives, the patience, the timing of the ball etc etc. It is बिंदास गल्ली किरकेट (bindass galli cricket ~ No worries alley cricket).

Which is probably why it touches the heartstrings of so many Indians. Finally, you get to see people being paid your entire life-earnings in 3 hours for doing EXACTLY what you do for free in your own alley. There is no skill involved, बस धन धनाधन देते जाओ (just keep whacking at the ball basically). And you have to admit - it IS entertaining. It's just like baseball (for those uninitiated to cricket itself "gasp, horror"): nobody comes to watch the pitchers pitch well, non? People come for the batting, the runs.

And runs are in ample supply at these games. There's just something exciting about this bite-size version of the game that you'd wanna just eat it up. This recent tendency of gobbling up bite-size anything is probably the reason behind my recently expanding waistline (if you haven't noticed from all the pics yet).

So yah - I go tomorrow with 4 others at GDL to watch this match. A respite from a busy week at GDL (is there any other? Well, this one didn't START busy at least). Between the Rajasthan Royals (go team Rajasthan) and the Delhi Daredevils. In celebration of Radhika's b'day (but, alas, she'll be at home preparing for her GMATs, along with our brand new English trainer and his wife).

And as I sit there in mighty expensive seats (I pay more for that 3 hours of entertainment than my Teaching Assistant gets in half a month), undoubtedly a part of my guilt-ridden mind (uff, how do I get rid of this negativity) will be thinking about the precise subject of this post: how off the beaten track is this?

And does it matter? I mean, isn't intentionally doing something different just an ego boost that says - I'm not like the others, I'm special, Better?!? Or as every smart businessman will tell you, it's the only way to sustain a business - what's your differentiator? Couldn't I be spending this time finding a way to make सांगरी का अचार (sangri pickle - sangri being a famous Rajasthani vegetable that grows on the khejdi tree), as I had planned. Where I'd get this stuff, find some women to make it, market it, and give 'em the money? Or maybe actually paying a visit to Swami uncle to see how he's doing after his fever? Or going to the wake of my Teaching Assistant's grandfather?

No, those are not questions of the beaten track. Those are not even just questions of a busy schedule and/or prioritizing (remind me to write long about that one day). These are simply questions of a guilty and confused mind whose integrity is being called into question. And that question of integrity, of what I believe I am, what I say I am, and how I act, is because of the central theme of my entire life: shifting identities.

I came, I saw, I became Indian. But with two months before I go back to the US, I will now leave, I will now see and re-see, and I do not know what I will become.

I guess you could say I'm just On The Cusp ;-). Welcome to the blogging world my friend.

Good night.

New StatCounter already throws up insights: there might be future for Hindi language content on the web after all

This new StatCounter I added two days ago (right at the bottom of this page), is already throwing up some surprises. Also this blog is still largely surfed by a handful of friends and acquaintances, StatCounter has a cool feature where you can see HOW people are getting to your site. Now, this is nothing really NEW per say, it's been around since the earliest days of web analytics. BUT, it's cool that it's moved from enterprise traffic tracking to free for ye ol' garden variety personal bloggers (like yours truly).

Why is this cool? Because it delivers insight on readership, and content that matters to them. The picture below shows my current a-ha moment:


Yup - There are people searching for share bazar information in Hindi, and stumbling onto my webpage. Which means, there might just be a market for Hindi language stuff, we just have to provide it (Granted, this is based on ONE hit on ONE blog, but, the foolhardy have to hope). In fact, Rachit and I were semi-actively/passively working on a project to identify the best hindi-language content on the net catering to a rural clientele. The objective of the study was to 1) Find this content so we can deliver it through a one-stop-shop-portal and 2) identify where the gaps lie and find ways to convince content providers to deliver their content in Hindi. The example I site: How cool would it be if howstuffworks.com was in Hindi? Mind-blowing. Imagine cheezenkaisekaamkartihain.com. Even better, if ICANN ever gets international domain names going, चीज़ेंकैसेकामकरतीहैं.भारत.

That thing could single-handedly propel the next generation of scientists, adventurers, wanders, Intel Science Competition winners, all from rural India. Now that's a global flattener that even FlatWorlder Thomas L. Friedman could be proud of (incidentally, I just started reading that book).

GDL is now hiring!

Interested in finding innovative solutions to India’s development challenges?

Based in Bagar, Rajasthan, the Grassroots Development Laboratory (GDL), is designed to challenge the most talented people from around the world in solving some of India’s pressing problems. The Piramal Foundation recruits dedicated persons and intends to engage a local team in various development experiments in the areas of livelihoods, health services delivery, education, and technology utilization.

The following exciting opportunities are now available at GDL:
1. GDL Managing Director
2. GDL Community Leadership Manager
3. GDL Entrepreneurship Manager

Pictures from Bauji's Visit

My grandparents came to visit today. It was especially cool because my नानाजी (Nanaji - mom's father) had come all the way from Bombay. He came along with my grandparents and aunt who are in Delhi. Although it was a short visit, and we didn't have much conversation, it felt good that he had finally visited, and could visualize some of the things when I speak to him. It's also nice to share your life with your family I suppose.

And the memories, of course, are priceless.

20080501-BaujiVisitToBagar2

This is going to ruin any hope you had of work

If you have somewhat nostalgic memories of this game...

http://www.tripletsandus.com/80s/80s_games/duckhunt.htm


Plus, updated the blog a little bit, with the Google Ads link on the side (changed colors), and added real links to the top (instead of the generic 'Another Link')

Someone's reading out there

Thanks for the encouragement! I think it might be the same Vivek who
posted on my blog. Thanks!

http://vivekspace.com/2008/04/01/democratizing-healthcare-and-development-in-india/

Sankrant in the Gaanv (गांव में संक्रांत)

Long overdue pictures. As you all know, Sankrant comes on Jan 14 every year (actually, this year it somehow fell on Jan 15). Naman and I went to my गांव (gaanv = native village = birthplace of my father/forefathers), and Naman's fancy digital SLR camera helped take some GREAT photos

Enjoy!

Sankrant Pictures

Celebrating the advent of the summer with a new skin

Hope this works. I thought the onset of summer here made it time for a new skin. Misery loves company, so y'all be sure to visit me in a month or two (it's not so bad right now - only gets upto 40/41C).

- Ashish

A Hindi site for drivers

I know the subject is very misleading.

It's not a site for the मुश्टन्डा (?), truck-hauling kind. Though I wish there was - imagine an India where these truck drivers could pitstop and find the nearest kiosk and check-in with their logistical company, provide an update to the customer and/or destination, and send a quick email to their loved ones. Plus, access entertainment to refresh themselves after the long hard bone-jarring not-for-the-faint-hearted drive on Indian roads (as Bryan would say, "India - Balls Out")


It's something altogether practical. It's a website for finding drivers for computer equipment. In Hindi. Given that the tech world remains strictly a domain for the English-speaking elite of India (and believe me, once you step out of Bombay, you realize it's an elite), this is a great start. I personally have problems with my current Teaching Assistant and other instructors I've had in learning how to maintain computers simply because of the communication barrier. What people would pay for hardware and software maintenance guides in Hindi. The market is actually close to phenomenal.

Without further ado: here's the site

www.nodevice.com

Let me know what you think.

_______________________________________________

On an unrelated note, this incident reminded me of the origin of Bryan's quote about how India is balls out. When he came to visit me in Bagar in Oct 2007, we actually decided to go to Zayka (a restaurant in Jhunjhunu) to celebrate something or the other. Jhunjhunu is 15 km away, and there's usually buses every 10 minutes throughout the day. Somehow, we managed to pick the quietest hour of the day (around 8:15p), and no bus came till 9pm. Getting antsy (and promising myself I'd have me some delicious naan that night), I flagged the next vehicle, which happened to be a tractor laden with bricks. Well, the guy said yes, and 7 of us hopped on top of a tractor and took a good rickety hour to get to Jhunjhunu. It was a full moon's night (and the brightest moon of the YEAR on top of that), and there was the cool night wind of the fall - it was a surreal and unforgettable experience.

Bryan, however, was sitting right at the back of the tractor (where things shake more). He wasn't quite amused. In his own words, "I'd rather jump off a plane without a parachute then do that again".

In Preeti's words, "Bryan shat a brick"

To Jhunjhunu on a Full Moon's Night

Of Running, And Life

♫ http://niara.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/big-things-start-small/#

To anyone who has run, these learnings are SO well put. The memories of the marathon that this brought back sent a chill down my spine.

Thanks to Rachit for sending this.

- Ashish

Fwd: Good work!

What keeps us going.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vivek Kumar
Date: Tue, Apr 1, 2008 at 10:33 AM
Subject: Good work!
To: ashishgupta7@gmail.com


Hi Ashish,

I am an Indian diplomat (Indian Foreign Service), currently posted in
Vladivostok, Russia.

Jhunjhunu is my hometown, and I have quite a few relatives in the
district. Recently, I spoke to one of them (my Mamaji - Rajkumar
Bhamboo, a govt. teacher) who lives in Bagar and he spoke very highly
about the work and you and your colleagues are doing.

Just wanted to let you know that your work is being appreciated by
people even when your back is turned :)

I am very impressed as well. Not sure if you would still be in Bagar
when I visit next time (end of 2008 or so), but it would be great to
meet you then, if possible.

Best regards.. and best wishes,

Vivek Kumar

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

होली है! (It's Holi!)

To show you why Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, is by far my favorite. This time wasn't even as good as last time, but the memories captured by this camera will bring joy for years to come.

Direct link to the whole album:

HoliInBagar

LinkedIn public profile

I didn't know I could do this, but here it is:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/ashishguptaindia

Enjoy!

Busy with Eye Camp...But Humour has its place

I had to write this down for posterity, more than anything else.

So, as part of the eye camp we're conducting in Bagar, we had a doctor come teach school teachers how to test small kids (primary school level) for eyesight problems. The kids who have problems will come to camp, get professionally tested and then get free eyeglases.

All the schools came back with 10 or 20, max 25 cases. One school comes back with 45. This, is obviously strange.

So Kim, the health intern who's leading this eye camp, goes back to test them yesterday. It turns out, that the teacher got students who had glasses to take off their glasses and then tested their vision.

Kim tried to point out the obvious problem. The teacher said, "oh yes, you know, you're right. Those kids with glasses are probably already aware of this stuff".

______________________________

बगड़ मे 11 साल बाद पहली बार पीरामल ई-स्वास्थ्य और पीरामल फाउंडेशन ला रहा है निःशुल्क नेत्र चिकित्सा शिविर एवं निःशुल्क मोतियाबिन्द का औपरेशन - इस रविवार 9 मार्च 2008 को। रजिस्ट्रेशन प्रातः 8 बजे से 12 बजे तक।

तत् पश्चात नेत्र जांच और रात में मोतियाबिन्द का औपरेशन किया जाएगा।

Sometimes its the smallest things...

That make you happy.

For example, while trying to clean out my room a few days ago (probably because I couldn't find something), I ran across two old DVDs that I'd burnt before leaving Atlanta - with all my music on them. Well, the English music DVD had never worked(I guess it got scratched or something), so I was never able to get any music offa it. But now, today, I still wasn'ta ble to get all of it, but so much of the older stuff DID come back.

In other news, I spoke with my mom and dad and my sister over skype on Sunday, and it was great. Just having video is such an amazing value proposition.

All I can think of now is: man, I could make a cybercafe work in this town!

- Ashish