My Blog has a new Home

Please go to my new website coolkrishnan.com

It has all the old blog content and more !

iDeath

"Death is very likely the single best invention of Life" - This is a quote by none other than Steve Jobs, Apple's founder. His untimely death is a shocker and makes me take a fresh look at the common attitude to seek material perfection.

It makes me wonder about life more. And death. Ironically, this is my first blog post using my new iPad, an Apple product launched by Steve Jobs one and a half years ago. It created a new category of gadgets then. Very much like the iPod and the iPhone. But the fact remains that everything is so stupidly transient in this world. Micro planning one's own life seems to me as the most stupid thing one can do. Can't life flow like a river? It can, only if we would allow it to.

Birth Certificate

United States law makes it illegal for a person to become its president if he/she is not born in the country. Makes sense, right ?

You do not need a Phd in Political Science to rationalize this law. It is just about national security.

Obama had to 'prove' that he was born in the USA. That is accountability to the voters. 

Sonia Gandhi :(

Dreaming Space

I need more living space.
No, not in the cyberspace.

I need more space to breathe fresh air.
To bask in the warmth of the sun.
To listen to the rain drops without the clanks of petrol guzzlers.
To dream in silence.

I need more dreaming space in my life.

Green New Year

2011. Another year to be grateful that we:

- have so many beautiful things in life.

- have so many wonderful people in life.

- have tender emotions like love, compassion and gratitude.

- are capable of giving back to the world and mother nature for being so kind to us.

Wish you a new year filled with peace and love !

Please. Please change one thing in your life today that will make the environment less stressed. Write your ideas for going green (as comments on this page), so you can share it with all readers of this Blog.

A R Rahman and Sonu Nigam

When I was in College, I listened to Sonu Nigam for the first time. To his early album - Deewana. I was instantly dissolved by the joy of his singing. There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to rule the world of Indian playback singing. He did soon afterwards.

Being a great A R Rahman fan from my high school days, I got this thought. "How will it feel if Sonu sings to A R Rahman's tunes ?". I was overwhelmed by thinking about this possibility.

Later, the two combined to create many awesome songs like "Sat Rangee Re" in the movie "Dil Se".

Somehow they were not like the song that I had imagined. Years later, a song was born in the movie "Jhoota Hi Sahi" where my dream was fulfilled. The song "Do Nishaniyaan(Shorter Version)" magically created the same feelings in me when I imagined this a decade back.

Surreal. Magical. These moments make life worth living. Catch a glimpse. And download it if you wish.

A R Rahman and Dido

A R Rahman. Should I say anything more ?

Dido. One of the few western musicians I have been listening to. Simple and honest music with a subtly passionate singing style.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn these 2 got together for the song "If I rise" in Danny Boyle's movie - "127 hours".

Sounded interesting to me on my first listening. As usual, Rahman has rowed into uncharted waters. The amalgamation does n't appear revolutionary to me. At least yet. But I am happy.

A Flash of Paradise

Bangalore feels like paradise today. I mean, just the weather.
Noon was served chilled today. And I am loving it !

Chennai is being lashed by the rain gods, maybe that is creating these unusually cold winter days in Bangalore ? Top it with the fact that I had to wake up early and went cycling.

I wonder if life can remain so joyous like this over longer periods of time. Without any bells and whistles like money and fame.

Steam Cooking

Steam cooking is a great way to cook vegetables, which retains most of the nutrients, color and texture of vegetables.

A simple vegetable steamer can do the trick.

To learn more, see my article in the online magazine Suite101 -Vegetable Steamer for Healthy Cooking

Visit the Steam Cooking Store for USA or
Checkout the Vegetable Steaming Shop for UK

In India, I found Vinod Steamer is good, but not widely available.

Cook it up with love

My wife has started blogging her cooking inventions and improvisations. She is too excited about her new blog that she cooks up interesting recipes more frequently these days. (Good for me !).

Frankly speaking, you will not be disappointed if you sincerely try these recipes.

So, Cook it up with love   for dinner tonight !

annam brahma

अन्नम् ब्रह्म - "annam brahma" is an old Hindu idea which roughly means "Food is God".

If that sounds too primitive, watch the movie "Food Inc" to learn why America is in deep trouble because it sees food as just a commodity. The movie will change forever the way you look at food. Here is the official trailer in Youtube.

Unless you are too busy to take care of your health, I highly recommend you to watch this movie.

India's Soft Power !

What a speech by the MP Shashi Tharoor on what India means to the world in 21st century ! Again, he proves that he is one of the best Indian politicians ever. See for yourself in this TED Video.

I wish he becomes India's Prime Minister in the near future, though I doubt it will happen with the Gandy family around.

Bhagavad Gita Store

The ancient philosophical work - "Bhagavad Gita" has great ideas to make your life more meaningful and satisfying. Translated in English as "Song Divine", this book is suddenly becoming very popular in today's world that is lined with restlessness and chaos.

I set up an online Bhagavad Gita book/audio store with Amazon's support to help all peace seeking souls like me.

There are scores of books based on Bhagavad Gita - Some are plain translations from Sanskrit to English. Some are commentaries. Some are alternative interpretations. Please read detailed book reviews by other readers in this store to find the book that suits your philosophical taste. Bhagavad Gita belongs to every human being and has the potential to advance human civilization to a much more refined form.

Visit my Bhagavad Gita Store.

At present this store caters to folks in USA only, but I plan to add support for India and UK in the future.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Especially, I would like to know your experience with reviewing books and buying from the store and which book you ultimately bought. Please add them as comments on this post.

V-Slicer

- Do you believe in the health benefits of eating vegetables ?
- Do you wish to be able to cook tasty vegetable dishes ?
- Do you find it time consuming to cut, slice, shred, dice and julienne vegetables ?
- Do you dream to do these things quickly and effortlessly ?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, you are like me. Very much like me. Do not worry - I spent months researching how to prepare vegetables effortlessly and in style. The answer is Borner V-Slicer.

Realize your veggie dream. Go ahead and get it straightaway - Review and order Borner V-Slicer Pro now.

You may also try Borner V-Slicer Plus, that is the older but popular and cheaper version.

My culinary life has never been more exciting than this !

Sick of Capitalism

I always had a sick feeling about capitalism since it considers money as God. (that is my understanding of it)

This week's "Week" magazine has Mahesh Dattani putting it in black and white in the last page article "A sickness called capitalism". I could not agree more !

Soap Nut !

Today is World Environment Day.

For some time, I have been thinking about alternatives to chemical based detergents for clothes and utensils. My grandma used to talk about some 'Soap Kaai' (means Soap-Fruit in Tamil) used during her childhood, but I never managed to get sufficient information about it then. My eco-responsibility-instinct being a bit high today(for obvious reasons), my optimistic googling revealed it to me !

You will not believe it. Soap-Nuts(as they are called) grow in trees in the wild, in India. And there is an Australian Company that imports it and makes cleaning products based on it. The company is called 'Soap in a nutshell' ! FAQ from their its website.

Now, if any of you know where I can find these trees, please tell me !

Here is another link about making your daily routine greener.

Corporate Poison

"Only after the last tree has been cut down.
Only after the last river has been poisoned.
Only after the last fish has been caught.
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten."
- Native American Prophecy

The world's worst industrial disaster happened in India. Bhopal gas tragedy. The company responsible was US based Union Carbide, whose poorly designed safety system broke and let out tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas into the atmosphere causing hell like consequences in 1984. 500,000 people were exposed to the gas. Thousands died immediately. Tens of thousands were severely disabled and died in the years that followed. Today, children are still born with serious birth defects. The company also left behind a huge toxic waste dump in Bhopal before they left the country. The company was later acquired by Dow Chemical Company which manufactured 'Agent Orange' - the chemical used by the US in Vietnam war.

Globalization. Who cares about the poor Indian factory workers anyway ? Government of India too covered up the issue partially to avoid a bad name.

Bhopal's soil and water are poisoned forever. The children born there are cursed forever. I think of the cockroaches and mosquitoes we poison to death everyday.

Wow Tharoor !

ashi Tharoor is the only guy in the Congress camp whom I wished should win in the 2009 Lok Sabha Polls. He won from Thiruvananthapuram where I was born.

I know him through his articles in "The Hindu - Sunday Magazine". I like his sensible style of speech. I like him for his open and honest opinion about our nation. I like his optimism.

I have very high hopes from him as MP and whatever responsibility he shoulders. I even think his future performance as MP can easily catapult him to national politics. He is the kind of guy I would love to vote for. Even as PM.

I happened to read Shashi Tharoor's blog, where I saw an amazing level of reader participation. He even asks the readers to suggest ideas that he could use ! Do take a look at the blog to feel positive about the future of India.

Boss, tujhe salaam !

A R Rahman has just bagged 2 Oscars. The song "Jai Ho" for which he got the "Best Original Song" sounds "below average" when compared to hundreds of gems that he has produced over last 2 decades for Indian films. He has the potential to rule Hollywood's music scene in the coming years.

Indian Music as a global commodity is irresistible. The world can finally listen to some real melodies now.

A Dream

On a foggy morning sunrise,
I wake up with birds chirping,
Feeling lazy and fresh.
I can hear water flowing.

A look through my window,
Shows just green.
Grass with dew,
And trees that lean.

No newspaper to read,
No clock or calender to see.
No TV to watch or phone to ring.
Just some hot tea.

Nowhere to go, nothing to do.
All I feel is just peace.
All I do is just be.
And my soul just is.

De-clutter ! De-junk !

We belong to the age of the great Junk.

Junk food
Junk email
Junk thoughts
Junk music
Junk household articles
Junk Documents - paper and e
Junk activities
Junk News in TV

Junk has hijacked our lives, denying us the bliss of plain existence.

I decided to eliminate as much junk as possible from my room yesterday. Started looking at my cupboard. Found many things that I could instantly send to the dustbin. Found many things that I could send to the dustbin after thinking for a few seconds. Yeah only seconds. I also found a box I had labeled as "Important Documents" a couple of years back. Determined to find at least one useless piece of paper, I examined the contents. Bingo ! Not a single "useful" piece of paper. How fast the perception of "importance" changes ! It contained mostly old credit card/bank statements.

Remember अपरिग्रह(aparigraha) ? See my earlier post for the philosophical angle of this.

I have regained some peace back.

Anti Plastic Steps

Steps I have taken so far to distance myself and my family away from plastics:

1. Replaced the of plastic containers used to store spices and condiments with glass
2. Stopped using all Melamine plastic kitchenware / tableware
3. Start looking at stainless steel and wood kitchenware with high respect
4. Stopped using fiber cutting board
5. Stopped buying pickles/sauces that come in plastic containers.

More to follow.

Besides this, our family took a collective decision not to buy the microwave oven.

Escape from BPA

The western world has discovered that most plastic containers are hazardous (some of them in use for decades now). The primary devil is BPA (bisphenol A) that is being associated with a wide variety of serious health problems like breast cancer, prostate cancer, Type 2 diabetes, early onset of puberty in girls, obesity, and neuro-behavioural problems such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders.

We in India are going crazy about plastic and its various avatars. There is just one positive thought I have - It is easier for us to switch to safer alternatives as the amount of plastic that we use today is lesser compared to the west.

greenlivingonline.com has a comprehensive article about BPA and ways to escape from it. If you are serious about your and your family's health, minimize all other windows and go read it straight away.
12 protective steps for the dangers of BPA poisoning

All Plastic is Evil

All plastic is chemical. This includes Tupperware. Which chemical is good and which is bad are very difficult questions to answer even for experts. Most 'experts' have commercial interests.

Tupperware is among the best tested (and marketed) food quality plastics 'today'. No one knows what lab tests and 'real tests on consumers' might reveal in a few decades. The intent of this blog post is to "prove all plastic is bad for use with food". Tupperware is discussed here because it is popularly thought as the 'safest'. I do not have anything against the company and appreciate the openness in the FAQs in Tupperware website, which acknowledges the use of "bisphenol A" in their products.

Thanks to Tupperware for this statement:
"As we have the highest regard and concern for the safety of our consumers, however, we will continue to closely monitor this scientific debate and conduct our own research into the best materials for use in Tupperware products."

This means we are guinea pigs. We are living in the cool lab of consumerism. All this is shocking to me is because, I went purely by the hype around Tupperware. I thought since it is expensive, it must be safe. How foolish I have been.

"bisphenol A" is a chemical in most plastics including some Tupperware as acknowledged by them in their website .Wikipedia says this chemical is an endocrine disruptor and can play with your hormones.

'Safety standards' are only 'evolving' guidelines and most probably have commercial bias. The 'safest plastic' may be proved to be hazardous after 10 years from now. That might be too late for you. The point I am trying to make is not just about bisphenol A in Tupperware, but about the whole idea of using chemicals with food.

Special thanks to Vignesh for asking that question in the comment in my earlier post, which urged me to find these facts out. btw, does anybody know the chemical effects of my hot Sambar's tartaric acid on bisphenol A ?

Killing Plastics

Kill plastics before they kill you.

Of late, I have been caught in a grip of fear about what the innumerable plastic containers and wrappers might do to me and my descendants. I am so afraid that I am starting to make a switch to non-plastics especially for use with food.

Some good articles which I am using as kick starts:
Alternatives to Plastic - PAUL GOETTLICH
It’s Your Choice

In my immediate plans are to junk my expensive Tupperware lunch set. I will use it for storing non-food items for the time being. The replacement would be good old stainless steel.

I will write a follow-up post after a couple of months or so about the changes that I will have made by then. I would be extremely grateful if you can participate in my journey to the land of Non Plastica. Post your ideas as comments in my blog. Email me with whatever information you have. We need to find ways to avoid plastics in the context of an Indian kitchen.

Ur'bane' ?

Are we addicted to urban life ?
Are n't hours of daily commuting to office in hellish traffic reason enough to move back to small towns ?

Are n't cities killing the earth ? Is n't your city life killing your natural state of being ?
But town life is so slow moving... It lacks energy... The world looks so small there...

When the world 'outside' you becomes uncomplicated, the world 'inside' you gets a chance to bloom.

OK, let me go back to the world that I created a few minutes back... Listening to New Age music(from www.shoutcast.com) while reading about Ancient Religious Myths(links work in Internet Explorer).

Compare

My wife hated my red shoulder bag that I used to carry to office. I always agreed with her that it does not look so great, but sheer laziness prevented me from buying a new bag even after it tore partially, because of the heavy library books that I carried in it(which I usually don't manage to read).

Finally on a spending-spree-evening, we set out to buy a new bag. I found a decent one. My wife was happy mainly because it was not red.

The next morning to office was interesting in the sense that I discovered some new things about my own mind. My eyes started scanning the shoulder bags of my colleagues and other people in my office campus ! My mind started comparing the colors, looks, features. A faint whiff of discontent passed me.

I always believed comparison is bad. Especially for trivial things. How easy is it for the mind to take roads that the intellect does not like ! Talking about comparison, I think a major part of the stress that we swallow in modern times is because of comparisons that we unknowingly make with people and their possessions around us.

Comparison coupled with greed is evil.

Earth Easy

"Ideas for environmentally sustainable living"
"With every activity of our daily lives, we connect with the interdependent web of life on Earth. The health of our environment is a reflection of the choices we make."

What a beautiful thought. It comes from the creators of the website called eartheasy.com. I am very impressed with the ideas that I read in this website.

From the "About Us" page of the website:
Eartheasy strives to:
...~ help us reduce our impact on the earth's resources
...~ help reduce our contribution to global warming
...~ bring more simplicity to our lives
...~ bring us closer to nature

May mankind evolve beautifully.

aparigraha

Can the ancient concept of 'aparigraha' help an overpopulated developing country like India ?

'aparigraha' (अपरिग्रह) means non-possessiveness. The term usually means to limit possessions to what is necessary or important. The Yogic and Jain traditions have this concept.

A country of 1 billion can never become prosperous by managing to provide a luxury car to every family. We need algorithms totally different from a country like USA to attain prosperity. Karthick ponders on similar lines.

Optimal use of resources is the need of the hour.
But, the first step is to stop imitating the west like a monkey.

Happiness is often wrongly tied to the possession of things.

Time and Tide

Why do hours seem like minutes while I spend time with family and friends ?
Why do 10 minutes seem like eternity while I download software from the internet ?

What is time ? Does it matter ?

Do watches turn us into robots ?
What if nobody had watches ?

The pondering continues...

Burning Money

Burning money is a popular hobby.

Go to an average restaurant in Bangalore. There, money cannot buy happiness. Not even good food or a decent service. The only guarantee is that you can burn money at a pretty decent rate.

There are faster, more stylish ways of burning money. PVR Gold Class. Pizza Hut. Amoeba Game parlour. I found a slower, elegant way to burn money. Use match sticks.

Luxury cannot be avoided in a society. But of late, people who spend in such ways come from the large middle class segment of the society.

Just think about it. For a good dinner with friends, do you spend 2 days of your monthly salary ? How often do you go for such a dinner ? Are you burning money ?

Money has become the most preferred medium to express one's friendship, love, respect and all kinds of emotions to other human beings. Gifts and treats are all about money. Reason - No time to spend, only money.

Skewed evolution of human society.

If you have no better hobby, start one soon. And see the difference.

Thanking Sanskrit

Sanskrit is one of the most important things that binds us as a nation. After millenia, Sanskrit continues to inspire us in many big and small ways.

For example, when you think of naming your child, you almost certainly look for Sanskrit names - beautiful ones. There is no other language in the world which has so many meaningful, yet beautiful names.

Another example - Most literary works in Indian languages are generously soaked with beautiful Sanskrit vocabulary. Even movie song lyrics are routinely enriched by words of Sanskrit origin.

Another example - A majority of Indian contribution to Science, Mathematics, Philosophy etc. has been in Sanskrit.

Another example - International impact. Words like yoga and karma are now in English dictionary. These are ideas that people all over the world are embracing in today's increasingly money-driven world. Unfortunately, we are unable to read and understand the original Sanskrit texts that explore these ideas.

One can think of more such examples... Sanskrit lives on. In the background of our lives. In subtle ways. It is not our Lingua Franca any more, but it is still very much alive in the fabric of our life and culture.

Unfortunately, many modern Indians identify Sanskrit with just religion This mindset needs to change. What can we do to keep alive such an important aspect of our culture that took millenia to evolve ?

1. Realize that our lives are still enriched by Sanskrit, whether we are conscious of it or not.

2. Sanskrit needs our support to survive. If we ignore our cultural aspects like Sanskrit, our descendants might curse us for having lost our identity for the sake of materialistic pursuits. Like the people of some unfortunate African nations - Western in names and outlook but still poor and backward - the sad price of losing one's identity.

4. We are all busy. As a small step, we can associate ourselves with Samskrita Bharati - an organization that has done wonderful things to spread awareness about Sanskrit. We can support them financially and with our time.
5. We can also take up spoken/written Sanskrit courses from Samskrita Bharati and participate in the events they organize. It would be great if our youngster community can produce Sanskrit teachers.

If you wish to contribute something to Sanskrit for the good things that it has given us, please contact me at coolkrishnan at gmail dot com / 98800 46941. I live in Bangalore.

Plan or Flow ?

At many points in my life, I face the dilemma to choose between the two paths:
1. Go with the plan
2. Go with the flow

Choosing the first one makes me feel in control of my life. It boosts my ego and creates a certain pride inside me.

But sometimes, the second one feels just perfect. Then I listen to my heart instead of my brain. This fills my soul with a feeling of relaxation.

Whether I choose the plan or the flow, the words of Robert Frost never cease to inspire me:
"Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."

Dream Divine

I was strolling by the river Life.
Watching little waves arrive.

Full of wonder.
At its every meander.

Enjoying the breeze.
Savouring the peace.

All was soothing.
But, missing was something.

Ah! an angel rose.
She smiled like a rose.

Spoke like a gushing stream.
Swept me away in a dream.

Slow Down

Slow... slow...

Gobbling down breakfast.
Scurrying to the meeting.
Pressing Alt+Tab on your PC keyboard.
Squeezing through the insane crowd at the Shiva Temple on the day of Maha Shivaratri.
Murdering the accelerator of your car/two-wheeler when the traffic light goes from green to yellow.
Incessant channel surfing on your TV.
Chewing up all the news and olds from newspapers and magazines.
Ruthlessly 'planning' your career all the way up to death.
Your stressful thinking.

What are you doing with your life ?

Take a deeeep b r e a t h . . . .
R e l a x !

Idli Divine

5 Idlies


A dash of sesame oil


A shower of Sambar


Toppings of Keerai Koottu


Some fresh curd


Invention of this millennium


One of my crazy experiments....

Please don't take this as a prescription. Just a direction.
Please experiment on your own. Break the routine !

Black Black Eyes

கறு கறு விழிகளால் ஒரு கண்மை என்னை கடத்துதே
ததும்பிட ததும்பிட சி று அமுதம் என்னை குடிக்குதே

இரவினில் உறங்கயில் என் தூக்கம் என்னை எழுப்புதே
எழுந்திட நினைக்கயில் ஒரு மின்னல் வந்து சாய்க்க

நீ ! ஒரு மல்லிச்சரமே
நீ ! இலை சிந்தும் மரமே
என் ! புது வெள்ளிக்குடமே
உன்னைத்தேடும் கண்கள் !
......

Poetry ! How it touches me sometimes ! A few lines from the song 'Karu Karu Vizhigal' from the new movie Pachaikili Muthucharam that really tossed me over is what you read just now if you were lucky to know to read Tamil and the text rendered correctly in your browser. For those who did not, sorry !

தாமரை இலை நீர் நீ தானா ?
கனியொரு அன்றில் நீ தானா ?
புயல் தரும் தென்றல் நீ தானா ?
புதயல் நீ தானா ?
......

The music too has decorated the lyrics beautifully.

I wish I could write Tamil poetry.

Happy Fly

Happiness is a butterfly. If you chase it, it will keep flying away.

But if you sit quietly without thinking about it, you will be pleasantly surprised to find it sitting on your shoulder !

New Smile

शुभ नूतन सम्वत्सर: !

May this new year shower you with overwhelming joy !

புது வருடம் மகிழ்ச்சி வெள்ளத்தால் உங்களை மூழ்கடிக்கட்டும் !

नया साल में आप आनन्द में भीग जाएं !

Keep rocking, Tamil !

When Tamil Nadu Government announced tax exemption for Tamil movies with Tamil titles, I did not feel bad. This act was different from the usual Tamil-fanatic acts that the ruling party is known for.

I was never amused by titles like 'Jeans', 'New', 'Run' etc. in the past. An occasional English name that is relevant to the movie's theme was ok, but a sudden surge of English names for Tamil movies was a plain marketing gimmick. After the announcement, this trend has almost disappeared ! I like innovative Tamil names like 'vETTayADu viLayADu', 'Ayutha ezhuththu', 'kAkka kAkka' etc.

These small acts will go a long way in saving the language from getting wiped out by socio-political environment of the country. I might sound backward, but I really marvel at Chennai that has been in the forefront of development while laughing at 'Hindi-only' speakers of the country.

Go to Mumbai - you cannot hear Marathi. Go to Bangalooru - you can survive without knowing Kannada. Go to Chennai - In one year, you WILL learn Tamil ! I don't find this to be rude. I equate it to Japan where you cannot live without knowing Japanese.

I agree that patriotism takes priority over one's language, but neglecting a 2000+ year old language for the sake of a 50 year old nation is stupidity, mildly put. A language cannot live on its own. It needs great poets and poetry lovers. It needs great personalities who speak it proudly. It needs native speakers who are proud of it. It needs the socio-political conditions to be favorable too.

Christianity would never have survived more than a couple of centuries without the political support of Rome. English is all over the world not because of just Shakespeare, but mainly because of the gun power of Britain in the last few centuries and the power of the US today.

Tamil lives on, thanks to its passionate native speakers.