Monday, 30 December 2013

Schumacher accident

Found this interesting: 

""

Legendary formula car racer Michael Schumacher suffered a serious injury in a skiing fall. As millions around the world pray for his safe recovery,  a troubling question was triggered by this sad news:

"How likely is it for a skiing enthusiast, who is known to have made a successful career in the superfast and dangerous world of Formula car racing, to meet with a skiing accident?"

Does this conditional probability increase or decrease? I am not aware that Schumi claimed he was a skiing expert or thought of himself as one. This is just a sample of one and could just be a tragic coincidence. The question remains open and the focus of this post is on a related topic.

Here's a wikipedia blurb on a US Air Force officer John Stapp:
"During his work at Holloman Air Force Base, Stapp became interested in the implications of his work for car safety. At the time, cars were generally not fitted with seatbelts, but Stapp had shown that a properly restrained human could survive far greater impacts than an unrestrained one. Many traffic-accident deaths were therefore avoidable but for the lack of seatbelts. Stapp became a strong advocate and publicist for this cause, frequently steering interviews onto the subject, organizing conferences, and staging demonstrations (including the first known use of automobile crash test dummies). At one point, the military objected to funding work they believed was outside their purview, but they were persuaded when Stapp gave them statistics showing that more Air Force pilots were killed in traffic accidents than in plane crashes. The culmination of his efforts came in 1966 when Stapp witnessed Lyndon B. Johnson sign the law making manufacture of cars with seatbelts (lapbelts at that time) compulsory..."

Thursday, 26 December 2013

JASWANT GARH TEMPLE -dedicated to valor of a soldier

The story of Jaswant Garh

Rifleman Jaswant Singh, number 4039009, was serving with the 4th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles. On 17 November the battalion was subjected to repeated Chinese assaults. A Chinese medium machine gun (MMG) located at a vantage point close to the A company lines was proving to be a dangerous menace. Jaswant, Lance Naik Trilok Singh Negi and RFN Gopal Singh Gusain went after the Chinese MMG and after approaching within 12 metres threw grenades at the bunker and charged it, killing a number of Chinese and capturing the MMG. Jaswant took the MMG and began crawling back towards the Indian lines but he and Trilok were fatally hit by Chinese automatic fire when nearing safety. Gopal Gusain was wounded but managed to drag the MMG into the Indian post. This turned the course of the battle and the Chinese retreated, leaving some 300 dead behind. Jaswant was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra (posthumous) and Trilok and Gopal the Vir Chakra.

Jaswant Singh's saga of valor and sacrifice continues to serve as an inspiration to all army personnel posted in this sector. At the spot where he fought,a small temple has come up with many of his personal effects. A marble plaque commemorates him and 161 other men of his battalion who died in the battle of Nuranang, which was awarded to Garhwal Rifles as a battle honour. This shrine known as Jaswant Garh is between Se La and Jang. Indian Armypersonnel passing by this route traditionally pay their respects here, irrespective of rank. Jaswant is treated as if he is alive, his boots shined and his uniform and accoutrements cared for by Army personnel posted at the shrine. He has received all his promotions in time, and has reached the rank of Honorary Captain.

                        Jaswant Garh on the Sela Pass.

A brilliant answer to our way of living

  • I stumbled across this brilliant answer on quora, it is clear and very much needed for youths like us who are to shape the future of India. But why youths ? Google demographic dividend of India and you will get answer 


  • Please do not play SAFE. I have seen this with a lot of people. Most of us are too reluctant to get out of our comfort zone. We will crib about our jobs. Our life. Being friend zoned. But we won't do anything about it. Because we are deep down afraid of being rejected. Afraid of failing. The worse thing that can happen if you tell that girl you like her is that she will say No. At least from then on you can get back to your life and not worry about whether she likes you or not. If you are 20 something and stuck in a dead end job, please try out something different. Join a start up or do something on your own. The consequences of failing at this point is very less. You don't have a family to feed. Or just travel. See the world. Do it for a month after taking a leave from your job. Just make some changes. Soon you will be  40 year old with two kids and wonder if you should have taken those chances.

  • Do not get married because you are a 27 years old and needs someone to talk at night and have regular sex. Get married because you have found someone you are willing to spend the rest of your life with.

  • If you are a guy, do NOT demand dowry. At least tell your parents not to do so. If you are a girl please do not lower your self esteem by paying that. India is a country of 1.27 billion people. You will find someone sooner or later. Respect yourself enough to say No.

  • It is high time we stop caring about things like caste and religion. Please do not judge anyone because he is from a different religion. Do not under estimate anyone because he is from a lower caste. People don't end up in the places they are born by their choice. Do not feel proud because of your skin color, caste, creed, gotra, star sign and whatever. (Feel free to add more to the list. I have never been good with these stuff). Feel proud of something you have done in this life which has made a difference to you or society.

  • Don't keep giving excuses and get your shit together. I see people crying on Internet forums over reservations, politics and what not. Let me tell you a secret. There are still students every year who enter IITs, NITs, IIITs, IIMs without any reservation. Feel free to join BITS. There is no reservation here. But do that only if you are interested in Engineering and not because some neighborhood aunty told you that you will excel in life only if you pass out of these colleges.

  • If possible try to fall in love and get married. Every human being should have the potential to find his/her mate. Once you find someone have the courage to tell your parents. It is 21st century. If not now then when?

  • Stop gossiping. If there is a girl who dates a lot, it doesn't mean that she is loose or a slut. It just means that she wants to find the guy she is maximum compatible with. Similarly don't judge a guy and say he is this and that. It is their fucking life. Live and let live. Don't be like those creepy self righteous  organization people who hide behind park trees during evenings to chase out couples just because they are super lame and probably never been with a girl their entire life.

  • Stop fighting on Internet forums over who is better - Salman Khan or Shah Rukh, Hindu or Muslim, India or Pakistan, BJP or Congress. It is a total waste of time and really really lame. That is why I rarely argue with people who leave nasty comments on my answers sometimes. A simple down vote always does wonders.

  • Don't keep asking advice on internet forums. Most advice is recycled shit and memes posted from the internet you will find yourself if you Google. Ask for information instead and their side of the story. Don't ask "Should I do this?". Ask "What made you do that?"

Wednesday, 25 December 2013

The memoirs of her

" Oh God, will she smile, what will I do.....leave that you moron....How are you looking....eh you used deodorant?...Yess...Aye Aye...everything fine....don't look like a stupid silly..." Thoughts like these were sweeping across my mind as every moment passed. I was waiting outside her apartment in Kolkata where she lived with her other colleagues. It was the first time I was going to meet her in person and even though we had spent numerous nights on video chats in the two years of this long distance relationship, the idea of seeing her standing in front of me had same nervousness I felt before each interview,viva,or an exam for which I went unprepared! She wanted to talk to me on something important!
The road was crowded, the steel gate of her apartment was looking like the gate of Colosseum beyond which lay my fate."Oh , it has to be so much hot...Kolkata you are killing me" ....Something like butterflies in my body. Please I am waiting, where are you.I heard something, what was that?  Oh my God someone was coming towards the gates."Come on dear you had to take half an hour to come out" a smile on my face, I was unable to control those silly muscles. A Bollywood line with Mohit Chauhan singing in my mind"Chehre ki rangat badal rahi hai teri sohbat mein....."Oh how can a typical Indian forget Bollywood at this time. The gate screeched...I tried to glance past it...it was a blue dress, Oh she would be looking lovely. My face had grin of an innocent toddler. It was her. It was her? Nah, it was...it was her roommate. I looked at her. Yes I remember grin was still there. I looked at her like a dog looks at his master when he is about to give him biscuit.
"Listen, She doesn't want to come out. She likes that Utkarsh from her firm. You are good... I mean you are an IITian and all.... but still...try to understand. You are immature. So please just leave. please don't make a scene here......." I was dumbstruck..no I was not or was I....nonreactive..inert like nobel gases...Nobel..eh that's what I should do....She was still continuously saying something  which my mind had rejected to hear.
"Bu..But...Ut..Utkarshh...yes I...yes yes I completely understand..no need to call guard bhaiya..I am leaving...yeaah sure...not a problem...at least could I see her? But we talked today...Ok Ok....you take care"
 I turned and started walking away from her, away from the apartment, away from the world that was mine or at least I thought so.I felt warm ball inside my heart or was my chest burning? Something gripping my head, was it a gargoyle of the Gotham city? No no it must be the heat. Horns blared around me while I was still puzzled. Felt a drop, a cold drop on my cheeks...Oh tears...when was the last time I cried...Oh it was the match, the football match sprain...Vinod had helped me, held me while I was in agony ...yes there were tears then too. But this time something was different, something was deep, something was painful like....like what. Oh I know it was how the car felt in physics problems of Resnick Hallidey....the car at a crash test site, sudden decelerating . Was it blood?.. nopes it was tears...why, it felt like blood for sure.

 It has been an year since. Thoughts of suicide, abuse, acid throwing, killing her... everything has passed once for sure.But I have to live my life. A life which could have been better if she was in it, but..but whatever..this life is not hers to abrogate. I have to live life for my parents friends and most importantly for me. Yes I know I have been cursed like Sisyphus but this is how I choose to live.