Save Energy
Save energy, do not use computers! Duh!I have written the title this time, quite skeptically. We are always told that India was very rich in the medieval times. Please note the claim, ‘medieval times’, not the ‘ancient times’. Many exaggerations of the same are also spread, like ‘pots of gold used to exist in every home’, etc. and etc. In the ancient times, I am quite sure India along with many other nations of the present – day was super rich. But, as far as the medieval times go, most people would amalgamate the medieval era with the ancient era.
There remains a basic difference between the two. In ancient time, India was rich along with its people. In medieval era, India, and even China, for that matter, might be rich as compared to other then-existing world nations. But, were its people rich as compared to other nations of the time? The answer remains no.
In India, it is a common thought in the minds of the people that in the medieval era, the present day developed nations were all poor. That would include the United States, Canada, Oceania (Aus and NZ) and the whole of Europe, while same would have a favorable view on China’s prosperity. USA and Australia were definitely unheard places then but what can we say the same in case of Europe?
There was this interesting piece of read that I found in ‘The Post – American World’ by Fareed Zakaria. I am pasting the relevant passage here. The statistics that are cited are in turn taken from Angus Madison’s book, ‘The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective’. It reads:
We
have lived in a Western world for over half a millennium. Despite the rise of other nations and continents, the shadows of the West will be long and its legacies deep for decades to come, perhaps longer. It has become commonplace to say that actually China and India were as rich as the West right up until the 1800s. The dominance of the West, according to this perspective, has been a 200-year blip, and we are now returning to a more normal balance. This statement also implies that the West’s advantages may be largely accidental—the result of “coal and colonies,” that is, the discovery of a cheap energy source and the domination of the rich lands of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. This view, which embraces a multicultural sensibility that denies any special status to the West, has its political advantages. But while it may be politically correct, it is historically incorrect.
One reason for this misinterpretation is that analysts often focus solely on the total size of the Chinese and Indian economies. Historically, this has been a misleading statistic.
Until the modern age, a country’s economy could not be mobilized, extracted, or put to use in any meaningful sense. The fact that in, say, the seventeenth century, millions of peasants in remote and unconnected corners of China were working the land in grinding poverty did not really contribute to the nation’s usable wealth or power, even though their output added up to a large number. Population was the main ingredient of GDP, and production was largely agricultural. Since China and India had four times the population of Western Europe in 1600, their GDP was, of course, larger. Even in 1913, when Britain was the world’s leading power, with cutting-edge technology and industrial production and trade many times larger than all of Asia’s, China could claim a greater total GDP. In studying the preindustrial age, before big government, communications, transport, and broad-based taxation, aggregate GDP alone tells us little about national power or a country’s level of advancement. It doesn’t say anything about the dynamism of the society or its ability to make new discoveries and inventions. And it was mastery in these areas that gave a country new ways to create wealth and its government power.
We get a much clearer picture of the real standing of countries if we consider economic growth and GDP per capita. Western European GDP per capita was higher than that of both China and India by 1500; by 1600, it was 50 percent higher than China’s. From there, the gap kept growing. Between 1350 and 1950—six hundred years—GDP per capita remained roughly constant in China and India (hovering around $600 for China and $550 for India). In the same period, Western European GDP per capita went from $662 to $4,594, a 594 percent increase.*
European travelers in the seventeenth century routinely pointed out that Chinese and Indian living conditions were well below those in northwestern Europe. The economist Gregory Clark calculates that in the eighteenth century the average daily wage of a laborer in Amsterdam could buy him 21 pounds of wheat, in London 16 pounds, and in Paris 10. In China, a day’s wages would buy about 6.6 pounds of wheat (or its equivalent). Clark has also examined records to determine differences in the number of famines, which points in the same direction. The West, in short, was more prosperous than the East long before the eighteenth century.
So, there are enough stats and facts kept out there in the passage to enlighten us on the same. The education, innovation, research what the Western countries produced ensured that they would stay ahead of the rest far easily. Even today, the same continues and I do not see India and China turning out the research centers anywhere remotely! That would require an altogether different post, as there was some interesting read on the same in ‘India Unbound’ by Gurucharan Das. Answer lies in education and innovation again though.
On an interesting note, China and India still do stand as the world’s 2nd and 4th largest economies of the world. One of my earlier posts is written on the same.
That was an interesting eye opener!
Right from printing press, which spearheaded the flow of ideas, to railways, the single most impacting invention ever, to the recent computer and internet, we have had set of inventions. But, this is not really the age of inventions. It is dominated by small and big ‘innovations’ that ease the way our already established inventions work. Ahh, without getting much jargonic, let me put up what I want to say.
This was a nice email forward and is taken from ForwardedEmails.Com . Imagine, how much they will ease our life.
Real Smart and cool inventions
SMART CUP
Smart cup in which you can put 2-3 of your favourite cookies. You don’t need extra plates. It’s made for right handed and left handed.
BANANA GUARD
Are you fed up with bringing bananas to work or school only to find them bruised and squashed? Banana Guard allows you to safely transport and storage individual bananas letting you enjoy perfect bananas anytime, anywhere.
LOCK-CUP
Lock Cup – Anti-Theft Coffee Cup. Are you tired of others stealing your coffee cup? Well now there’s a solution. The Lock – Cup has a hole which prevents most people from using it. Only the owner of the cup can use his/hers shaped key to close the hole.
PENGUIN TEA TIMER
Making tea, though easy to do, is also time consuming. Once you pour the hot water into the cup, you must patiently hover over it, waiting for the tea to steep. Well, the Penguin Tea Timer happily does the waiting for you.
Place your tea cup under the beak and set it to the desired time. As you turn the timer dial, the beak lowers the tea into the hot water. When time is up, a bell sounds and the penguin automatically lifts his beak, removing the tea bag from the water.
TRANSPARENT TOASTER
You love toast, but you always burn it? Than, this invention us for you.
This transparent toaster allows you to see the bread while it is toasting so you just have to take it out when the colour is right. This idea is based on a transparent heating glass technology.
BUTTER CUTTER
One Click Butter Cutter controls your portion as an important part of staying healthy. This ingenious butter cutter delivers one standard pat with each click of the handle. I liked the name though, it sounds rhyming, ‘butter cutter’.
GIANT REMOTE
Never lose your remote again!
With giant buttons, this extra-large remote is easy to use and impossible to lose. It’s a 6-in-1 remote so you can use it to control your TV, VCR, DVD player, satellite, cable and auxiliary A/V device. It even features glow-in-the-dark buttons, so you can easily find the remote in the dark.
DAYCLOCK
What day is today? You don’t know? Then you need a DayClock. It’s uniquely designed to keep track of weekly events like your golf day, card night, movie night, and so much more. It’s ideal for vacations and cruises when it’s easy to lose track of the day.
CRIME SCENE TOWEL
Chalk outline crime scene beach towel – be the coolest person on the beach!
LASER SCISSORS
Laser ScissorsCutting a straight line has never been easier. Just aim the pin-point laser and follow the line. The scissor blades are stainless steel and cut very clean with a micro serrated edge.
ILUMINATING CAR SLIPPERS
Do you get up at night to drink water, go to the toilet…Do you wish you could see in the dark? Remarkably bright LED lights are triggered by your footsteps and light up the floor 30 feet in front of you; ultra-soft plush style are extra comfortable and cozy warm.
INFANT PILLOW
The Zaky is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mom to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development. The Zaky can help calm your baby and help your baby sleep better through the night.
TRAVELER’S PHRASE BOOK T-SHIRT
If you are traveling a lot and don’t always know the language of the country you are visiting, then this T-shirt is for you. It has a phrase book printed on it so just point a finger at the pictogram you need and then point it twice at the question mark, which means, “Where is it?” and in no time you have found what you were looking for… or not.
MODERN LADDER
Realy cool modern ladder. I am not sure whether it would balance itself as the person on it properly.
WHEEL-MOVING BENCH
Whether you want to sit on the sun or in the shade, near the river or under the tree… now you have your movable bench, to sit wherever you like.
First of all, happy new year and new decade to you, folks! 
This one proved to one of the best pass times on the internet in my case some time back. Watching old ads! The ads are not just simple and naïve, but they get you a nostalgic feeling too. Were they really good or not, I do not know, but that was the only option to view then! Some of them would still make for good ads in today’s world. Please have a look.
Gold Spot Zing Thing
In the second ad in the video, it is Kitu Gidwani! Total YouTube hits: 15k approx.
LIRIL Ad 1985
This was the reshot of ad in 1975. The 1975 ad featured Karen Lunel, an airhostess with Indian Airlines in green bikini on the only national channel then! It was fine in those days as much as it is now. There were rumors that she died in a fatal accident. The accident did happen, but she survived after some stitches. This ad was only to ascertain that she is alive. Oh, and LIRIL is still my favorite soap, from childhood. I never knew the reason why I liked this soap particularly, but it seems this is the reason! Okay, there is a reason to bath daily now. Economic Times interviewed her in August 2009 and they contacted her through her son’s comment on her own YouTube video! She lives in New Zealand. Total YouTube hits: 2,22k approx.
DoodhDoodh Doodh
This was a much advanced ad compared to others but this had two different version of the ad. This one was shorter so I thought of embedding here. Total YouTube Hits: 31k approx.
Jalebee
Dhara Dhara Shudh Dhara! This was the famous ad where a boy wants to leave home but goes back home because of his temptation for Jalebees! Total YouTube hits: 275k
Surf Lalitaji
I don’t know in which years was this commercial famous, but noteworthy is its last line, ‘jee haan, Surf ke kharidari me hi samazadaari hain’ (Buying Surf makes sense). But at the same time, when the above line is being said; it shows two bottles of same size, one of half kg, and other of 1 kg! What makes sense? Total YouTube hits: 75k
Fevicol
The video shows Rajkumar Hirani as the model in it, who is also the director of the ad. He is the director of Munnabhai series. Total YouTube hits: 58k
Chal Meri Luna!
This one is my favorite. Small, simple and the jingle is melodious as well as it fits well with the rhyme used. But, I do not see any particular company name behind this! I think it was promoted by the Govt. to encourage more people to buy lunas. I don’t know! Total YouTube hits: Only 32k
Jab Main Chhota Bacha Thaa – Bajaj
This one is only 20 seconds long and you will suddenly recall the jingle of the ad. It is hard to forget it! It is from the times of ’80s. Total YouTube hits: Only 18k
Lijjat Papad
Karram kurram, kurram karram! This is the ad that featured the famous ‘speaking doll’ by Sharad Padhye of the ‘90s. Have a look. Total Youtube Hits: 20k approx.
Cadbury Cricket Ad!
Just watch this! The model doesn’t seem to dance naturally out of joy and not as a part of the commercial! There are many other good Cadbury ads with the same motivating lyrics, which you can get by clicking on the video below and then searching for ‘Related Videos’ in YouTube. Total YouTube hits: 11k approx.
There might be many more interesting ones out there on the web. These were just a sample!
It is no slightest doubt that everyone in India has experienced what really is global warming. The average temperatures have gone up in the last few summers, and even the winters and rainy seasons are showing abnormalities from their behaviors over the last few years. Indeed, this is ‘global weirding’ or rather ‘climate crisis’ that would define the thing better.
But, what really caused global warming? Industrial revolution for one, heavy pollution caused by it another and there might be numerous such reasons. But, how do we know that we have landed in a state of global warming? Of course, anyone who has experienced summer in any part of India would know better. But, any symptoms that would convince the rational mind? Yes, in fact there are many. If you haven’t seen Al Gore’s documentary, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ you must watch it once. I would rate it 5 stars, as it is a must watch for everyone today. From the official website of An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore, I could get some science behind this. The symptoms are listed below and are sourced from the website climatecrisis.net (official website of An Inconvenient Truth). Do visit the website, it has a good music track played once the website is accessed. Other initiatives from Al Gore are the website of WeCanSolveIt, TakePart, RepowerAmerica.
Image from www.cranberg.com
Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising.
The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence.1 The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.
We’re already seeing changes. Glaciers are melting, plants and animals are being forced from their habitat, and the number of severe storms and droughts is increasing.
|
So, the date today is 9 November, 2009. 9/11/2009.. Is this India’s or Maharashtra’s 9/11? 20 years back, this was the day when the Berlin Wall was broken, precisely on 9 November, 1989. As per European date system, it is 9/11. It is credited to be the first force that made globalization possible. Such a beautiful event signifying the unity of Germany. The other 9/11, and more famous one was destructive. But, what I see in today’s 9/11 is a wall being created inside India, which might even prove destructive. The lawmakers turning out lawbreakers.
The issue started all with the oath of Abu Asim Azmi being taken in Hindi. Okay, now let me remind you that a politician from Belgaum in Karnataka was made to resign from ministership as he was not able to talk proper Kannada. Rajnikant Gaikwad is a bigger – than – God famous superstar in southern India. He happens to be a native Maharashtrian. Ambumani Ramadoss wrote and alarmed the Tamilian people that certain non – Tamilians, non – Dravidians, outsiders are eyeing to take the seat of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The media made hoopla on this as it was all indicating towards Rajnikanth. This famous superstar knows Tamil very well but still the words made by Ambumani Ramadoss, a leader of Indian National Congress and not of any regional party makes such comments.
Coming to point, let me remind the official language of Maharashtra is only Marathi. Hindi is not an official language of Maharashtra. The official languages of India are English and Hindi. Even when it came to Hindi being the official language way back sometime in 50s, it was made so only because of one vote. That is what Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s book written in 1955 says. There was a tie once, and the second time, only one vote additional in favor of Hindi. As per Wikipedia, what it said was ‘there is no national language of India’. Now, the edit is removed as something happened in parliament in May 2008. Even now, I do not find anything concrete on Wikipedia stating ‘national language of India is Hindi’. All it states is ‘Hindi is the official language of India’. From May 2008, there is no one national language of India, but in fact, they are multiple. Every other regional language generally known is now a national language of India. The list of national languages in India from May 2008 can be found here: Funny thing, English, Hindi and Marathi are all one of the national languages of India. Then why is this issue on Marathi being whipped up all of a sudden? The population of Marathi speakers in Maharashtra is 68% as per 2001 census. Now, it is said to have gone down to less than 60%.
And Azmi is not the only one to take the oath in Hindi. One Thakur from Kandivali too did it. This MLA runs a group of institutions that have a Bhojpuri minority. He is involved into development activities. He never issued any statement of distributing sticks or so, and nor is he involved in any bomb blasts. That is why MNS has no enmity with him and the House was absolutely silent when he took the oath. Azmi was first requested to take the oath in Marathi and later on warned by MNS. The issue is not all against Hindi, but against Azmi who happens to be a key enemy of MNS. Girish Bapat of Pune took the oath in Sanskrit, and many Maharashtrian MLAs did it in English. Azmi was the only target owing to his credentials earlier.
As for today’s issues, I don’t know what has been reported in Hindi media. But, every MLA of the INC, ShivSena, BJP, MNS was in favor of taking the oath in Marathi. Especially, the non – Marathi elected MLAs were in absolute favor of speaking in Marathi, and almost everyone in the House had requested Abu Asim Azmi to take the oath in Marathi. But, he is a 1993 Mumbai blast convict, supposedly having close ties with Dawood and undoubtedly the earlier busted Indian terrorist outfit SIMI. He published a notice in all newspapers that he would take the oath in Hindi and did the nuisance, even after knowing the present scenario in politics of Maharashtra. When a person doesn’t understand the language of request, what does he understand, especially concerning the fact that the person in consideration is a Bombay blast convict? It was only 4 MLAs coming down to the level of violence whereas the other parties kept restraint. I do not wish to see a person like Abu Asim Azmi entering into the fold of Maharashtra politics at all. Hindu Muslim tensions, Bhaiyya – Marathi tensions are all sure to come into the fore once such a nonsensical person is present. He was the same man to speak of sending 20,000 people from Azamgarh along with distributing sticks in Mumbai. The remaining 9 MNS candidates along with the support of almost every other MLA would take care of Azmi in the coming time using the right language which he understands. Let’s hope. I just don’t want any problems in daily life of some ‘bandhs’ from either sides and all the bullshit followed.
This incident reminds me of something that took place 55 years back. The Samyukta Maharashtra Movement. It was the time when a Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti and a Gujarat Mahaparishad had unanimously decided to form two different states out of the then Bombay State or Maha – dwibhashik – rajya. A majority of other states in India were found on linguistic basis. Even then, 105 people have to DIE owing to the pressure of the police enforced by the Indian Congress Party. The place where deaths took place is called Hutatma Chowk and is located in south Mumbai. Motilal Nehru had made a statement long back that ‘Maharashtra is a dirty and rusty part of India that should be straightly cut out of India’ at some point of time. (Source: an article of Prabhodhankar Thackeray written sometime in 1950s, published in a Marathi magazine ‘Marmik’ issue of 16 August, 2009) The legacy seems to have passed to Jawaharlal Nehru and the death of 105 for no real reason only reconfirms it. Okay, coming to the actual point of convergence, today almost all MLAs were united against Abu Asim Azmi on taking the oath in Hindi. But, what we see is the Hindi media and our uneducated politicians from the traditional northern belts whipping up against Raj Thackeray on dividing the nation.
The Assembly was not the right place to beat Abu Asim Azmi.. Somewhere on the streets would have been better. It wouldn’t have suspended the 4 MLAs! 
Call me extremist or whatever, but such a person who has a clear motive to cause mischief deserves it.
