My speech as a chief guest

I am glad to inform that I was invited as Chief Guest for the "Sanskrutotsava" of St Aloysius P U College, Mangalore on 14.11.2008. I was pleasantly surprised by the welcome they accorded with two Yakshagana artists with 'Aarathi'. I was truly touched by the words of College Principal who spoke good words about me and my few accomplishments. I give below the text of my speech. {Those who are not keen to read may skip the remaining portion or can have the luxury of a yawn or two. Those who dislike the speech are permitted to take a print out and tear it to hundred pieces}.

Respected dignitaries on the dias and my dear students,
धाराप्रवाह रूपेण संस्कृते वक्तुम अहम् न शक्नोमि । अतः आंग्ला भाषे वदामि.
I am glad to observe that all of you are truly fortunate. You are lucky to get associated with Sanskrit in one way or other. Sanskrit is a beautiful language. It has enriched our society from time immemorial.
The greatness of this language is that it is quite versatile. It is capable of describing any situation in the best possible manner. Let me quote just two examples:
In the 14th century, there was child prodigy by name Shankara Mishra. Even at a tender age of 5, he was very proficient in Sanskrit. The King of that province could not believe the immense talent of the boy. The king enquired with the boy how come he is writing shloka’s at such a tender age? The boy replied:
बालोहं जगादानंद न मे बाला सरस्वती
अपूर्णे पञ्चमे वर्षे वर्णयामि जगत्रयम् ।
(O King, I may be an infant but there is no infancy for my knowledge. I am yet to complete 5 years, but I can describe the three worlds!). See the confidence exhibited by such a young kid.
OK, I am aware that teenagers amongst you might prefer stories of young men and women, instead of children. Well, a city man visits a village. He saw a typical village girl carrying water in pots. Naturally, she gave a look of admiration to the well dressed city man. But the Man was arrogant. He rebuked the girl saying:
अन्यं निरीक्ष्य पुरुषं तव भाग्य योग्यं
नाहं घटान्कित कटीं तरुणीं भजामि
(I do not desire a girl like you। Look at someone else!)। The girl was equally strong. She retorted:
दासोद्यामे विघटितः तव तुल्य रूपः
सोयं भवेन्नहि भवेत् इति मे वितर्क:
(I am looking for my servant. He is resembling you.)
Well, we can go on like this for ever. But the essence is Sanskrit is a perfect language for any given situation. Those who could not study Sanskrit during their school and college days may please make use of various learning programmes of “Samskritha Bharathi” which is doing a great service for popularizing Samskrit. I was immensely benefited by their such useful programmes like Sanskrit through Correspondence and 'Sambhashana Shibira's'.
I am happy that Sanskrit Dept of St Aloysius College is contributing its bit in preserving and nurturing this great language। I am certainly honoured by your invitation. As the saying goes:
पुष्पमालानुषंगेण सूत्रं शिरसी धार्यते
Thank you so much for a very patient hearing.

The Booker Connection

Mr. Aravind Adiga, a mangalorean has won the Booker Prize 2008 for his debut novel "The White Tiger". His paternal grandfather Mr K S N Adiga was the chairman of Karnataka Bank and also immensely contributed for the development of the city of Mangalore. He had a two storeyed tiled mansion at Mallikatte, in the heart of city. I was truly lucky to be able to stay in the said house as a tenant cum care taker from 1997 to 2004. I consider myself to be fortunate on following counts:
1. That I could stay in the house of such godly people like Mrs.Sarojini Adiga and her sons Dr.Ravishankar Adiga and Dr.Raghuveera Adiga. [Mr.KSN Adiga was then no more].
2. The house was in the heart of city with all amenities.
3. The rent was negligibly low much in harmony with my innate miserly instincts.
Mr. Madhava Adiga father of Aravind also visited us in Mallikatee a couple of times.
They were all so good people. I am very grateful to them from the bottom of my heart.
There is an apt shloka in Subhashitha Sudhanidhi.
गुणवज्जन सम्सर्गाद्याति स्वल्पोपी गौरवं
पुष्पमालानुषंगेण सूत्रं शिरसी धार्यते
[Even small men get honour by associating with great men. Even the twine/thread gets honour in company of flowers.]

Unpredictability of good and bad things in life.

Good and bad things happen in our life when we least expect them. There is an in built unpredictability about the timing of such events. If anyone desires to find an answer, well Mahabharatha gives a good explanation.
नापदामस्ति मर्यादा न निमित्तं नकारणं
धर्मस्तु विभाजत्यार्थम उभयो: पुण्य पापायो:
(There is no limit for dangers। It can occur at any time and that too without reason.Yama evaluates all the good and bad deeds done by us and gives its consequences at the time he thinks suitable.)
Well, my colleague Rajesh tolerated my penchant for shlokas during our stay elsewhere on a certain mission. He was gracious in acknowledging the above shloka as very true. I am sure, you too will like it.

Debut with a FIDE rating of 1999

In the FIDE world chess rating list published as on 1.10.2008, I am glad to announce that I have found a mention with a rating of 1999. One short of 2000 seems to be a good number to begin.

Damodaraaya namaha

It was certainly my good fortune to spend a day with Sri. P Damodar who is from Hyderabad and works for Government of India.
He commands great mastery in the field of IT, Taxation and Investigation. Attaining expertise in each of the above areas are so difficult especially when these fields are expanding day by day. Yet, Sri Damodar by virtue of his innate genius and hardwork has successfully defied these limitations and stands like a tower. Moreover, he is very humble, polite, diplomatic and a thorough gentleman. He is certainly, one of the Mahapurusha( great man) I have seen.
It is time to a recall an apt shloka from Viveka choodamani
दुर्लभं त्रयमेवैतत दैवानुग्रह हेतुकं
मनुष्यत्वं मुमुक्षुत्वं महापुरुष संश्रयः
[Three things are difficult to get and obtained only because of God' blessings. They are Birth as man, Desire for Moksha and Companionship of great men. I guess, I am really blessed]

Chess quotations

Here are some quotes on Chess. I had collected these from different sources and jotted down many years ago. I am sure you too may like these gems.

1. “Most chess players hate to lose, considering a loss as a disgrace. This is a wrong attitude. Those who wish to improve their game should look on their defeats as lessons. You may have to lose hundreds of games before emerging as a master.” [-Capablanca]
2. The early success of young and the excessive enthusiastic estimates of adults only hamper the further development of young talent.
3. Man is the master of his talents which can fully blossom only when one is a self critical, self disciplined and indefatigable worker.
4. In chess you can find a way of self realization.
5. To study theory and practice everyday is to create a base for one’s intuition to help one in hard tournament trials and to correctly evaluate one’s chance in the most complex positions.

How to observe eclipse?

Following is the gist of Do’s and Donts during an eclipse (extracts from classical text Dharmasindhu)
1. The period of eclipse is considered as Punyakaala (auspicious period).
2. The period of eclipse is divided into three: Sparsha (Beginning), Madhya (Middle) and Moksha (end)
3. Bath (preferably in cold water) both before Sparsha and after Moksha. During eclipse do Japa and Pooje. At the end donate liberally.
4. Not to sleep during eclipse. (If slept, sickness will embrace)
5. Not to answer nature’s call. ( Shitting will make one a worm in the next Janma and urinating will bring poverty)
6. Sex to be avoided 3 days before and 3 days after the eclipse.
7. Stop taking food 12 hours before a Solar eclipse and 9 hours before a lunar eclipse. Concessions are made to children, sick , old people and pregnant women. They can take food upto 2 hours 24 mins before the eclipse starts. Eating during eclipse is a strict NO. (Else, Naraka or hell is assured!).
8. Food prepared before the eclipse should not be used after the eclipse.
9. Milk, Butter milk, Ghee, items made of ghee and pickle are exempted from rule 8 provided they are covered by Dharbe or Tulsi or Garike

FIDE ratings at last!

The 2nd Mangalore FIDE Rated All India Open Chess Tournament was held in Mangalore from 19.7.2008 to 26.7.2008. Totally 280 players from all over India took part including 2 Grand Masters, 7 International Masters and about 150 FIDE rated players.
I am glad to announce that I scored 7 points out of 11 rounds and all points came against FIDE rated players.
I am proud to state that I secured the best unrated player award and a cash prize of Rs.2,000=00. I will also get a FIDE rating of around 2050 in the next list to be published by the World Chess Federation in Jan 2009. Perhaps, that would be a realization of my long cherished dream of earning a FIDE rating.
Ok, once you manage to get ratings with great effort and pain, what next? Maintaining the same level, is difficult. Losing rating would be painful. There is an apt shloka in Panchathantra, Mithrabheda:
अर्थानामर्जने दुखं अर्जितानां च रक्षणे
आये दुखं व्यये दुखं धिगर्था: कष्ट सम्श्रया:
(There is sorrow in earning money. Protecting what you have earned is also sorrowful. Earning and spending also is painful. The wealth which brings so much of misery be condemned!).
The shloka holds good for rating also.

Double check

My cousin, M Shankaranarayana Bhat, a late entrant to the world of computers seems to have mustered some free time to visit my blog and go through the contents. He was generous while complimenting my effort to publish the blog in web. He observed that there are no article on Chess and sought my explanation. His comment has awakened me from deep slumber and forced me to run for cover. To use a phrase of chess-
“Even the laziest King flees wildly at the face of a double check!”

Good bye to Mr.Apricio A Pereira

Myformer boss Mr Apricio A Periera is retiring from Govt service on 30.5.08.
He was very good, considerate and a thorogh gentleman. I wish him all the very best and a happy retired life.

A very imaginative lady

A very original and truly amusing joke:

A farmer stopped by the local mechanic shop to have his truck fixed. They couldn't do it while he waited, so he said he didn't live far and would just walk home.

On the way home he stopped at the hardware store and bought a bucket and a gallon of paint. He then stopped by the feed store and picked up a couple of chickens and a goose. However, struggling outside the store he now had a problem - how to carry his entire purchases home.

While he was scratching his head he was approached by a little old lady who told him she was lost. She asked , "Can you tell me how to get to 1603 Mockingbird Lane?"
The farmer said, "Well, as a matter of fact, my farm is very close to that house. I would walk you there but I can't carry this lot."

The old lady suggested, "Why don't you put the can of paint in the bucket. Carry the bucket in one hand; put a chicken under each arm and carry the goose in your other hand?"

"Thank you very much," he said and proceeded to walk the old girl home.On the way he says "Let's take my short cut and go down this alley. We'll be there in no time."

The little old lady looked him over cautiously then said, "I am a lonely widow without a husband to defend me. How do I know that when we get in the alley you won't hold me up against the wall, pull up my skirt, and have your way with me?"

The farmer said, "Holy smokes lady! I'm carrying a bucket, a gallon of paint, two chickens, and a goose. How in the world could I possibly hold you up against the wall and do that?"

The old lady replied, "Set the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the paint on top of the bucket, and I'll hold the chickens."

Haircut

I got my hairs cut today. The cutting was so bad that my family was shocked to see my new hairstyle (or hair less style!). They exclaimed that my present look is so ugly ( a candid admission that earlier I was handsome!). The best remark came from Vaish who told that the barbers should not be paid any money for suh a bad haircut. In any case, for some time I may have to silently digest the puzzling and funny look of onlookers!

Hearty Congratulations to Sir Badkar

I am glad to announce to the world that Sri M V Badkar has been promoted as a DIG in Coastguard and posted to Mumbai. Promotions are difficult to come by in Govt Service and often there are many obstacles for good work i.e., श्रेयांसी बहु विघ्नानी . I am lucky to see him rise in his career. He is very committed, sincere to the core, very polite and richly deserves every accolade. (Although I can go on adding every adjective, I am restraining, else you may think that my genuine feelings too as an exaggeration!)
My best wishes are to him, ofcourse in Sanskrit:
शुभमस्तु पंथाना: व्याप्तो भव सुप्रसन्नो भव सुप्रसिद्धो भव

Thanks to my dear Sudhir

After a long gap, I am here to update my blog. The specific reason is to thank my dear friend Balathbail Sudhir Acharya. He is my friend, philosopher and guide in the world of computers. Although, there are n number of reasons to thank Sudhir, the latest two reasons are:
1. Vaishnavi had pressed few keys and the display in my home PC had tilted 90 degrees. I pressed hundred more keys, yet the display was not set right. In fact, the remedy I attempted was worse than the disease. Hence approached Sudhir. अन्यथा शरणम नास्ति . He solved the same with his brilliant answer. All that was to be done was ctrl+alt+up arrow key.
2. I was struggling to get google ads i.e., adsense to my page for nearly six months. Typical of me, there was no progress. If at all you see few ads, it is because of Sudhir's master strokes.
Thank you Sudhir.

Share tips for 2008.

Let me hazard a guess for possible winners in 2008.
I get an instinct that ONGC (current market price is 1300) and Karnataka Bank (CMP is 260) are very strong bonus candidates. Investors who have a lot of patience can consider buying these shares. I must state every investment has risks and my views can also go wrong.