When Alexander reached Punjab in 327 BC, Takshashila, the world’s oldest university had established itself as a place of learning. John Keay in his book “India: a History”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802137970/jksobservat-20″ writes
bq. Students went there to learn the purest Sanskrit. Kautilya, whose Arthashashtra is the classic Indian treatise on statecraft, is said to have been born there in the third century BC. It was also in Taxila that, in the previous century, Panini compiled a grammar more comprehensive and scientific than any dreamed of by Greek gammarians.
The glory for the western world is the library of Alexandria, which was sanctioned by Ptolemy I Soter, the successor of Alexander of Macedonia in around 300 BC. While the Maurya empire was in power in India, Euclid (300 BC), Archimedes (287-212 BC), Eratosthenes (276-195 BC) etc were making important science and math discoveries in Alexandria. The Al-Ahram weekly has “an article”:http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/668/he1.htm about the ancient Library of Alexandria and the discoveries made there.
Author: जयकृष्णः | ജയകൃഷ്ണൻ
Ravikiran fisks Praful Bidwai
bq. Some of these are high-value jobs. Some are low-end, but will employ many people. Some require you to work odd hours. Some rely on the time difference, and you have to work normal Indian hours for them. Some of these are essentially temporary (Process migration experts – will become redundant after a few years because all processes will have been migrated) some are permanent. Some will soon be automated, some will always require human skill. The same as in any other industry really
bq. But trust the Resident Idiot to pick only those that suit his thesis.
Such things make you wonder whether he is in fact shilling for American and British unions who are concerned about job losses. But let’s give him the benefit of doubt. Let’s just call him a useful Resident Idiot.
“Ravikiran”:http://www.yazadjal.com/mt/archives/000177.html, though newly married, takes time to fisk the “Resident Idiot”:http://www.tni.org/fellows/bidwai.htm
Digital Wars
bq. Today’s vital technology standards are largely controlled by companies and consortia from the developed world. China and other nations effectively pay taxes to American, Japanese and European companies in order to use these standards in a variety of fields including computers, communications and personal technology.
bq. But China, unlike other developing nations that lack its growing clout on the global stage, isn’t planning to keep paying these taxes. It’s political-economic establishment is absolutely determined to set its own path in the Digital Age.
bq. China isn’t just reluctant to pay what amount to taxes to the developed-world owners of global technology standards. With the largest domestic market on the planet, at least potentially, plus an increasingly creative and well-educated workforce, China is creating its own competitive set of standards for its own market, although the global potential is obvious.
The business wars of the digital age are begining.
[via “dan gillmor”:http://weblog.siliconvalley.com/column/dangillmor/archives/001580.shtml#001580]
The Real War on Terror
bq. On Sunday afternoon, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha got a crisp message from 7 Race Course Road. At that point, Mr Advani was in Mumbai and Mr Sinha was in Iran, so the call held a special significance.
bq. The message carrying the mandate of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee requested them to reach Delhi by evening. Both of them hurriedly finished their business and took off for Delhi in separate Indian Air Force aircraft.
Soon, the Royal Bhutan Army launched a military operations against three Indian separatist groups operating from “Bhutan”:http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_498148,0008.htm
bq. The entire Indo-Bhutan border has been totally sealed and Indian jawans positioned all along the border to prevent any attempt by the fleeing militants to enter India, the Eastern Command sources said.
Assam government is in full alert to prevent “revenge strikes”:http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?gid=51&id=188645
bq. To a query whether he would give safe passage to the fleeing militants as they were ” sons of Assam soil”, Gogoi said “An anti-national is an anti-national. We don’t care they are sons of which soil.”
and there have been lot of “casualities”:http://www.deepikaglobal.com/latestnews.asp?ncode=10283
bq. At least 90 anti-Indian militants and 34 Bhutan Army personnel were killed and about 160 people, including 100 militants, injured in a virtual war between the troops of the Royal Government of Bhutan and rebels in southern Bhutan since yesterday, according to senior officials.
bq. The Central Headquarters(CHO) of the ULFA had been completely demolished by the Bhutan Army jawans, they said, adding some massive encounters occurred at Kalikhola, Tintala and Bukka among other places in that country.
Thanks Bhutan. You are the best neighbor that India has.
Antony & Saddam
Kerala’s Chief Minister AK Antony, Cong (I) has urged the Prime Minister of India to tell United States to provide “humane treatment” to Saddam Hussein
“Saddam was the head of a state and his case should be taken up as per existing international norms,” Antony said in a letter faxed to Vajpayee.
When Saddam was inhumanely killing his own citizens Antony did not bother to fax letters to Saddam Hussein.
Alexander's Death
In 326 BC, Alexander of Macedonia was in Punjab. He wanted to continue and conquer the rest of India. But his men revolted and wanted to go back. Alexander decided to travel via the river Jhelum to Indus into the Arabian Sea. According to John Keay in his book “India: a History”:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802137970/jksobservat-20
bq. Ships were readied and he sailed in late 326 BC. The voyage downriver took six months. Stern opposition came from numerous riverine peoples, some of whom have been tentatively identified, and from sizeable townships which clearly included well established brahman communities. Some of these townships no doubt occupied sites beneath which the Harappan cities had already laiin, cocooned in alluvial oblivion, for 1500 years
bq. In an egagement with the “Malloi” Alexander himself was seriously wounded. An arrow stuck him in the chest and may have punctured his lung
But Alexander survived this attack. But two years later, he died in Babylon. Now some experts think that he is a victim of “West Nile Virus”:http://www.sunspot.net/news/health/bal-te.md.alexander13dec13,0,263502.story?coll=bal-health-headlines
bq. According to Marr’s article, Alexander’s counselors told him to enter Babylon from the east. That required him to pass through a swamp – where mosquitoes might breed. The insects carry West Nile virus, which they pass to birds – especially crows – and to humans, spreading the disease.
bq. As Alexander reached the walls of Babylon, Greek biographer Plutarch wrote two centuries later, “he saw a large number of ravens flying about and pecking one another, and some of them fell dead in front of him.”
bq. At a banquet in Babylon, the conqueror drank 11 pints of wine, then grabbed his chest, stricken. In the ensuing days he suffered chills, constant fever and horrible abdominal pain. Many diseases exhibit those symptoms, but one unique factor existed: a strange paralysis that began in Alexander’s feet and slowly moved up the body.
India, as seen from Pakistan
“Rajiv Malhotra”:http://www.sulekha.com/memberpages/profile.asp?shortcut=/rajiv_malhotra sent a link to this article from The News International, a Pakistani Newspaper, which is an article on India as seen from Pakistanis perspective. The article titled “Beyond the edge”:http://www.jang-group.com/thenews/dec2003-daily/14-12-2003/oped/o1.htm is written by Masood Hasan, a Lahore-based columnist and a well-known journalist
Here are some points
bq. Many of us associate India?s new progress with its IT revolution and it is partly true. Indian companies like Moser-Baer located in an equally unknown Noida are now the world?s third largest optical media manufacturer and the lowest-cost producer of CD-Recorders. Exports? Only Rs 1,000 crore ? Indian rupees I might add. This firm sells data-storage products to seven of the world?s top 10 CD-R producers. There is another unknown. Tandon Electronics. Its hardware exports are Rs 4,000 crore.
bq. In the recession-hit West, Indian exports are up by 19% this year and the country?s foreign exchange reserves stand at an all-time high of $82 billion. India is dishing out aid to 11 countries, pre-paying their debt and loaned IMF $300 million!! And since we think banning fashion shows is the way ahead, it might be interesting to know that Wal-Mart sources $1 billion worth of goods from India ? half its apparel, GAP about $600 million and Hilfiger $100 million.
The Pakistani author calls all this information _depressing_ from Pakistan’s point of view. In his mail Rajiv writes
bq. In any case, such articles may be safely sent to the self-alienated elitist Indian journalists, who still see any deviation from the ?caste, cows, curry? images of India as something to be suspicions about. We may now tell them that this is also Pakistan?s view, so they might start to believe it.
And here is a great quote from the article
bq. Some years ago, an Indian said to a Pakistani, “It is true we are both in the gutter. The difference is, we are looking at the stars. You are looking at the gutter.”
Two dictators
“One dictator gets caught”:http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20031214_1313.html
bq. “He was just caught like a rat,” said Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of 4th Infantry Division, which led the hunt in the area for one of the world’s most wanted men and conducted the raid that caught him. “When you’re in the bottom of a hole, you can’t fight back.”
“Another one just escapes”:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64187-2003Dec14.html
bq. Pakistan’s military President Pervez Musharraf narrowly escaped a “terrorist” attack on Sunday after a bomb tore up a section of road in the northern city of Rawalpindi a minute after his convoy passed, officials said.
bq. “The president’s motorcade passed a minute before the blast,” a military spokesman, Major General Shaukat Sultan, said. “He is safe and sound.”
*Update* via “Instapundit”:http://www.instapundit.com/archives/013020.php: :CNN reports the head of Palestinian Hamas has issued a statement expressing outrage that Saddam would encourage martrydom in others, yet personally go down without a fight. The impact of this should not be underestimated.
Hamas now knows what an Arm Chair Quaterback means.
“Saddam’s arrest discouraging among Arab world”:http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/7491356.htm
bq. “There is disappointment in nationalist circles in the way he was captured, that he didn’t commit suicide so he wouldn’t undergo an embarrassing interrogation,” Victor Nahmias, an Arab affairs expert, said on state-run Israel Radio. “Here was the symbol of heroism and here is an American non-Muslim (tugging) at his beard. It’s hard for proud Arabs to take.”
Book Review: Timeline
This is a story of time travel. An American company discovers a way to travel through a worm hole into 1357 France. They send an archelogist back in time, who leaves a message for help. This message is discovered by his students who are still digging in that area in present time.
The students use the time machine to go back to bring back the Professor. There are only a few problems in between. The day on which they land in 1357 France is one of the days of the 100 year war between England and France. On this particular day, one of the important English forts is to fall to the French. Also one of the companies employees who had travelled back in time previously is now an English soldier and knows the secret of the time travel.
So do the students get back the Professor ? What happens to the 100 years war ? Do they alter history ? What other secrets are waiting for them ? These are the issues in Michael Crichton’s novel Timeline.
This is an idea which has interested me for a long time, going back in time to a historical period. So I found the novel very interesting. It is a page turner, typical of Crichton. If you love history, and time travel, you will love this book.
Yesterday I saw the movie as well. Some scenes have been cut off (like the jousting) and some technology has been removed. The identity of the English Soldier who is a time traveler is revealed much earlier. This movie does not have a single hero, there are 4 students and the actors who portray them are terrible. No time was spent in developing the characters personality, as the script keeps jumping from incident to incident.
Between the movie and the book, I liked the book.
Malayalam Movies
It seems Malayalam film industry is in “a crisis”:http://sify.com/movies/malayalam/fullstory.php?id=13334644
bq. The shooting of Mammootty?s Vajram has stopped temporarily as it looks like the film will not make it to the theatres for Christmas. Mohanlal?s Vamanapuram Bus Service is on the verge of a breakdown are theatres are refusing to advance money to producer Anand after the colossal failure of Hariharan Pilla Happy Aanu.
bq. Dileep?s Pattanathil Sundaram is not able to get the kind of advance that his earlier films got. In Ernakulam producer ?Liberty? Basheer wanted Rs 10 lakhs as advance but theatres are offering only Rs 4 lakh!
bq. Three films of Suresh Gopi are lying in the cans with no takers for months and no distributor or exhibitor wants to touch it with a barge pole
Malayalam movies are low cost productions, with simple stories involving family and human relations. Now with the proliferation of Cable TV, all such stories are available to people as Mega Serials. So there is no incentive for people to go to a movie theatre, pay lot more money and watch sometimes pathetic movies. Many of the film stars are now migrating to the small screen and super stars have turned to Serial producers.
What is the way out ? One way would be to mount lavish productions like Tamil movies. This is something which the TV industry cannot match.