Fire

Fire

Many regard it as the earliest and one of the greatest invention of man along with the wheel. The invention of fire was the turning point in the history of human civilization. All of us use fire, in one or the other form in our lives, every single day. This usage is not restricted to merely the chemical phenomena, but has numerous other disambiguations. Let’s explore it in detail.

Chemically, fire is the rapid oxidation of a combustible substance to produce heat, light and other reaction products. A combustible substance, oxygen, a chain reaction and the required kindling temperature is what is required for a fire to start. These are collectively referred to as the fire tetrahedron. Extinguishing a fire requires the removal of any one of the above four requisites.

The Gujarat riots

The real life is not as simple as the chemical phenomena described above. In this world, a lot more other than the above four constituents of the tetrahedron are required to start a fire and even more is necessary to extinguish one. The communal fire that started in Kashmir and Punjab during the 1947 partition was fuelled by dirty political ambitions and the greed for power of some of the political brains back then. Since then, the fire has spread to other parts of this country and all attempts made to extinguish it have proved to be futile. The Godhra Train burning incident and the following riots in Gujarat were an extension of the same fire. Such violence and riots are symbolised by scenes of fire in every corner of the street as well as by sounds of gun fire. Gun fire is a synonym for death. It is an indication of war; of scenes of profusely bleeding men and women running helter-skelter for their lives and sometimes, in the process, achieving immortality, like the hundreds of martyrs of the infamous Jalliawalah Bagh massacre of 1919.

The Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate

But gun fire is not always so horrifying and deadly. A few months back, a few accurate fires from the gun of Abhinav Bindra won India her first ever individual gold medal in the Olympics while those from the gun of Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had already given India a silver about four years ago. The flame of the fire of the Olympic torch bore a testimony to the achievements of these great sons of the soil. Lighting fire like the Amar Jawan Jyoti at Delhi is a means to pay homage to our valiant soldiers who dedicate their lives to the nation fighting enemy gun fire to guard our country’s borders.

Fire created controversy in many parts of India

No Hindu marriage is complete without fire

Fire is an integral part of many of the ancient cultures, notably the Greek, Roman, Chinese and our Indian culture. It is one of the five basic elements that make up the human life and it is the fire within a person that determines his/her passion for anything and everything that s/he does in life. Fire is also linked to the sexual energy possessed by a person. The Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das starring lesbian themed 1996 movie was hence aptly named Fire by Deepa Mehta. This is also one of the possible explanations of the usage of the adjective hot for the sexually attractive ones. For Hindus, no religious custom is complete without fire. All sacrifices are made to Agni or fire as it is considered as the messenger of other gods.

Fire - the IM Client for Mac OS X

In commercial organisations, fire is used in a totally different context. No employee would ever like to face the disgrace of getting fired by his/her employer. There have been exceptional examples like the current CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs who, after getting fired from Apple, used this energy from that fire to reignite his passion for his work and get back his position and status. I wonder if Fire – the first Instant Messaging client for Mac OS X that could access IRC, Jabber, AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo! Messenger and Bonjour – had any such similar history behind its name!

I was a bit busy with my college activities for the past few days so couldn’t blog anything but now that i’m free, i’m back to business as usual and hope that every reader likes my writings and very soon this blog spreads like wildfire on the web.

The Boomerang Effect

I really love National Geographic. It has yet again given me inspiration for another blog. This one too came to my mind while watching a show in the after noon today – Hunter Hunted. The show was based in the northern part of Norway, in the Arctic region and was a murder mystery. Not the kind of murder mysteries of films and television. Here the motive and the reasons for the murders were being investigated by the investigating team while the victims and even the murderers were known to one and all! The murderers were no one else but the largest and the most vicious predatory animals of land – polar bears.

Polar Bears - the largest and the most vicious predatory animals on land

The story began when two college girls went to the outskirts of the town (please excuse me for not remembering the town’s name) in the northern part of Norway for a weekend outing. They were on a hiking trip in the region, the region which boasted of having a polar bear population of over 3,000 almost double the number of human beings in that small town. Yet there had not been any reported incident of attacks by polar bears on animals as there was enough of the polar bear’s favourite food, seal in the waters of the area. But that fateful evening, when the girls were taking the photographs of a lovely reindeer, a polar bear, out of nowhere, attacked them. The girls had nothing to defend themselves with and one of them was killed by the beast while the other managed to escape with minor injuries.

The memories of this incident were still fresh in the minds of the locals when a scientist, who had come for some research in the area, was too killed by another polar bear. This was when his friend had even fired three or four gun shots on the bear for self defence, but all in vain. Both the bears were later shot dead by the local officials and their bodies were brought to the scientific lab for tests. Both were young males, in the prime of their health and there was no proof that they were not getting their staple food, that is seals. So it became a mystery for all that why were these bears attacking humans so frequently now, unlike their normal behaviour towards us.

It was only when another polar bear attacked the dog of a group of scientists, studying the seismic activity of that area, did the investigating team managed to get some clue. The equipment used to test the seismic activity of the area sent powerful sound signals to the lower layers of rocks. Having the kind of extremely sensitive ears, that the polar bears have, this sound, which otherwise had no effect on human ears, was very disturbing for these animals. Not only this, the sound caused by the oil refineries and the airplanes flying above the area were also contributing to disturbing and irritating these lovely animals. It was proved that it was human intervention which was disturbing the ecology of the region and thus causing a change in polar bears’ habits. But as these sounds were there in the region for many years now, it was not a conclusive evidence for the sudden hostility of polar bears towards human beings.

The conclusive evidence was even more disturbing. It was given by the scientists who were studying the dead bodies of the two polar bears killed by the local authorities. They found alarmingly high hormonal imbalance in these animals. The testosterone levels in these animals was too high and this was causing these young males to become more and more adventurous, daring and hostile. This hormonal imbalance was caused by no one else but we humans. The industrial wastes and other chemicals which were constantly being dumped in the ocean were affecting the fish and other aquatic life. These chemicals and other toxic contaminants were in turn transferred to the seals who ate those fishes and from the seals to the pregnant mother polar bears whose primary food was those seals. The li’l bears born from such mothers developed hormonal imbalance from their birth and this resulted in their hostile behaviour. On further research, the scientists found that the hormonal imbalance was also seen in female polar bears who, to their surprise, developed male sexual organs and characteristics! This is indeed, not a good sign for the reproductive cycle of the polar bears of the region.

Can we ever end pollution?

Thus, the murder mystery is ultimately solved but with shocking and disappointing results. The chemicals released by the industries are slowly killing one entire species of nature’s wonderful creation. Hormonal imbalance does not only affect a particular animals but is inherited by the coming generations too and such a scenario is definitely not good, neither for them, nor for us. Nature does take revenge and in this case, it was through the killing of a innocent girl and a laborious scientist by the polar bear. This is what i call the boomerang effect!

Isn’t it time that we seriously do something to end pollution; before it ends us?

Cricket – India’s National Game?

The shaky performances of India's Hockey Team have made people skeptical about Hockey's national game status

India’s former test captain, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, or Nawab Pataudi, as we better know him, has once again given fire to the debate – ‘Should cricket be made the national game of India, taking the status away from hockey?’ In a recent comment, he suggested his opinion which was immediately ridiculed by many former hockey Olympians.

There is no doubting Indian cricket team’s current success in the field. They not only established their supremacy in the new Twenty-20 version of the game by winning the world cup but by defeating the Australians and then the English team at home in the original form of the game, they proved their mettle in tests as well. The current team is anointed with legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, consistent openers like Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, a match winner in Yuvraj Singh, a wonderful strike bowling pair of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, a classic off-spinner in Harbhajan Singh and above all, an able and efficient wicket keeper-batsman-leader in Mahendra Singh Dhoni. When combined as a unit, they make arguably one of the best teams India has ever had in the game of cricket.

The present Indian cricket team is arguably the best ever

Let me now analyse what the national game of a country means. National game of a country is the game which is considered the intrinsic part of the culture of that country. We all know, cricket in India is not merely a sport, it is a religion. We all remember what we were doing when Sreesanth took that catch of Misbah-ul-Haq to win the Twenty-20 world cup for India just like we remember what we were doing when we got the shocking news of the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Cricket unites us all. It’s a common scene on the streets seeing people asking from scores from otherwise unknown shopkeepers who enjoy the ‘luxury’ watching the live match even at their workplace! Every cricket lover in India is a cricket ‘expert’ having his/her views on every match, every ball and every decision taken either by the captain, or the team management or even the BCCI.

Major Dhyanchand's birthday on August 29 is celebrated as National Sports Day every year

But does all this make cricket eligible to be the national game of India and take this status from hockey? My opinion is no. Most of us (at least me!) were not even born at the time when Indian hockey team was nothing short of invincible and the entire country remained glued to their radio sets listening to the detail of every pass, every move being made on the field by the incomparable commentators like Jasdev Singh and Anupam Gulati. The superhuman abilities of Major Dhyanchand with the hockey stick forced Hitler to offer him a commission in the German army, which he gracefully rejected. No other Indian sportsman has ever made such an impact. If there was electronic and web media coverage at that time as it is today, the former hockey Olympians, who won eight gold medals for India at the Olympics would have enjoyed the same superstar status as our current cricketers and not lead the kind of lives that many of them are leading now. The Indian government and sports authorities have not done enough to recognise their contribution to Indian sports.

Their most prized possession is their gold medals and the respect which all the Indian sports fans have for them. Taking away the status of national game from hockey, the sport to which they have devoted their lives, would be the most unfair thing to do to them as well to the numerous sports fans of the country. There may be a time after, say 20 years, when Indian football team, or maybe Indian tennis stars come out as world beaters. We all would love such a thing to happen but would it mean that we again change our national game to football or tennis? Surely, no! So why do it to cricket today?

To be frank and true, the being the national game, or for that matter the national animal, national flower, etc., etc., serves only one purpose – securing one mark to the primary standard students in their General Knowledge examination. So why hurt the feelings of those many legends of hockey for just that one mark?

The Final Destination

I have no intentions to write about the famous Hollywood movie out here. I have made this point clear in the very beginning so that if you are a movie fan and have stumbled on to this piece of writing searching for some film reviews, you may navigate away from this page lest you curse me at the end of the write-up!

Ok, so the final destination which i want to discuss here is not only the final destination but also the common destination for all of us – DEATH. It is the ultimate truth, a mystery which no man or woman has ever escaped, yet it is a mystery. I call it a mystery because of one simple reason. No one of us knows what happens after death. This uncertainty about death is what makes everyone of us so scared of it. No one wants to die, even those who want to go to the heaven, do not want to die for it! But the point is, can we ever get to know what happens after death? There have been many cases of Near Death Experiences (http://www.near-death.com, http://www.nderf.org) recorded in the past but none of them gives a clear picture to us what actually happens to a person after death. There is one thing of which we all are sure, the body of the person is immaterial and it stays back on earth. But is there something called the soul which goes back to somewhere called the heaven (or hell) and is reborn in a new body? Or, as per Hindu mythology, it takes birth in an altogether new yoni, that is, in an entirely new species?

Whatever be the truth about death, about which research is going on at various parts of the world (see the links above), we all know that this final destination is also the most unpredictable one. This unpredictability about death is ironically the best part of it. It gives us reason to always strive for higher goals in life. A famous saying, Live every day as if it was your last, is nothing else but the optimism and positive approach towards death. So celebrate life every day before you reach the final destination – the eternal truth.

Suggested links: Video and text of Steve Job’s Commencement Address at Stanford in 2005 in the third part of which he discusses about death..

The secret lies behind those stumps

December 30, 2008 was a very special day for the world of cricket. The South African team defeated the Aussies at Melbourne thus gaining an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. The South African victory at the kangaroos’ own backyard after the Indian men in blue sent them back reeling is a landmark in the cricketing world as it ends years of Australian domination in the gentleman’s game.

Is the retirement of Gilchrist the main cause of Australian cricket's decline

The cricket pundits have attributed the downfall of Australian cricket to many factors. The most prominent of those is the retirement of many of the senior cricketers like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist. Let me analyse the situation and present my view point on the same.

One major factor governing the success of any team in cricket, in its original form that is test cricket, is a strong and able leadership. Before i proceed any further, let me clear the phrase ‘original form’ which i have used above. Test cricket is the oldest and definitely the original form of cricket. I say this because cricket was never meant to be a 20 or 50 overs batsmen’s comedy in which the team which scores more runs is the winner. Original cricket is a game of skill, temperament, and most importantly strategy. Limited overs version of the game surely involves skill but there is minimal strategic involvement when compared with test cricket.

Many regard Clive Lloyd as the greatest captain ever

Test cricket is like the dense jungles of Africa viewed from the top. The quiet and peaceful top view is actually an abstracted view of the actual intense struggle for survival going on in the wild. Same is true for test cricket where only the true lovers of the game and the players get to see the real picture and this is where the role of a quality leadership comes into play. The think tank of the team has to devise strategies on every day of the game to ensure the team’s success. The most important part of the team’s think tank is the captain of the team. We have seen captains who, by their able leadership, have contributed to the success of their teams. Ian Chappell, Richie Benaud, Allan Border, Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Arjuna Ranatunga, Steve Waugh and Sourav Ganguly are just to name a few.

Steve Waugh with the Ashes

In the recent past, the Australian success has been marked by able and efficient captains like Allan Border, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh. After the retirement of Waugh, Ricky Ponting took over and the Aussies continued their world domination. In the post-Waugh Australian success, Ponting was very ably supported by their wicket keeper cum vice captain Adam Gilchrist. Since the day Ponting took over the captaincy, his brat image and the task of leading the Australian team never seemed to go hand in hand to me. There is no point doubting the credibility of Ponting as a batsman. In fact, he is arguably the best Australian batsman after Sir Don but when it comes to captaincy, i have always had my doubts. But the

Ponting's credibility as a captain is under the scanner

support which Gilchrist provided him along with the might of some magnificent cricketers, this fact always remained concealed. But the retirement of Gilchrist has exposed this vulnerability of Ponting’s captaincy.

But this is not where my discussion ends. Although legends like McGrath and Warne too retired around the same time as Gilchrist but i specifically point out to Gilchrist as he held the wicket keeping gloves for many years and i consider the wicket keeper of the team to be the best reader of the game. The wicket keeper is the only person on the field who has to concentrate on each and every delivery bowled and this puts him in a position to understand the game more than anyone else. In fact, in my opinion, an able and experienced wicket keeper is always the best choice for the captaincy of a team provided he can hold his nerves to handle the enormous pressure of wicket keeping and captaincy together. This is exactly the blend what the Indian team has got in form of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his captaincy is one of the chief contributing

Dhoni has been instrumental in India's recent success

factors towards the Indian team’s recent success whether it be the series against Australia or the recently concluded England series. Who can forget the contribution of Andy Flower to Zimbabwean cricket or Alec Stewart to the English team? Mark Boucher’s experience and

Andy Flower is the greatest ever Zimbabwean cricketer

contribution to the Proteas’ success is yet another example of this point. And if not the captain, the wicket keeper being the vice captain, or even an important contributing member of the team’s think tank is yet another asset to any team. In an December, 2000 interview with cricinfo.com, Kiran More, India’s ex-wicket keeper and ex-chairman of the BCCI’s selection committee, supports this point.

The importance of the job of the wicket keeper in the game is second to none and with limited overs version of the game making cricket more batsman oriented, a good wicket keeper who carries with him the qualities of a good batsman and an efficient leader will definitely be any team’s most prized possession.

Note: This is just an observation and view point of an avid cricket follower and cricket lover. Comments and suggestions are invited from every reader.