The Miracle of Human Creation

 The Miracle of Human Creation.
We have spend a lot of time chasing fame and material wealth. Maybe we need sometime thinking about our existence and the reason of our Being here on this Earth. Take time to watch this video. We ourselves is an work of Art. God's Work of Art. The marvelous Design as one is UNIQUE and can never be a Copy nor Duplicated. That single cell which had the same structure as all the cells in your body now, came from the union of your mother's egg cell and your father's sperm cell and contains the dna and genes from many generations before them.. our Ancestors.
Give thanks for our Existence.

 From
 Facebook page of Anthony Kong

कुछ सपनों को जो पंख दिए

कुछ सपनों को जो पंख दिए,

वो खुले आसमान में उड़ने लगे,
बादलों की छांव मिले,
तो कभी तारों की महफिल सजी।
नरम-नरम हवा के पालनों में पलने लगे,
कोरे-कोरे ये सपने रंगों से खेलने लगे,
सुनहरी धूप की धागों से एक नया जहाँ बुनते हुए,
बिखरे-बिखरे यह सपने अपने-आप में ही सिमटने लगे।
लम्बी-लम्बी राहों पर नन्हें-नन्हें कुछ कदम,
मासूम यह सपने मंज़िल की तलाश में चल पड़े.
दीपक की लौ में सूरज की रोशनी नहीं मिली,
तो थककर यह सपने उसी लौ में जलने लगे।
वक्त आगे निकल गया, सपने पीछे छूट गए,
कुछ ठहर गए, कुछ टूट गए, कुछ खुद पर ही हंसने लगे,
ज़िन्दगी के दांव में, खुद ज़िन्दगी को हार के,
अब इन अधूरे सपनो के सौदे होने लगे।
चलते-चलते खो गये, अपनी ही धड़कन से दूर हो गए,
पीछे मुड़े तो दिखा कहानी बनके बिकता अपना ही चहरा,
फिर भी रुका नहीं सांसों और धड़कनों का यह सुस्त कारवां
क्यूंकि टिमटिमा रहा था अभी भी एक सपना सितारा बन के।................

From fb status:Vinay Darji

The Essence Of Science Explained In 63 Seconds

Here it is, in a nutshell: The logic of science boiled down to one, essential idea. It comes from Richard Feynman, one of the great scientists of the 20th century, who wrote it on the blackboard during a class at Cornell in 1964.

Think about what he's saying. Science is our way of describing — as best we can — how the world works. The world, it is presumed, works perfectly well without us. Our thinking about it makes no important difference. It is out there, being the world. We are locked in, busy in our minds. And when our minds make a guess about what's happening out there, if we put our guess to the test, and we don't get the results we expect, as Feynman says, there can be only one conclusion: we're wrong.
The world knows. Our minds guess. In any contest between the two, The World Out There wins. It doesn't matter, Feynman tells the class, "how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is, if it disagrees with the experiment, it is wrong."
  This view is based on an almost sacred belief that the ways of the world are unshakeable, ordered by laws that have no moods, no variance, that what's "Out There" has no mind. And that we, creatures of imagination, colored by our ability to tell stories, to predict, to empathize, to remember — that we are a separate domain, creatures different from the order around us. We live, full of mind, in a mindless place. The world, says the great poet Wislawa Szymborska, is "inhuman." It doesn't work on hope, or beauty or dreams. It just...is.

View with a Grain of Sand

We call it a grain of sand,
but it calls itself neither grain nor sand.
It does just fine without a name,
whether general, particular,
permanent, passing,
incorrect or apt.
Our glance, our touch mean nothing to it.
It doesn't feel itself seen and touched.
and that it fell on the windowsill
is only our experience, not its.
For it, it is no different from falling on anything else
with no assurance that it has finished falling
or that it is falling still.
The window has a wonderful view of a lake,
but the view doesn't view itself.
It exists in this world,
colorless, shapeless,
soundless, odorless, and painless.
The lake's floor exists floorlessly,
And its shore exists shorelssly.
Its water feels itself neither wet nor dry
and its waves to themselves are neither singular nor plural.
They splash deaf to their own noise
on pebbles neither large nor small.
And all this beneath a sky by nature skyless
in which the sun sets without setting at all
and hides without hiding behind an unminding cloud.
The wind ruffles it, its only reason being
that it blows
A second passes.
A second second.
A third.
But they're three seconds only for us.
Time has passed like a courier with urgent news
but that's just our simile.
The character is invented, his haste is make-believe
his news inhuman.

---

Thanks to Maria Popova and her blog "Brainpickings" for noticing the Feynman moment.


Source: obert Krulwich www.pnr.org

રોજ કંઈક નવું શીખવી જાય છે જિંદગી..

રોજ કંઈક નવું શીખવી જાય છે જિંદગી,
કેટલાં અધૂરાં આપણે સમજાવી જાય છે જિંદગી.

શક્ય-અશક્યની સંભાવનામાં રમાડી જાય છે,
હથેળીમાં રોજ ચાંદ રોજ બતાવી જાય છે જિંદગી.

ગણત્રીપૂર્વકનાં સંબંધોની શતરંજ સમી બાજીમાં,
કાળી ધોળી ચાલે આંટીઘૂંટીઓ શીખવી જાય છે જિંદગી.

સમયનાં ત્રાજવે નફરત અને પ્રેમનાં લેખાં જોખાં કરતી,
દોસ્તો અને દુશ્મનોનાં હિસાબો આપતી જાય છે જિંદગી.

આમ જ એક દિવસ અખબારમાં મરણ ઘટનાં બની છપાય,
ત્યારે સમજાય છે કે પસ્તીમાં જ તો વેડફાય છે જિંદગી.

- સ્નેહા પટેલ “અક્ષિતારક”

मंजिल

शायद ज़िन्दगी बदल रही है!!
जब मैं छोटा था, शायद दुनिया बहुत बड़ी हुआ करती थी..

मुझे याद है मेरे घर से "स्कूल" तक का वो रास्ता, क्या क्या नहीं था
वहां, चाट के ठेले, जलेबी की दुकान, बर्फ के गोले, सब कुछ,

अब वहां "मोबाइल शॉप", "विडियो पार्लर" हैं, फिर भी सब सूना है..

शायद अब दुनिया सिमट रही है...


जब मैं छोटा था, शायद शामे बहुत लम्बी हुआ करती थी.

मैं हाथ में पतंग की डोर पकडे, घंटो उडा करता था, वो लम्बी "साइकिल रेस",
वो बचपन के खेल, वो हर शाम थक के चूर हो जाना,

अब शाम नहीं होती, दिन ढलता है और सीधे रात हो जाती है.

शायद वक्त सिमट रहा है..



जब मैं छोटा था, शायद दोस्ती बहुत गहरी हुआ करती थी,

दिन भर वो हुज़ोम बनाकर खेलना, वो दोस्तों के घर का खाना, वो लड़कियों की
बातें, वो साथ रोना, अब भी मेरे कई दोस्त हैं,

पर दोस्ती जाने कहाँ है, जब भी "ट्रेफिक सिग्नल" पे मिलते हैं "हाई" करते
हैं, और अपने अपने रास्ते चल देते हैं,

होली, दिवाली, जन्मदिन , नए साल पर बस SMS आ जाते हैं

शायद अब रिश्ते बदल रहें हैं..


जब मैं छोटा था, तब खेल भी अजीब हुआ करते थे,

छुपन छुपाई, लंगडी टांग, पोषम पा, कट थे केक, टिप्पी टीपी टाप.

अब इन्टरनेट, ऑफिस, हिल्म्स, से फुर्सत ही नहीं मिलती..

शायद ज़िन्दगी बदल रही है.
.
.
.

जिंदगी का सबसे बड़ा सच यही है.. जो अक्सर कबरिस्तान के बाहर बोर्ड पर
लिखा होता है.

"मंजिल तो यही थी, बस जिंदगी गुज़र गयी मेरी यहाँ आते आते "

The Gujarat Chief Minister talks...

Narendra Modi may be the champion of globalisation, but he wishes to salvage traditions and customs of the Indian social set up. The Gujarat Chief Minister talks to DP Sharan. Excerpts...

What’s the secret behind the remarkable development of Gujarat under your leadership? I have a strong conviction that man, machine and money should always be in motion. So, I swung my men into action, I kept on developing the mechanism and I kept the money rolling.

What mechanism did you develop to turn your conviction into reality?

First of all, I tried to understand views of functionaries working under me to bring about overall development of the State. I started sitting with a group of 300 officials and confidants everyday after office hours. I shared with them basic issues of development. This practice continued for about one-and-a-half-months.

Why did you stop the practice?

No, I did not stop it. Now, I sit with them once a year holding a chintan shivir for three days.

What is a chintan shivir?

In chintan shivir, officials — irrespective of their hierarchy — are allowed to deliver lectures even to their superiors on the subject of their choice. Junior officials can ask questions from their superiors. In order to create a sense of equality and transparency among the participants, during the recess period, everyone is expected to have their meals together and are allowed to share food even from the plate of the Chief Minister. It’s this relationship between seniors and juniors that helps create a strong and united team for the development of the State.

Moreover, I have launched a 72-hour training programme called ‘Karmyogi’ with the avowed objective to bring smile on the face of my subordinates when they return home after office hours. About three lakh people have been trained so far.

We have heard that you generate resources for girls’ education in particular from your own kitty.

Yes, I generate resources for girls’ education. So far I have raised a fund of about Rs 20 crore on my own for their education under the Kanya Kelavani programme.

I often receive valuable gifts from different organisations and persons on certain occasions. In order to ensure their proper utilisation, I auction the gift items. The money received against the auction is then donated for girls’ education under the Kanya Kelavani programme. This provides a lot of satisfaction to me.

You have made optimum utilisation of Information Technology (IT) for perfecting and monitoring emergency medical services, traffic movements, or even on-line collection of municipal taxes. But you never mustered the support of key IT players to set up their units in the State. Why?

I believe IT can play a great role in governance. Yes, the Government is now contemplating proposals of key IT companies for setting up their units in the State.

Your academic pursuits also include opening up an Animal University after setting up a Petroleum University. What is the rationale behind such projects?

Democracy, in my opinion, cannot be run on whims. Institutional mechanism must be developed for that. Even the most powerful countries of the world have achieved a height with the help of institutional mechanism. As such, when there was much hue and cry for energy, I preferred to resolve the crisis with developing an institution that could delve into the genesis of the crisis. Consequently, I opened up a Petroleum University to conduct studies and research for salvaging the source of energy.

Likewise, with the help of the Animal University, we will be able to know more about the animal lives. We have eradicated 109 animal diseases so far and it is surprising to know that cataracts among animals are being operated upon in Gujarat.

What is the sequel to the Petroleum and Animal Universities?

One Raksha University is in the pipeline. But I have also proposed to start a Child University. It will help revive the value of the traditional institution of the family. It is unfortunate that today parents are being sent to old-age homes, husbands and wives remain busy with their professions and children are growing up with servants and maids. As per a report, when children are told to pick up toys in the market, most of them choose guns, swords, tanks or any non-conventional toys. The proposed university will teach both parents and children on how to improve their lifestyle and provide the required logistics that will be based on findings of a detailed study and research.

Apart from other sectors, are you satisfied with your achievement in the field of health services?

Without going into much detail, I must confess I have realised the dream of Mahatma Gandhi in the medical field and that is my biggest achievement.

Gandhi was once dubbed as an arrogant person when he refused to inaugurate a specialised medical institution for leprosy treatment. He told the organisers that he would certainly accept the invitation when they would come with a request to lock-out the hospital. I did that in 2007. I put a lock on a leprosy hospital as the disease had been eradicated completely from the State.

What are your future plans?

I want to pay back to my motherland by contributing something great in my lifetime. I want to see my land standing with the global leaders and that is why I have proposed to develop a global economic hub of activity over an area of about 1,500 sq km under the Special Investment Regions project with a world-class infrastructure.

Why Modi magic continues

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi completes 10 years in office this year. DP Sharan visits the State to find out the reasons that have made him a near invincible player in Gujarat politics



Narendra Modi will complete a decade as Gujarat Chief Minister this November. Indeed, it has been a successful, yet arduous, journey for him. And, he remains as much a divisive figure as a unifier. Modi, the politician, continues to arouse contrasting emotions — some find a new-age 'fascist' in him, while others regard him as a modern-day Sardar Patel. Politically, this perceptional divide has widened over the years. For instance, he remains a pariah who is denied entry into certain places — from Bihar in the east to the United States in the west.

On the economic front, however, the perception is starkly opposite. The biennial Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, which the State has been hosting for the past 10 years to promote itself as the world's favoured investment destination, has turned into a Modi admiration club, with captains of the Indian industry singing paeans to him. Ratan Tata tells us eloquently how the Chief Minister delivered on his 'promise' on Nano within three days. Anil Ambani regards him as a catalyst for change. "Gujarat is to India what India is to the world," he thunders. His elder brother, Mukesh Ambani, goes a step further when he says that only Modi can banish poverty from Gujarat and deliver India itself.

The Gujarat experiment

Although the debate over Modi, the politician, continues, everyone across the political divide agrees that economically, the State of Gujarat has done incredibly well in the past 10 years. How could Modi perform such an economic miracle?

When Modi became Chief Minister, a dominant section of the pseudo-secular brigade got hyperactive, accusing him of conducting a Hindutva experiment in Gujarat. Yes, of course, Modi was busy with an experiment, but not against Muslims. It was on how to run a State. The Modi Government's immediate focus was on improving the State's infrastructure. Indeed, investment in power has paid off. So much so that Gujarat is a power-surplus State today. It is also blessed with the country's best port, Kandla, a fact put to good economic use by the State Government.

Overall, what has really made a difference is Modi's single-minded devotion to develop a favourable industrial milieu in the State. One needs to look at the manner in which Gujarat has managed to work out the sticky land acquisition issue, which the other States have tried to avoid. Ratan Tata, while attending the fifth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit held earlier this year, explained why the industry's big guns love Modi. "He does not keep you hanging. When Narendrabhai told me that he would get back to me in three days about the Nano project, he did," said Tata.

Modi has systematically removed institutional obstacles in the path of Gujarat's industrialisation. As a Delhi-based economic expert says, "Modi has simplified the process of both investment and industrialisation in the State. Once an industrial house sends a proposal, it is likely to be ready for implementation within three months. In other States, it takes a long time and a lot of vested interests get involved in the process. In Gujarat, it's all about Modi."

People power at work

A visit to Gujarat can be baffling. It's baffling because it challenges one's preconceived notion: That Gujarat behaves in a supremely partial manner on the majority-minority issue. In Ahmedabad, the discourse is altogether different, with the debating point being development-centric rather than communal. Here, the leadership aims to protect the interests of every individual, transcending the boundaries of caste, creed and religion. A reason why a Vastanavi can talk favourably about the Modi regime, even as the ulema of Uttar Pradesh continue to remain obsessed with a violence that rocked Gujarat a decade ago!

So, what's the reason behind Modi's success? There are three initiatives that appear to have helped the Chief Minister realise his dreams: One, to hold a three-day chintan shivir of political masters and bureaucrats once a year; two, to organise a swagat programme to address public grievances by instituting an on-line discussion with officials concerned through video-conferencing; and three, to ensure people's participation in the development of the State by making draft policies of the Government public much ahead of their enactment.

While the first two steps are seen as usual courses of action by the Government to bridge the gap between politicians and bureaucrats on development issues and make them aware of their collective responsibilities towards the State, it's the third step that makes the Modi Government truly distinct from other regimes. After all, the third step is in conflict with the otherwise familiar practice of governance that advocates utmost secrecy in formulating a state policy. In fact, in other States, officials concerned have to bear the wrath of their political masters in the event of any leakage of details of proposed policies before they are enacted.

"Before the enactment of a policy I display details of the draft on government websites. If the draft policy is opposed by a section of people, they show their reaction accordingly. But there can be another section of people that may support the proposed policy. As such, we elicit views of both sides before enacting the policy to ensure people's participation in the formulation of the policy," says the Chief Minister.

A Responsive Government

The Modi magic continues because the State has become more responsive to the people's needs. Take for instance the 108 service, which has brought the emergency healthcare assistance at people's doorsteps. In the event of an accident, when dialled, it sounds an alarm at the control room of Emergency Response Service and a rescue team reaches the accident site within half-an-hour. The scheme, partially funded by the Union Government, has saved more than a lakh lives in the State so far.

Modi narrates a the story of a pregnant woman who delivered her baby in the toilet of a moving train, only for the new-born to slip out through the toilet hole. When she raised an alarm, a co-passenger dialled 108. Subsequently, the rescue team reached the spot and recovered an unhurt baby lying along the railway track. "The child is still alive and the obliged parents salute the 108 service," says the Chief Minister.

The 108 service, launched in partnership with the Emergency Management and Research Institute, is one of the best examples of public-private partnership in the State. Official figures show that even during the 2002 post-Godhra violence and serial bomb blasts in Gujarat, the 108 service proved to be a major support system in handling the situation.

Learning from others

What makes Gujarat a force to reckon with is its willingness to learn from the mistakes of others. When the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system failed in Delhi, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation studied the reasons behind it. Vishal Khanama, Assistant Commissioner, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, says, "Before introducing the BRT system in Ahmedabad, the State Government sent a team of officials to Delhi to study the reasons behind the failure. Subsequently, the flaws responsible for the failure of the BRT in Delhi were rectified. And, a substantially broad lane — in the middle of the road — has been earmarked for plying the BRT buses in order to avoid any disruption in movement of the general traffic."

AK Sharma, Secretary to the Chief Minister, too, emphasises the need to keep a close vigil on what others are doing. "Gujarat will reap a great benefit from the Industrial Corridors and Dedicated Freight Corridor between Delhi and Mumbai. After all, a major portion of these corridors passes through Gujarat. This spin-off benefit will help the State develop a global economic hub over an area of about 1,500 sq km under the Special Investment Regions project," Sharma says.

Nothing goes waste here

Another Gujarati asset is the ability not to let anything go waste. About 2,600 metric tonnes of garbage are collected everyday from different localities of Ahmedabad. The Government has signed an accord with different power and fertiliser companies for their sale. In order to ward off the threat of soil destruction due to dumping of waste, a landfill site has been developed over a huge area of 648 acres of land on the outskirts of the city. To begin with, a disposal cell has been created over 32.83 acres of land at the landfill site. Once the area is filled up with solid waste, there is a plan to convert it into a golf course or an amusement park.

After achieving 10 per cent growth rate in the agriculture sector — as against the 4 per cent national growth — the State is now eyeing a 15 per cent growth. Also, the multiple-phase power supply system has been designed to ensure the development of small-scale industries in rural areas. The Government is equally serious about water woes. To counter the water crisis in the State, steps have been initiated to interlink rivers and lakes under the Sujlam-Suphlam project.

So, next time you criticise Modi, board the next bus to Gujarat. You will get an instant answer. And, you will realise how little you know about the fastest-growing State in the country.

Delivering the Speech of Your Life

In 10th grade I joined the debate team. The 1976-77 National Forensic League debate topic, used by high schools everywhere, was "Resolved: That a comprehensive program of penal reform should be adopted throughout the United States." Just reading it again makes me nauseous with remembered dread. You had to get up in front of a judge and present a response to the other team's proposal — which you'd just listened to for the first time — for eight solid minutes. You had five minutes to prepare, 480 painful seconds to respond.

I still remember the cream-colored three-piece suit my mom purchased for me at Filene's basement, and the feeling that I was going to throw up each time Freeman Frank — our debate coach — pulled up on a Saturday morning with the van he'd rented to haul us to the far corners of New England to make those eight-minute speeches.

I did this for three years. And over time, a transformation occured.

The transformation was in focus and intention. At first, my focus was all on me: "I'm going to screw this up so bad." "I have nothing intelligent to say, and this guy will see through me in about three seconds." "I'm Italian. I'm dumb. I can't compete with these smart people."

But over time I decided I wanted to win. And to win I was going to have to convince the judge — to move him or her somehow. And then it became fun. Because it was no longer about me. It was about my audience: getting listeners from here to there — changing their mind — actually having them leave the room thinking differently than when they entered. And that's powerful.

It's been a blast ever since.

Here's some of what I've learned in my years of public speaking. If you have to knock it out of the park, follow these basic rules:

1. Know your goal. When the speech is over, what do you want the audience saying about it and you? What difference do you want to make? Most speakers never ask this of themselves.
2. Memorize your speech. That's right. Memorize every word of it. Deliver it in front of a mirror five times, six times, ten times. Then deliver it while your kid is screaming in the background, to develop the confidence that you can recite it no matter what distraction pops up. Why memorize it? Because nothing will put an audience to sleep faster than someone reading from a prepared text. Because when you memorize it, it stops being about getting the words right and starts being about getting the feeling right. Imagine if Andrea Bocelli didn't memorize the words to the songs in his repertoire. How much room do you think there would be for him to feel them?
3. If you don't want to knock it out of the park, don't follow rule 2.
4. Practice the transitions. What will get you from one point to the next? Is it "if," or "when," or "then I." Know and memorize the precise construction of each transitional sentence. It's in uncertainty about transitions from one point to the next that people lose their grace in public and start saying "aaahhhh."
5. Don't fear silence. You want to silence a room? Don't talk. Be silent and look at the audience. Five seconds. Seven seconds. Just taking them in. Connecting with them. But never do it for effect. Do it to get intimate with your audience. It silences a room like you wouldn't believe. Why? Because it's not normal. Audiences are used to speakers filling every nanosecond with the sound of their own voice, leaving zero time for reflection. Audiences are used to being avoided, not appreciated. When they come upon someone who can command their own silence, they understand, "This person is serious."
6. Never, ever, ever use PowerPoint as your speech notes. The slides are for your audience, not for you. The moment they see you rattling through a list of bullets that you should have had the courtesy to memorize, they put you in a category with every other boring presenter they've ever seen and you've lost them.
7. Give something of yourself. Don't be afraid to feel something in front of an audience. Don't be afraid to say something that will make you feel something, and that will make the audience feel something.
8. Be yourself. Don't feel you need to mimic the testosterone level of a motivational speaker. You will look and feel fake. Robert Kennedy never tried to copy Martin Luther King's rhetorical skills. RFK was soft-spoken. He owned that. And as a result, was every bit as affecting as King.
9. Don't speak in abstractions. Say what it is that you mean. Plainly. Avoid the lexicon of your own trade. People are sick of it. It doesn't mean anything to them anymore. Speak in human.
10. Feel what's happening in the room and use it to connect your speech to this moment. In this way, if your mike goes out, you can make a joke out of it, rather than it making a nervous wreck, and a joke, out of you.
11. Make eye contact until it scares you. Distribute your eye contact around the room. Not for effect, but because you genuinely want to connect with the people in front of you.
12. Don't miss your own talk. It is a privilege and an honor to be asked to speak. Take the opportunity to commune with other human beings. It's like getting to watch a falling star.
13. Come from a place of love for your audience. That's mastery. When you allow yourself to feel the humanity of your audience, you have succeeded in taking the focus off yourself. There is a universe of difference between this place and a PowerPoint presentation. This is the place from which change is made. From here you can move mountains.
-Dan Pallotta
(Harvard Business Review)

Dwarka - The legenedary city of India

A RARE FACT ABOUT INDIAN COINS

Interesting stuff...



Indian coins are mainly produced in 4 cities: 1. Delhi 2. Mumbai 3.
Hyderabad 4. Kolkata The production in city puts an identification
mark under the year of issue. Coins produced in: 1. Delhi - have a dot
beneath the year 2. Mumbai - have adiamond beneath the year 3.
Hyderabad - have a star beneath the year 4. Kolkata - Nothing beneath
the year Isn’t it amazing? Most of us don’t know this........Now put
your hand inside your pocket/ wallet/ purse and check out!!!!

You can download Re symbol for free

Stanley G Pinto | TNN

Mangalore: Your needn’t fret anymore to get the rupee symbol on your computer screen. Though the symbol may take a while to appear on the keyboard, it can now be typed as a character, thanks to a newly-created font.
Mangalore-based Foradian Technologies Pvt Ltd has made it possible for users to use the symbol by creating a font called Rupee_Foradian.
The font can be downloaded from the company’s blog — http://blog.foradian.com — for free.
Foradian Technologies CEO Unni Koroth told TOI that the government had said that it would take more than a year for the symbol to be commercially used. “In this era of technological advancement, that was something of an amusement to us. We thought of doing something about it,” he said.
The technology company created a vector image of the symbol and mapped the ‘grave accent’ symbol — the key just above the ‘Tab’ button on the keyboard — with the new rupee symbol. This keystroke was chosen because most users and programmers don’t use it.
The trial version of the font was downloaded 1,100 times within an hour. As of now, total downloads have crossed 5,000. The company then worked on the full version, which also is available on the blog for free.
A YouTube video — www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSfhzuU7C rw — shows how easy it is to use the font.
Many users of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Orkut, have started using the font, as have hundreds of bloggers. Version 2.0 of the font was released within 24 hours of the government’s announcement that the symbol had been selected.



SIMPLE SOLUTION
After downloading the font, a .ttf file, copy it to the
C:/Windows/Fonts folder on your computer
Open a file in a wordprocessor. Type the first character on the keyboard (it appears to the left of 1). Select the character, and apply the Rupee_Foradian font. Lo and behold, the rupee symbol appears!

પ્રેમનો સાગર

ધરો ધીરજ વધુ પડતો પ્રણય સારો નથી હોતો;
અતિ વરસાદ કૈ ખેડૂતને પ્યારો નથી હોતો.

તમારા ગર્વની સામે અમારી નમ્રતા કેવી?
ગગનમાં સૂર્યની સામે કદી તારો નથી હોતો.

અગન એની અમર છે મૃત્યુથી પર પ્રેમ છે ઓ દિલ,
બળીને ભસ્મ થનારો એ અંગારો નથી હોતો

હવે ચાલ્યા કરો ચાલ્યા કરો બસ, એ જ રસ્તો છે,
ત્યજાયેલા પથિકનો કોઇ સથવારો નથી હોતો

જરી સમજીવિચારી લે પછી હંકાર હોડીને,
મુહબ્બતના સમંદરને કદી આરો નથી હોતો.

ચમકતાં આંસુઓ જલતા જિગરનો સાથ મળવાનો,
ન ગભરા દિલ પ્રણયનો પંથ અંધારો નથી હોતો.

ઘણાંય એવાંય તોફાનો ઊઠે છે મનની નગરીમાં,
કે જેનો કોઇ અણસારો કે વરતારો નથી હોતો.

ફક્ત દુ:ખ એ જ છે એનું તરસ છીપી નથી શકતી,
નહીંતર પ્રેમનો સાગર કદી ખારો નથી હોતો.

- શેખાદમ આબુવાલા

Shri Narendra Modi's blog

http://www.narendramodi.com/

Raman Scanner: fingerprinting the universe

Raman Effect: fingerprinting the universe

At school, we were taught that Sir CV Raman won the 1930 Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering the “Raman effect”. But when we asked what exactly the Raman Effect was, our science teacher fobbed us off, saying “it’s very complicated.” Clearly, even he didn’t know. Cynical students wondered why a complicated discovery without any obvious use had won the Nobel Prize. But today, Raman’s discovery has finally become a breakthrough technology. Hand-held scanners called Raman scanners, weighing just one-third of a kilo, are being used by US narcotics squads and airports to detect drugs. Security experts think that Raman scanners may be the best devices to detect explosives carried by terrorists. Safety inspectors are using Raman scanners to detect hazardous chemicals and gases. Police forces are using Raman scanners for forensic work. The scanners work by detecting the molecular structure of the object they are scanning. If you shoot a beam of light on an object, a very small part of it interacts with the atoms of the object and scatters light in a pattern or spectrum unique to that particular molecule. This is the Raman Effect. It is difficult to detect, and typically needs lasers to amplify the signal. Every molecule has a different Raman pattern. This is why Raman scanning has been called the fingerprinting of the universe: it can identify substances as surely as fingerprints can identify humans. Identifying the chemical composition of a substance typically requires chemical and physical tests that take time, maybe days. They typically require a sample to be extracted and destroyed while testing. But Raman scanning can take just 20 seconds. It does not require cutting, extracting or destroying a substance. Scanners have a laser, spectroscope and an electronic heart that can recognize Raman patterns. This yields almost instant recognition of target substances. For instance, narcotics squads in the US are using Raman scanners programmed to detect up to 100 drugs. At the scene of a crime, or during airport security checks, the scanner can tell whether a substance is heroin, crack cocaine, amphetamine, or plain chalk. Security experts can programme scanners to detect different sorts of explosives such as RDX or nitroglycerine. For decades, Raman’s discovery could not be converted into easily usable or affordable tools. In his time, equipment for lasers and spectrum separation and scanning were primitive, bulky and costly. Only in the 1980s did laser technology progress to the point where it was compact and economic. This new technology was most popularly established in the CD player: a laser could scan a disc to play music. Scientists in many fields, including space and telecom, began to research applications for the Raman Effect. Some found ways to enhance the Raman Effect by adding surface metals, making the effect easier to detect. This led ultimately to the invention of scanners that could detect trace elements of less than one part per billion. Such scanners can identify minute quantities of bacteria, chemical pollutants, or explosive elements. A recent article in The Atlantic, a US monthly, says that Raman scanners are gradually becoming big business. It cites officials at Delta Nu, a manufacturer of Raman scanners, as saying that scanners are already a $150 million business, and growing fast. The company’s scanners currently cost $15,000 each, but it hopes to cut the cost to just $5,000 in the next five to ten years. Researchers at UCLA and Intel have incorporated the Raman Effect on silicon. Because of its crystalline structure, the Raman Effect is 10,000 times stronger in silicon than glass. Researchers at JPL and Caltech have found other ways to increase laser efficiency. This has driven down size and costs. Researchers at Stanford University are experimenting with Raman scanners to diagnose cancers in various organs. River Diagnostics in Rotterdam is marketing a bacteria analyzer that hospitals can use to instantly detect deadly pathogens. One day, Raman scanners may make blood tests obsolete: a scan may suffice to tell you the content of glucose, cholesterol, uric acid and other elements in your blood. Scientists aim ultimately to create a database of Raman patterns of every substance for easy identification. This is similar to Nandan Nilekani creating a national database for fingerprints and irises to identify every Indian. Databases have already been created for narcotics, pollutants and explosives, which is why scanners have already become practical tools. Every time they are used to catch a drug smuggler or terrorist, or to detect a cancer or pollutant, we can give thanks to CV Raman. School teachers can now teach students why exactly the Raman Effect is so important: it fingerprints the universe.

-- By Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar, TOI

jatropha cultivation to follow Amul model in Gujarat

Today's concern for green energy is not unknown to anyone. Here I would like to share one such new to have Jatropha as fuel source.

Ministry of science & technology's CSMCRI, has entered into a three-way agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) and auto giant General Motors to develop jatropha as a sustainable biofuel energy crop. A complete lifecycle analysis will be conducted to evaluate the environmental impact, starting with fertiliser production, raw materials and harvesting of the jatropha fruit over the five-year period. "Objective behind the $1-million project is to demonstrate that jatropha can produce significant quantity of oil for commercial scale conversion to biodiesel," said General Motors India MD Karl Slym. As per the agreement, the new partnership will establish two farms at Bhavnagar and Kalol in Gujarat.

Amul 's 'white revolution' has changed the lives of thousands of farmers in Gujarat. Now, a Gujarat-based research institute plans to replicate the co-operative model for cultivating jatropha, which produces biofuel. Bhavnagar-based Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) is in talks with NGOs like Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) so as to use the Amul model to avail large quantity of raw material for manufacturing biofuel. This will help the country reduce its dependence on imported petroleum products. Dr Puspito Ghosh, director of CSMCRI said, "We have tasted sweet fruits of 'White Revolution.' If joint efforts are made for mass cultivation, jatropha too has the same potential. Rural co-operatives are the best solution to get quality jatropha fruits under the observation of experts. The institute has also mooted a proposal to the state's forest department formally." Jatropha is emerging as a promising choice for alternative fuel source in India. Since jatropha is cultivated on a random basis on around 0.9 million hectares of land in India, quality of oilseeds are not high. "Though Gujarat's share in total cultivation is just 2.5% at present, we want to promote jatropha cultivation on large chunks of wasteland not only to procure raw materials for biofuel but to also give employment to thousands of people," said Ghosh. Just like milk co-operatives, jatropha co-operative societies would also protect economic interest of farmers he explained, adding, "We are working on a dedicated mobile plant which would collect jatropha seeds from various farms. The plant would extract oil from seeds in front of the farmer. By end of the day, the biofuel processing refinery would have adequate raw oil and farmers would be paid in cash."The approximate cost of a mobile plant would be around Rs 30 lakh. Initially, CSMCRI would develop one unit on experimental basis. Jatropha is a drought-resistant, non-edible plant that can be grown commercially with minimal care on marginal land. Unlike corn and sugarcane, which are grown elsewhere for biofuels, jatropha is inedible; so, it will not impact the food chain negatively.

EXCELLENT THOUGHT PROCESS!!!

CEO's (of J.P Morgan) Fantastic reply to a Pretty Girl

A young and pretty lady posted this on a popular forum:

Title: What should I do to marry a rich guy?
I'm going to be honest of what I'm going to say here. I'm 25 this year. I'm very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above. You might say that I'm greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York . My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married? I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you? Among those I've dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit. If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York CityGarden(? ), $250k annual income is not enough.

I'm here humbly to ask a few questions:

1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)
2) Which age group should I target?
3) Why most wives of the riches is only average-looking? I've met a few girls who doesn't have looks & are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys
4) How do you decide who can be your wife, & who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married)

Ms. Pretty

Awesome reply:

Dear Ms. Pretty,

I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor. My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I'm not wasting time here. From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you. The answer is very simple, so let me explain. Put the details aside, what you're trying to do is an exchange of "beauty" and "money": Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square. However, there's a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can't be prettier year after year. Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It's not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worried 10 years later.

By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a "trading position". If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term - same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or "leased". Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you. I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income. This has better chance than finding a rich fool.

Hope this reply helps. If you are interested in "leasing" services, do

contact me...

signed,

CEO

J.P. Morgan

Indian Institute Of Idiots- By Chtan Bhagat @TOI

Our education system creates a society of followers rather than change-embracing leaders

Chetan Bhagat

I avoid writing columns on the Indian education system as it is not good for my health. For days, my blood continues to boil, i have insomnia and i feel like hurting someone real bad. The Indian education system is a problem that can be fixed. It affects the country’s future, impacts almost every family, everyone knows about it and it is commercially viable to fix it. Still, nothing happens because of our great Indian culture of avoiding change at all costs. And because change means sticking out your neck and that, ironically, is something we are not taught to do.
Still, with a movie coming on the education system, which came about because of a book i wrote nearly six years ago, it is important to revisit the issues. Soon, all the media will talk about is the anatomy, diet and romantic chemistry of the main actors. While that makes insightful breakfast reading, it is also important to understand the main problems with our education system that need to be fixed or, rather, should have been fixed 10 years ago.
There are two main problems: one, the supply of good college seats and, two, the actual course content and intent behind education.
The first issue is about the supply of A-grade institutions vs the number of A-grade potential students. With one crore students taking the class XII exam each year, the top 10 per cent, the high potential population by any global standard, deserves a world-class institution. That means we need 10 lakh good, A-grade, branded college seats per year. Either the government provides them, or they work with private participants to make it happen. Until that is done, the scramble for seats will be worse than a peak hour Virar fast. No amount of well-meant advice to parents to go easy on kids, telling children to not take stress, will work. I’m sorry, if i have a child who i think is bright, i will fight to make sure he has a good college. If the number of seats is well below the required number, the fight is going to be bloody and ugly. And that is what happens every year.
What makes me most curious is: why doesn’t the government fix it? Real estate and faculty are often the biggest requirements in creating a university. The government has plenty of land. And any advertisement for government teaching jobs gets phenomenal responses. After this, there could be running costs. However, most parents are happy to pay reasonable amounts for college. With coaching classes charging crazy amounts, parents are already spending so much anyway. I understand Indians send $7 billion (over Rs 30,000 crore) as outward remittance for Indian students studying abroad. Part of that money would be diverted inwards if good colleges were available here. The government can actually make money if it runs universities, and add a lot more value to the country than, say, by running the embarassing Air India which flushes crores down the drain every day.
Why can’t Delhi University replicate itself, at four times the size, in the outskirts of Gurgaon? The existing professors will get more senior responsibilities, new teachers will get jobs and the area will develop. If we can have kilometre-long malls and statues that cost hundreds of crores, why not a university that will pay for itself? This is so obvious that the young generation will say: Duh!?
The education system’s second problem: the course content itself. What do we teach in school and college? And how much do you use it in daily life later? Ask yourself, has the world changed in the last 20 years? If yes, has our course content changed at the same pace? Has it even changed at all? Who are the people changing our course materials? Do they have real life corporate exposure?
I am not saying we study only to get a job (though many, many Indians actually do it with that main intention). However, even in the ‘quest for knowledge’ goal of education, our course materials fall short. We emphasise sticking to the course, testing endlessly how well the student has revised his lessons. We treat lessons as rules to be adhered to, and the better you conform, the more likely you are to score. I hated it personally, and i am sure millions do too but they have no choice. Innovation, imagination and creativity – crucial for the country as well as more likely to bring the best out of any student – have no place in our education system. In fact, we actually ensure we kill this spirit in the child as fast as possible. Because innovation by definition means challenging the existing way, and that is just not something good Indian kids who respect elders do.
The cycle perpetuates itself, and we continue to create a secondrate society of followers rather than change-embracing leaders. I have hope that the current generation will break this norm and start questioning the great Indian way. I have hope that the current HRD minister will acknowledge this problem and do something. I have hope that Indians will start questioning any politician they meet on what they are doing about the education system at every place possible. I have hope that people will realise that making new states is less important than making new state universities. Maybe i am right, maybe my hope is justified and maybe i will live to see the change. Or maybe i’ve got it all wrong, my optimism is misplaced and i am just, as they say, one of the Idiots.
The writer is a best-selling novelist.

A navodayan on the way to transform India!

The vision of a Navodaya girl who comes from a village of Rajasthan.

swine flu vaccine in India

where does India stands in production of vaccine???

To tackle present situation Indian has to depend on imported vaccine from foreign countries.The Indian Biotech-pharma companies are at the race to develop the vaccine for swine flu. We pay handsomely to procure this vaccine. Countries that produce the vaccine use it domestically first.

India based companies are:
Ahmedabad-based Cadila Pharma, through cuts short manufacturing time technology which is collaborating with US-based Novavax, using Novavax's 'virus-like particles' technology.

India's first indigenous pentavalent (five-in-one) 'Comvac-5' vaccine by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech launched in March this year. What's unique about the vaccine is that it is the only Hepatitis B vaccine in the world to be manufactured without the use of cesium chloride, a heavy metal needed to precipitate proteins. As a heavy metal, cesium chloride is a known cancer causing agent and the fact that Bharat Biotech found another safer way to purify its hepatitis-B antigen makes Comvac-5 even more special.

Anthrax, dengue and japanese encephalitis vaccines are the initiatives of WHO pre-qualified company Penacea. Bharat Biotech is also on the way.

The best one in the filed of flu is Pune based Serum Institute of India as it was already working on seasonal flu vaccine. Over 140 countries are getting it products. One out of every two children immunized in the world are by SII's vaccine as it claims.
The first Human testing of swine flu vaccine are started at this month by Novartis and Sanofi Aventis.

Swine flu outbreak

11th June declared as first flu pendemics in 41 year by WHO.It is now spread to almost all the countries where the travelling frequencies are higher internationally. In india till now it took 20 lives so far and count is on with total number of those afflicted by the disease countrywide to 1,203 according to recent news.While Pune remained the worst-hit area by the disease with 61 new cases being reported from the city, Gujarat's 10 new cases took the number of those infected to 27 in the state.

What is influenza-A(H1N1)?

Influenza A (H1N1), earlier know as swine flu, is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. First detected in Mexico in April, 2009, it has spread to many countries. Swine flu is basically a misnomer. This was originally referred to as "swine flu" because laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in this new virus were very similar to those found in pigs in North America. Further on, it has been found that this new virus has gene segments from the swine, avian and human flu virus genes. The scientists calls this a 'quadruple reassortanf" virus and hence this new (novel) virus is christened "influenza-A (H1N1) virus."


Are the rising swine flu casualties giving you jitters? Not sure how you can avoid falling prey to the growing epidemic?First and foremost, you dont need to panic atall.
I would like to discuss alternate way to fight with swine flue which is of use for both affected individuals as well as healthy individuals as precation.

Instead of stocking up the tamiflue and many more medicines and making pharmacompanies more rich one can do is improve you body power ie immunity.It will give you better, easy, long lasting and econnomical idea.

Here are some of home remedies you can follow as single one or in combination, If H1N1 is confirmed then physician advise and quarantine is must.


1. Have five duly washed leaves of Tulsi (known as Basil in English; medicinal name Ocimum sanctum) everyday in the morning. Tulsi has a large number of therapeutic properties. It keeps throat and lungs clear and helps in infections by way of strengthening your immunity.

2. Giloi (medicinal name Tinospora cordifolia) is a commonly available plant in many areas. Take a one-foot long branch of giloi, add five to six leaves of Tulsi and boil in water for 15-20 minutes or long enough to allow the water to extract its properties. Add black pepper and sendha (salt used during religious fasts), rock or black salt, or Misri (crystalised sugar like lumps to make it sweet) according to taste. Let it cool a bit and drink this kadha (concoction) while still warm. It will work wonders for your immunity. If giloi plant is not available, get processed giloi powder from Hamdard or others, and concoct a similar drink once a day.

3. A small piece of camphor (kapoor) approximately the size of a tablet should be taken once or twice a month. It can be swallowed with water by adults while children can take it along with mashed potatoes or banana because they will find it difficult to have it without any aides. Please remember camphor is not to be taken everyday, but only once each season, or once a month.

4. Those who can take garlic, must have two pods of raw garlic first thing in the morning. To be swallowed daily with lukewarm water. Garlic too strengthens immunity like the earlier measures mentioned.

5. Those not allergic to milk, must take a glass of hot or lukewarm milk every night with a small measure of haldi (turmeric).

6. Aloe vera (gwarpatha) too is a commonly available plant. Its thick and long, cactus-like leaves have an odourless gel. A teaspoon gel taken with water daily can work wonders for not only your skin and joint pains, but also boost immunity.


7. Do Pranayam daily (preferably under guidance if you are already not initiated into it) and go for morning jog/walk regularly to keep your throat and lungs in good condition and body in fine fettle. Even in small measures, it will work wonders for your body’s resistance against all such diseases which attack the nose, throat and lungs, besides keeping you fit.

8. Have citrus fruits, particularly Vitamin C rich Amla (Indian gooseberry) juice. Since fresh Amla is not yet available in the market (not for another three to four months), it is not a bad idea to buy packaged Amla juice which is commonly available nowadays.

9.Fenugreek (methi)seeds is also having good medicinal property, one can take 15-20 seeds in the morning empty stomach.


10. Last but not the least, wash your hands frequently every day with soap and warm water for 15-20 seconds; especially before meals, or each time after touching a surface that you suspect could be contaminated with flu virus such as a door handle or a knob/handle, especially if you have returned from a public place or used public transport. Alcohol-based hand cleaners should be kept handy at all times and used until you can get soap and warm water.

these are the some of traditional methods to deal with swine flue with some informatiom from news paper TOI.