Dhoad Gypsies Live !

The Dhoad gypsies from Rajasthan performed at the Madison World Music Festival in Sep' 07. Some of us were lucky enough to be there for their scintillating performance!
The hooting is us and though the camera didn't capture it, the gypsies had us captured - we danced deranged ON the stage , falling over the musicians...



They also performed tricks!

More Ta-Gore

Where The Mind is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,
Where knowledge is free...
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments,
By narrow domestic walls.
Where words come out from the depth of truth,
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection.
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way,
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.
Where the mind is led forward by thee,
Into ever-widening thought and action,
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

-Rabindranath Tagore
indeed !

If...

Kipling says it all...


If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

-Rudyard Kipling

Ami chini go chini

Another translation attempt (despite my shaky Bangla)...

Ami chini go chini tomare o go bideshini,
Tumi thaako shindhu paare o go bideshini!
Dekhechi sharodo-praate tomar,
Dekhechi madhobi-raate tomar,
Dekhechi hride majhare,
O go bideshini.
Ami aakashe patiya kaan,
Sunechi sunechi tomare gaan,
Ami tomare sopechi praan,
O go bideshini!

I know you, know you O’ foreigner lady,
You live across the ocean O’ foreigner lady!
I have seen you on autumn mornings,
I’ve seen you on madhavi nights,
And I’ve envisioned you at the core of my heart.
I turn to the sky and listen to you,
I have often heard your songs,
And my soul is yours to keep.
I entrust you with it O’ foreigner lady!

Bhubhon bhramiya sheshe,
Ami ayeshechi nooton deshe,
Ami otithi tomare daare,
O go bideshini!

I’ve traveled far and wide,
To arrive in a new land,
I'm a guest at your doorstep...
O’ foreigner lady!

- Rabindranath Tagore

MP's Interview With Sir Edward Ross

(Monty Python's Flying Circus)
Transcribed By: Jonathan Partington


Eric Idle: Good evening and welcome to another edition of It's the Arts.And we
kick off this evening with Cinema.

Host (John Cleese): Good evening. One of the most prolific film directors of
this age, or indeed of any age, is Sir Edward Ross, back
in his native country for the first time for five years
to open a season of his works at the National Film
Theatre, and we are indeed fortunate to have him with us
in this studio tonight.
Ross (Graham Chapman): Good evening.
Host: Edward... you don't mind if I call you Edward?
Ross: No, not at all.
Host: Because it does worry some people - I don't know why - but they are a
little sensitive so I take the precaution of asking on these occasions.
Ross: No, that's fine.
Host: So Edward's all right. Splendid. I'm sorry to have brought it up.
Ross: No, no, please. Edward it is.
Host: Well thank you very much for being so helpful. And it's more than my
job's worth to, er...
Ross: Yes, quite.
Host: Makes it rather difficult to establish a rapport - put the other person
at his ease...
Ross: Quite.
Host: Silly little point but it does seem to matter. Still, er, least said
the better. Ted, when you first started you... I hope you don't mind
if I call you Ted, er, I mean as opposed to Edward?
Ross: No, no, everyone calls me Ted.
Host: Well of course it's shorter, isn't it.
Ross: Yes it is.
Host: And much less formal!
Ross: Yes, Ted, Edward or anything!
Host: Thank you. Um, incidentally, do call me Tom. I don't want you bothering
with this 'Thomas' nonsense! Ha ha ha ha! Now where were we? Ah yes.
Eddie Baby, when you first started in the...
Ross: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I don't like being called "Eddie Baby".
Host: What?
Ross: I don't like being called "Eddie Baby".
Host: (pause) Did I call you "Eddie Baby"?
Ross: Yes, you did! Now if you could get on with the interview...
Host: I don't think I did call you "Eddie Baby".
Ross: You did!
Host: Did I call him "Eddie Baby"?

(Audience murmurs of 'yes' etc.)

Host: I didn't really call you "Eddie Baby", did I, sweetie?
Ross: Don't call me "sweetie"!
Host: Can I call you "sugar plum"?
Ross: No.
Host: "Pussycat"?
Ross: No!
Host: "Angel drawers"?
Ross: No you may not! Get on with it!
Host: Can I call you "Frank"?
Ross (suspiciously): Why "Frank"?
Host: It's a nice name. Richard Nixon's got a hedgehog called Frank.
Ross: What IS going on?
Host: Now Frank -- Fran -- Frannie -- little Frannie-pooh...
Ross: No. I'm leaving. I'm off. I'm going. I've never... (exits)
Host (loudly): Tell us about your latest film, Sir Edward.
Ross (nearly offstage): What?
Host: Tell us about your latest film, Sir Edward, if you'd be so very kind.
Ross: None of this "Pussycat" nonsense?
Host: Promise. (Pats seat next to him.) Please, Sir Edward.
Ross: My latest film?
Host: Yes, Sir Edward.
Ross: Well the idea, funnily enough, is based on an idea I had when I first
joined the industry in 1919. Of course, in those days I was only the
tea boy and...
Host: Oh shut up!

Monty Python's Argument Sketch

(Monty Python's Flying Circus)


A man walks into an office.

Man: Good morning, I'd like to have an argument, please.
Receptionist: Certainly, sir. Have you been here before?
Man: No, this is my first time.
Receptionist: I see, well we'll see who's free at the moment.
Mr. Bakely's free, but he's a little bit concilliatory. No.
Try Mr. Barnhart, room 12.
Man: Thank you.

He enters room 12.

Angry man: WHADDAYOU WANT?
Man: Well, Well, I was told outside that...
Angry man: DON'T GIVE ME THAT, YOU SNOTTY-FACED EVIL PAN OF DROPPINGS!
Man: What?
A: SHUT YOUR FESTERING GOB, YOU TIT! YOUR TYPE MAKES ME PUKE! YOU VACUOUS
STUFFY-NOSED MALODOROUS PERVERT!!!
M: Yes, but I came here for an argument!!
A: OH! Oh! I'm sorry! This is abuse!
M: Oh! Oh I see!
A: Aha! No, you want room 12A, next door.
M: Oh...Sorry...
A: Not at all!
A: (under his breath) stupid git.

The man goes into room 12A. Another man is sitting behind a desk.

Man: Is this the right room for an argument?
Other Man:(pause) I've told you once.
Man: No you haven't!
Other Man: Yes I have.
M: When?
O: Just now.
M: No you didn't!
O: Yes I did!
M: You didn't!
O: I did!
M: You didn't!
O: I'm telling you, I did!
M: You didn't!
O: Oh I'm sorry, is this a five minute argument, or the full half hour?
M: Ah! (taking out his wallet and paying) Just the five minutes.
O: Just the five minutes. Thank you.
O: Anyway, I did.
M: You most certainly did not!
O: Now let's get one thing perfectly clear: I most definitely told you!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: No you DIDN'T!
O: Oh yes I did!
M: Oh look, this isn't an argument!

(pause)

O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!

(pause)

M: It's just contradiction!
O: No it isn't!
M: It IS!
O: It is NOT!
M: You just contradicted me!
O: No I didn't!
M: You DID!
O: No no no!
M: You did just then!
O: Nonsense!
M: (exasperated) Oh, this is futile!!
(pause)
O: No it isn't!
M: Yes it is!
(pause)
M: I came here for a good argument!
O: AH, no you didn't, you came here for an argument!
M: An argument isn't just contradiction.
O: Well! it CAN be!
M: No it can't!
M: An argument is a connected series of statement intended to establish a
proposition.
O: No it isn't!
M: Yes it is! 'tisn't just contradiction.
O: Look, if I *argue* with you, I must take up a contrary position!
M: Yes but it isn't just saying "no it isn't".
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
O: Yes it is!
M: No it ISN'T! Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just
the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says.
O: It is NOT!
M: It is!
O: Not at all!
M: It is!

The Arguer hits a bell on his desk and stops.

O: Thank you, that's it.
M: (stunned) What?
O: That's it. Good morning.
M: But I was just getting interested!
O: I'm sorry, the five minutes is up.
M: That was never five minutes!!
O: I'm afraid it was.
M: (leading on) No it wasn't.....
O: I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to argue any more.
M: WHAT??
O: If you want me to go on arguing, you'll have to pay for another five
minutes.
M: But that was never five minutes just now!
Oh Come on!
Oh this is...
This is ridiculous!
O: I told you...
I told you, I'm not allowed to argue unless you PAY!
M: Oh all right. (takes out his wallet and pays again.) There you are.
O: Thank you.
M: (clears throat) Well...
O: Well WHAT?
M: That was never five minutes just now.
O: I told you, I'm not allowed to argue unless you've paid!
M: Well I just paid!
O: No you didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I-dbct-fd-tq! I don't want to argue about it!
O: Well I'm very sorry but you didn't pay!
M: Ah hah! Well if I didn't pay, why are you arguing??? Ah HAAAAAAHHH!
Gotcha!
O: No you haven't!
M: Yes I have!
If you're arguing, I must have paid.
O: Not necessarily.
I *could* be arguing in my spare time.
M: I've had enough of this!
O: No you haven't.
(door slam)

"Vellai Pookal" (UW Diwali Night)

The translation from Tamil is courtesy of amigo Hari Gopalakrishnan.


VeLLai PookaL ulagam engum malarhavae
May white flowers bloom all over the world

vidiyum Bhoomi amaidhikaaga vidihavae
May this earth see the dawn only for peace

manmel manjal veluchcham vizhuhavae
May the soil be illuminated by yellow light

malarae sombal muRiththu ezhuhavae
May the flower shake off its laziness and bloom

kuzhanthai vizhikattumae
May the child open its eyes...

Thaayin katha kathappil
...in the warmth of its mother

ulagam vidiyattumae
May the world see the light...

piLLayin sirumugha siRippil
..in the child's innocent smile

kaatrin perisaiyil,
In the breeze's great melody,

mazhai paadum paadalgalum,
would even the tunes played by the raindrops..

oru maunam poal inbam tarumooOO?
..be as blissful as silence?

koadi keertanayum,
Would the countless great compositions,

kavi koartha vaarthaigalum,
or even the beautiful words chosen by a poet

thuLi kaNNeer poal arththam tharumo?
..be as meaningful as a single drop of tear?

yengu siru kuzhanthai
Where the little child..

than kaigal neetidumo,
Shall reach out with its hands,

angu thondrayo koLLai nilavae!
May the beautiful moon appear there!

enghu manidha Inam,
Where mankind..

poar oyinthu sayinthidumo,
Shall cease fighting,

angu koovadho veLLai kuyilae?
Won't the white bird sing there?

Composition - AR Rehman
Lyrics Vairamuthu
From Movie Kannathil Muthamittal

"Said A Whiting To A Snail"

"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail,

"There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.

See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!

They are waiting on the shingle--will you come and join the dance?

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?

"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be

When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!"

But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance--

Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.

Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.

"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied.

"There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.

The further off from England the nearer is to France--

Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.

Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?"'

-Lewis Carroll (who else?)

Father William

You Are Old, Father William

"You are old, father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head--
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

"In my youth," father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."

"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before,
And you have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door--
Pray what is the reason for that?"

"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment - one shilling a box--
Allow me to sell you a couple?"

"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak--
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"

"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose--
What made you so awfully clever?"

"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father. "Don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs.

- Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)

' Twas Brillig

Jabberwocky



'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.


"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"


He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought--
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.


And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!


One two! One two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.


"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.


'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.


- Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)

The Darker Side of Happy Pills

Variant genes increase suicidal thoughts

By: Jigyasa Jyotika /The Daily Cardinal

New study begins to unravel the dark side of antidepressants

Although most people are knowledgeable about the positive effects of antidepressants (a.k.a. “happy pills”), far fewer are aware of the dark side of these drugs—the same pills prescribed to help make patients happy may be leading some patients to suicide.

Researchers and doctors became increasingly alarmed during 2004 when studies suggested antidepressants increased the risk of suicide in some adolescents and children. As a result of these studies, the Food and Drug Administration required all antidepressant medications to carry “black box warnings,” alerting parents and patients of the risks associated with taking antidepressants.

While scientists have continued to struggle to make sense of the paradoxical relationship between the use of antidepressants and increased rates of suicide since 2004, this October, researchers at the National Institutes of Mental Health discovered two genes that may help to explain this link.

In one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of its kind to date, researchers at NIMH found that the inheritance of one or two genes increased the likelihood of suicidal thoughts among patients taking an antidepressant called citalopram between two- to 15- times compared to those who did not share similar genes.

“This study is a step forward in individualizing depression treatment for patients identified as high-risk for suicides,” said Michael Peterson, a UW-Madison instructor of psychiatry.
Citalopram, a drug within the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor family, works to decrease feelings of depression by preventing the recycling of the “happy hormone” serotonin, which results in higher serotonin levels in the brain. According to Peterson, SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed antidepressants.

Scientists from the NIMH looked at 68 suspect genes in more than 1,900 adults with major depression who were treated with citalopram. Based upon patient reports of suicidal thoughts and genetic code variation among the 68 suspected genes, the researchers narrowed their search to two variable gene sequences, or “markers.”

“A small variation in the sequence of these genes is what seems to predispose some people more than others to suicidal thoughts while taking the drug,” said Gonzalo Laje, a co-author of the study.

While participants with only one of two genetic variants were two- to eight-times as likely as those without variants to develop suicidal thoughts while taking citalopram, a NIMH press release reported those with both variants—an extremely rare phenomenon—were 15 times as likely to report suicidal thoughts.

Researchers also found gene variants were not related to self-reported history of suicide attempts, suggesting the genetic variations leading to suicidal thoughts were occurring during antidepressant treatment, not outside treatment.

Overall, 59 percent of the patients who had suicidal thoughts had at least one of the variable gene versions. This still left out 41 percent of the participants, who developed suicidal thoughts without either variant, indicating that other genes and environmental factors may also be involved.

In the future, the NIMH plans to begin to attempt to understand why the identified genetic variations are leading to increased suicidal thoughts among people who take citalopram and if similar variations could be linked to increased suicidal thoughts among people on other antidepressants.

“It remains unclear at this point why we see what we see,” Laje said.

"Anything that doesn't matter has no mass"

Limericks began in Limerick City, Ireland

There was an old lady called Wright,
Who could travel much faster than light,
She departed one day in a relative way and returned on the previous night.

A Short History of Medicine

I have an earache:

2000 B.C. -Here, eat this root.
1000 A.D. -That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.D. -That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1940 A.D. -That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1985 A.D. -That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
2000 A.D . -That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.

Quotables

Copernicus' parents : "Copernicus, young man, when are you going to come to terms with the fact that the world does not revolve around you?"

Physicist : Anything that doesn't matter has no mass.
Cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu adds: It's all about mind and matter; I don't mind and you don't matter.

A biologist is only a lab rat's way of making another lab rat .
- Random Rat

Sigh-ence

The transplant had finally started.
The incision was carefully charted.
The dog was just sliced,
And the chicken was spliced,
And the dog is now chicken-hearted.

Q: How many physicists specializing in general relativity does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to hold the bulb and one to rotate the universe.

A little neurological put down: You've only got two neurons--and one of them's inhibitory.

Newsflash: Physicists have embarked on their own product safety campaign, recommending that manufacturers provide consumers with all of the following labels:

WARNING: Due to its heavy mass, this product warps the space surrounding it. No health hazards are yet known to be associated with effect.
NOTE: This product may actually be nine-dimensional but, if this is the case, functionality is not affected by the extra six dimensions.
NOTE: A subatomic "glue" holds the fundamental constituents of this product together. Since the exact nature of this glue is not yet fully understood, its adhesive power cannot be guaranteed. To date, no known malfunction of the product has resulted from glue failure.

What do biologists do when they have twins?
Baptize one and keep the other as a control.

Q: Why did the dinosaur cross the road?
A: Chickens hadn't evolved yet.

Support bacteria - it's the only culture some people have!

Q: What tool is used to measure a hole in the head?
A: A Phineas gage.

(Phineas Gage was a railroad worker who was in charge of explosives which blew up in his face, driving the iron through the frontal lobe of his brain. He survived, to the total astonishment of the doctor, but with a radically altered personality, thus becoming the first victim of an accidental frontal lobotomy.) More at : http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~reffland/anthropology/anthro2003/origins/phineas.html
Or borrow a copy of " The Emerging Mind" by renowned Neurobiologist VS Ramachandran from me.

Fedex !

Kismet on Ice

By Shen and Zhao - Three Times World Ice Skating Champions

And Heaven and Nature Sing...

Richard Clayderman's Ballad Pour Adeline :



Richard Clayderman's Starlight Serenade :



Ross Daly's Rababa Sarangi Duet :




Edith Piaf's Milord (Me Lord) :