வீட்டு விலங்குகளின் தோற்றம்

நாம் நினைப்பது போல எல்லா விலங்குகளும் கடவுளால் தனித்தனியாகப் படைக்கப்பட்டவை அல்ல. இன்று நாம் வீட்டு விலங்குகளாக வளர்க்கும் பல விலங்குகள் மனித வரலாற்றின் பிந்தைய காலத்தில் மனிதனால் உருவாக்கப்பட்டவையே! அதாவது பின்வரும் இரண்டில் எதோ ஒன்று.

1. மனிதன் தன்னுடைய தேவை கருதி ஒரு வகை விலங்கைப் பழக்கப்படுத்தி, தனக்கு வேண்டிய பண்புகள் உள்ள விலங்குகளை மட்டும் தேர்வு முறையில் இனப்பெருக்கம் செய்து (selective breeding) தற்போதுள்ள நிலைக்குக் கொண்டுவந்தது.

2. மனிதனின் உணவு மற்றும் இருப்பிடம் சார்ந்த பழக்கங்களால் மனிதனோடு ஒன்றிய வாழ்க்கை வாழ்ந்த மிருக இனங்கள் சில, காலப்போக்கில் இயற்கையாகவே வீட்டு விலங்குகளாகப் பரிணமித்தது (coevolution).

விலங்குகள் மட்டும் அல்ல, பூச்சிகள், தாவரங்கள் என்று பலவும் இவ்வாறு தெரிவு முறை இனப்பெருக்கம் மூலமோ, சார்புப் பரிணாமம் மூலமோ (coevolution) தற்கால நிலையை அடைந்துள்ளன. எடுத்துக்காட்டாக பேன்களை எடுத்துக்கொண்டால், மனிதன் ஆடை அணியும் பழக்கம் வரும் முன் வாழ்ந்த பேன் இனம், அவன் ஆடை அணிய ஆரம்பித்த பிறகு சார்புப் பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியால் வேறு வைகையாகப் பரிணமித்தது. அதுபோல, மனிதன் தன் விருப்பத்தின்படி தேர்வு செய்த பண்புகள் உள்ள செடிகளை பயிரிட்டு ஒரே வகையாக இருந்த காட்டு முட்டைகோஸ் செடியை, முட்டைகோஸ், காளிபிரளவர், நூல்கோல் போன்ற பல வகைத் தாவரங்களாக மாற்றினான். இப்படி நம் கண்முண்ணே இருக்கும் பலவும் நம்மை அறியாமலோ அல்லது நம் விருப்பத்தின் படியோ நம்மால் உருப்பெற்றவை என்றால் நம்ப முடிகிறதா?

சரி, இங்கே சில விலங்குகளை மட்டும் எப்போது, எங்கு, எதிலிருந்து வீட்டு விலங்குகளாக மனிதனால் மாற்றப்பட்டன என்று பார்ப்போம்.(இந்த அட்டவணை காலத்தால் முந்தையது தடங்கிப் பிந்தியது வரை தொகுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது)

வ.எண்	விலங்கு/பறவை	மூதாதை காட்டு இனம் (wild ancestor)	காலம்	இடம்
1	நாய்	ஓநாய்	கி.மு. 13,000	ஐரோப்பா
2	வெள்ளாடு	பாரசீக ஐபெக்ஸ்	கி.மு.10,000	மேற்கு ஆசியா (துருக்கி, இரான்)
3	பன்றி	காட்டுப் பன்றி	கி.மு. 9,000	மேற்கு ஆசியா, சீனா
4	செம்மறி ஆடு	காட்டுச் செம்மறி	கி.மு. 8,500	துருக்கி
5	மாடு (திமில் இல்லாத இனம்)	ஒளரக்ஸ்	கி.மு. 8,000	இந்தியா, மத்திய கிழக்கு, வட ஆப்பிரிக்கா
6	மாடு (திமில் உள்ள இனம்)	இந்திய ஒளரக்ஸ்	கி.மு. 8,000	இந்தியா
7	பூனை	ஆபிரிக்கக் காட்டுப் பூனை	கி.மு. 7,500	மேற்கு ஆசியா
8	கோழி	காட்டுக்கோழி	கி.மு. 6,000	இந்தியா, தென்கிழக்கு ஆசியா
9	கழுதை	ஆபிரிக்கக் காட்டுக் கழுதை	கி.மு. 5,000	எகிப்து
10	வாத்து	காட்டு வாத்து	கி.மு. 4,000	சீனா
11	எருமை	காட்டெருமை	கி.மு. 4,000	வடகிழக்கு இந்தியா, சீனா
12	ஒட்டகம்	பாலை ஒட்டகம்	கி.மு. 4,000	அரேபியா
13	குதிரை	காட்டுக் குதிரை	கி.மு. 3,500	மத்திய ஆசியா
14	புறா	மாடப்புறா	கி.மு. 3,500	மத்தியத் தரைக்கடல்ப் பகுதி
15	வான்கோழி	காட்டு வான்கோழி	கி.பி. 100 - 200	மெக்சிக்கோ, யூ.எஸ்.ஏ
16	தங்க மீன்	பிரஷ்ஷியக் கெண்டை	கி.பி. 300 - 400	சீனா
17	சண்டை மீன் (fighter fish)	பெட்டா மீன்	கி.பி. 1800	தாய்லாந்து
18	வளர்ப்பு நாரி (ஆராய்ச்சிக்காக உருவாக்கப்பட்டது)	நாரி	கி.பி. 1950	சோவியத் ஒன்றியம்

மனிதனின் பரிணமிப்பு

லெமூர்

ஹோமோ சேபியன்ஸ் (Homo sapiens) என்னும் நம் இனம் (species எனும் உயிரியல் வகைப்பாடு) முதனி (Primates) எனப்படும் வரிசையைச் (order எனும் உயிரியல் வகைப்பாடு) சேர்ந்தது. அப்படிப் பார்த்தால் உயிரியல் படி, லெமூர், தேவாங்கு, குரங்கு போன்ற உயிரினங்கள் நம் நெருங்கிய சொந்தங்கள்.

முதனி வரிசையில் நாம் ஹோமினிடே (Hominidae) எனப்படும் குடும்பத்தைச் (family எனும் உயிரியல் வகைப்பாடு) சேர்ந்தவர்கள். இதில் சிம்பான்ஸீ மற்றும் போனோபோ குரங்குகள் அடங்கும். அதாவது இவை நம் மிக நெருங்கிய சொந்தங்கள்.

நாம் வாலில்லாக் குரங்குகள் போன்ற மூதாதையர்களிடம் இருந்து தற்போதுள்ள நிலையை பரிணாம வளர்ச்சி மூலம் அடைய ஏறத்தாழ 60 லட்சம் ஆண்டுகள் தேவைப்பட்டுள்ளது.

நம் (மனிதர்களுக்கும் முந்தைய) மூதாதையர்கள் இரு கால்களில் நடக்கக் கற்றுக்கொண்டு ஏறத்தாழ 40 லட்சம் ஆண்டுகள் ஆகிறது.

ஏறத்தாழ 10 முதல் 20 வகை மனித இனங்கள் இருந்திருக்கலாம் என இன்று அறிவியலாளர்கள் கூறுகின்றனர். அதில் எஞ்சி இருப்பவர்கள் நாம் மட்டுமே!

மனித இனத்தின் பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியின் பெரும் பகுதி ஆபிரிக்கக் கண்டத்தில் நடந்தது.

கல்லாலான கருவிகள்

ஏறத்தாழ 25 லட்சம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பே மனிதர்கள் கல்லாலான கருவிகளை பயன் படுத்தியுள்ளனர். நினைவிருக்கட்டும், இவர்கள் நம்மைப்போன்ற சேபியன்ஸ் இனத்தைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் இல்லை. சேபியன்ஸ் இனம் இன்னும் தோன்றவே இல்லை!

23 லட்சம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் சமைத்து உண்ணும் பழக்கம் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது.

மனிதர்களில் சிலர்/சில இனங்கள் (இவர்களும் நம் போன்ற ஹோமோ சேபியன்ஸ் இல்லை) ஏறத்தாழ 20 லட்சம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் ஆப்பிரிக்காவில் இருந்து வெளியேறி வேறு பகுதிகளில் குடியேறி உள்ளனர்.

குறைந்தது 10 லட்சம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பே நெருப்பை உருவாக்கவும் கையாளவும் மனிதர்கள் கற்றுக்கொண்டனர்.

ஹோமோ எரெக்ட்ஸ் என்னும் (தற்போது அழிந்துவிட்ட) மனித இனம் 4 முதல் 5 லட்சம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு சிப்பிகளில் செதுக்கு வேலைப்பாடுகள் செய்த தடையங்கள் கிடைத்துள்ளன.

சேபியன்ஸ் என்னும் நம்முடைய இனம் சற்றுமுன்னமே(!) தோன்றிய இனம். ஆம். நம் இனம் தோன்றி ஏறத்தாழ 2 லட்சம் வருடங்களே ஆகிறது.

சேபியன்ஸ் இனமும் ஆப்பிரிக்காவில் தோன்றியதே. அதன் பின்னரே நம் முன்னோர்கள் வேறு கண்டங்களுக்கு இடம் பெயர்ந்துள்ளனர்.

1 லட்சத்து 70 ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் ஆடை அணியும் பழக்கம் வந்திருக்கலாம் என்று பேன்களின் மரபணு ஆராய்ச்சி மூலம் அறிய முடிகிறது. தலையில் இருக்கும் பேன் ஆடைகளில் வாழும் விதத்தில் பரிணமித்துள்ளதிலிருந்து இதை அறிய முடிகிறது.

1 லட்சத்து 25 ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் ஐரோப்பா மற்றும் ஆசிய கண்டங்களுக்கு சேபியன்ஸ் இனம் இடம்பெயர்ந்துள்ளதற்கான சான்றுகள் கிடைத்துள்ளன.

முறையான பேச்சு மொழி 1 லட்சம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் உருவாகி இருக்கலாம். மனிதர்கள் இதே சமயம் ஓவியங்கள் வரைய ஆரம்பித்ததற்கான தடையங்கள் கிடைத்துள்ளன. புராதன மொழி (மொழி போன்ற அமைப்புள்ள சத்தங்கள், சைகைகள்) ஏறத்தாழ 20 லட்சம் ஆண்டுகளாக மெதுவாக வளர்ச்சி பெற்றிருக்கலாம்.

60 ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் ஆஸ்த்திரேலியாவிலும் 30 ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் அமெரிக்க கண்டத்திலும் தற்கால மனிதர்கள் குடியேறியுள்ளனர்.

எலும்பினாலான புல்லாங்குழல்

ஏறத்தாழ 40 ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகள் பழமையான எலும்பினாலான புல்லாங்குழல்கள் கிடைத்துள்ளன.

ஏறத்தாழ 30 ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்ட எலும்பாலான ஊசிகள் கிடைத்துள்ளன.

விவசாயம் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டு 15 ஆயிரம் முதல் 10 ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகளே ஆகிறது.

பின்குறிப்பு:

இவை அனைத்தும் நான் வாசித்த/கேட்ட தகவல்களின் தொகுப்பாகும். இவற்றில் தவறுகள் இருக்க வாய்ப்புள்ளது. அறிவியல் கருத்துகளும் கோட்பாடுகளும் புதிய தடயங்கள், ஆராய்ச்சிகள் வருகையால் மற்றம் அடைவது இயல்பே. ஆகவே இந்தத் தொகுப்பில் உள்ள சில தகவல்கள் மற்றம் பெறலாம். அப்படி மாறும் போது ஏற்படும் தவறுகள், காலகட்டங்கள் அல்லது உயிரியல் வகைப்பாடு குறித்ததாக இருக்குமே அன்றி முற்றிலும் பிழையாக இருக்காது. ஒருநாள் அறிவியல் உலகம் பரிணாமம் பொய் என்று சொல்லும் என்று பகல்க் கனவு காண வேண்டாம்!

நன்றி: விக்கிமீடியா (Wikimedia)

செவ்வாய் தேசம்

தலைப்பை "செவ்வாய் தோஷம்" என்று வாசித்திருந்தாலோ, "செவ்வாய் தோஷம்" என்பதைப் பிழையாக "தேசம்" என்று எழுதிவிட்டேன் என்று நீங்கள் நினைத்திருந்தாலோ இந்தப் பதிவு உங்களுக்கானதல்ல. செவ்வாயும் சூரியனைச் சுற்றும் ஒரு சாதாரண கோள். அது பூமியில் மனிதன் உயிர்கள் தோன்றுவதற்கு முன்பிருந்தே இவ்வாறு சுற்றி வருகிறது. பூமியின் உயிர்கள் எதிர்காலத்தில் அழிந்து போனாலும், அதன் பின்னும் அது சுற்றும். அகா இந்தக் கோளுக்கும், உங்கள் வாழ்க்கைக்கும் (நீங்கள் விண்வெளி ஆராய்ச்சி/பயணம் தொடர்பான வேளைகளில் இல்லாத பட்சத்தில்) எந்தத் தொடர்புமில்லை. சரி, செய்திக்கு வருவோம்.

செவ்வாயின் மணல் மேடு

நாஸா (NASA) 2005-ஆம் ஆண்டு முதல் அதன் ஹைரைஸ் (HiRISE) நிழற்படவி (கேமரா) கொண்டு எடுத்த ஆயிரக்கணக்கான படங்களை வெளியிட்டுள்ளது. அதிதுல்லியமான இப்படங்கள் செவ்வாயின் பள்ளங்கள், மணல் மேடுகள், பனி முகடுகள் போன்ற பல அழகிய அம்சங்களை வெளிக்கொணர்ந்துள்ளன. இதை கீழ்காணும் இணைப்பில் காணலாம்.

http://www.uahirise.org/katalogos.php

26 மாதங்களுக்கு ஒருமுறை சூரியனும் செவ்வாயும் பூமியின் எதிர்-எதிர் பக்கங்களில் சில வாரங்கள் இருக்கும். அப்படி இருக்கும் போது சூரியக் கதிர்வீச்சின் பாதிப்பு இல்லாததால் செவ்வாயில் உள்ள "செவ்வாய் கண்காணிப்புச் செயற்கைக்கோள்" (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) பூமியில் உள்ள கட்டுப்பாட்டு நிலையத்துடன் தெளிவான தகவல் தொடர்பை ஏற்படுத்த முடியும். அதன் மூலம் மிக அதிக தகவல்களை அனுப்பவும் முடியும்.

வறண்ட நீர்ப் படுகை?

அது போன்ற ஒரு வாய்ப்பு கடந்த மே மாதம் கிடைத்தது. இதில் சிறப்பு என்னவென்றால், இந்த மே மாதம் சூரியன் செவ்வாயின் மத்தியக்கோட்டின் (equator) மீது செங்குத்தாக இருந்தது. இதனால் செவ்வாயின் வாட முனை (துருவம்) முதல் தென் முனை வரை வெளிச்சம் கிடைத்தது. இப்படங்கள் எதிர்காலத்தில் அனுப்பப்படும் செயற்கைக்கோள்கள் தரையிறங்கத் தகுதியான இடங்களைத் தேர்வு செய்யவும் பயன்படும்.

அனைவரும் குடும்பத்துடன் பார்த்து மகிழுங்கள்!!!

நன்றி:

NASA

https://science.slashdot.org/story/16/08/10/016204/nasa-publishes-a-thousand-photos-of-mars

https://www.engadget.com/2016/08/09/nasa-hirise-photos-mars/

http://www.uahirise.org/katalogos.php

வேடிக்கையான இணைய விதிகள் 5

நாம் அனைவரும் நம் கருத்துக்கள் (மட்டுமே) சரி என்றும், பிறர் தவறான புரிதலில் உள்ளனர் என்றும், அவர்களை இணைய விவாதம் மூலம் திருத்திவிடலாம் என்றும் எண்ணி, பின்னூட்டங்களையும், பதிவுகளையும் எழுதித் தள்ளுகிறோம். அவற்றையும் விளக்கச் சில விதிகள் உள்ளன. வேடிக்கையாகச் சொல்லப்பட்டாலும் அவற்றில் உண்மையும் உண்டு. அவற்றில் நான் ரசித்த 5 விதிகளை இங்கே குறிப்பிடுகிறேன்.

1. போம்மர் விதி (Pommer's Law)

இணையத்தில் வாசிக்கும் தகவல்களினால் ஒருவரின் கருத்துகளை/எண்ணங்களை மாறலாம். அந்த மாற்றம் அறியாமையில் இருந்து தவறான புரிதலை நோக்கியதாக இருக்கும்.

2. ஸ்கிட் விதி (skitt's Law)

அடுத்தவர் பதிவில் இருக்கும் எழுத்து/இலக்கணம்/நிறுத்தற்குறி (punctuation) தவறைச் சுட்டிக்காட்ட எழுதப்படும் பதிவில், குறைந்தது ஒரு தவறாவது இருக்கும்.

3. தாந்த் விதி (Danth's Law)

ஒருவர் ஒரு இணைய விவாதத்தில் வென்றதாகக் கூறிக்கொண்டால் அவர் அதில் கேவலமாகத் தோற்றுப்போய் இருக்க வாய்ப்பு அதிகம்.

4. காட்வின் விதி (Godwin's Law)

ஒரு இணைய விவாதம் நீள நீள, எதிர் தரப்பை ஹிட்லர்/நாஜி-யோடு ஒப்பிடும் வாய்ப்பு அதிகரிக்கிறது.

5. வியப்புக்குறி விதி (Law of Exclamation)

ஒரு பதிவில் எந்த அளவுக்கு அதிகமாக வியப்புக்குறிகளும் பெரிய எழுத்துகளும் (bold/capital letters) இருக்கின்றனவோ அந்த அளவுக்கு அது பொய்யாக இருக்க வாய்ப்பு அதிகம்.

The Man Who Sold The World - A Tribute to David Bowie

Like most Indian boys with a rural upbringing, I was introduced to Western music only in my teens, and David Bowie, not until my early 20s. It was pretty "outdated" when everyone around me were interested in Rap and Pop and Kuthu songs. But due to my fetish for things of 1970s and 80s, Bowie's songs sounded very familiar to me. Soon the infection was all over my brain. Those were the days of dial-up Internet connections and YouTube videos won't load. So his avant-garde visuals should wait another 3 or 4 years since his music and lyrics did enough damage to my leisure hours!

The main reason for his songs to attract me was their lyrical themes apart from Bowie's experimental, colorful and sometimes toxic music and his psychedelic voice. But once you see him on stage or take a look at his music videos, you can understand that his creativity knows no limit in the visual side too. It will not be an overstatement if I say that almost all of the shock-rock, art-rock bands that came after Bowie drew at least 20% of their inspiration from him. This article won't be too organized or complete in any sense. I am just going to explain what "happened" to me due to Bowie, here and there.

When I first heard Starman, I cried. Tears ran down my face and thankfully I was alone and let it go. The touch of pop-rock of 70s with odd chord progressions in the begning, the outlandish lyrics about an Alien who is going to land soon, the octave leap in the start of the chorus and the bass/acoustic guitar combo, my nervous system were overloaded and almost got hanged!

It may be odd if I am not to talk about Space Oddity. The song has a cover version done in the space itself by ISS astronaut Chris Hadfield. The song released during the peak of space race may be all about space travel. But the lyrics suggest that it may be also about feeling not belonging to this world at all. Words "Planet earth is blue and there's nothing I can do" and "And I think my spaceship knows which way to go" may indicate the total lack of control we have on our lives.

The Man Who Sold The World, a song that always gives me jitters. Not because the electric guitar riff that rips the heart or the outro humming that pierce the soul. But the sub-vocal message the song delivers. Imagine a man visited by his much much younger, past self. The young persona finds the older one wasted, lost, without hope and even thinks that he might have died. Imagine the young boy you were. The hopes and dream, the optimism on life, the energy and fun. If that boy comes to meet you as an old friend, what will you be? A man who sold his own world!

Rock n Roll Suicide is rightly named as the song, like a knife, lacerates your brain. But it is your own choice to listen to it and hence the suicide. But don't worry. Bowie already had had his share and is going to help you with the pain. You are not alone, when you hear this song. Because it is wonderful, so you are! Just give him your hand like I did.

Soul Love talks about various sorts and aspects of love, a love of mother for her son, who is dead for his love of his nations/principles he wanted to uphold, the childish teen love, the damaging effects of love when it breaks, the divine love preached by religions and yet the emptiness and loniless of the human kind with all its progress in science and technology. Everything is captured in one song with an odd time signature and an echoic voice.

Modern Love from Let's Dance album is lot like Soul Love in theme but has a punkish polish over it. It starts with muted strumming of electric guitar and shifts to piano-guitar-bass combo accentuated with a drum-machine like percussion. It also has a good share of brass instruments. The lyrics is about the moral dilemma that was faced by the West back in late 1900s. With space travel and advancements in science, human kind is reduced to just another species on the face of earth, while our ego won't allows us to stop imaging ourselves as special creation of a God with whom we have personal relationship. The shift from organized religion to a much more personal spiritual experience is reflected in the word "God and man no confession, God and man no religion, God and man don't believe in modern love!"

The nights can't be so good as it can be with Miracle Goodnight. Reference to the morning star seems that the miracle about the Miracle Goodnight is, it is not night at all. All of us come across a time when the future comes knocking our door "full and empty". We may sometimes want to know why we are like this now by looking in to the past for answers. But we refrain from it when we start to realize that the answer may hurt us more. So we just hope that morning star will be on our side. The music video and sparkling guitar also deserve mention.

So far I have written about some of the songs that define David Bowie to me or that define me by David Bowie. Now, there is a movie that has been written and programmed in to the universe an waited for 13+ billion years for Bowie to be born so that he can act in it. "The Man Who Fell to Earth". It is a cult movie and it is a must watch for anyone who had just hear about David Bowie. For me a grey or green alien is so terrestrial and someone like Bowie is far more outlandish and cosmic!

David Bowie's stages had a special attraction. That was Gail Ann Dorsey, the bassist. Bowie first saw her on TV and marked her in his mind for a suitable project. 7 years later, she was given a six week contract (that lasted for a really long time!) to be Bowie's bassist for an upcoming tour. Her stage presence is in no way inferior to her bass. Without Bowie, I might have missed this gem of bassists.

Bowie's last days were so painful as he knew that he was terminally ill with cancer. But still he worked on his album and tried to look and act as normal as he can. This is not mentioned here to be a motivational bullshit. But to say how a man who loved music and lived music had died music. The theme of his last album is so dark and suggestive of the impending doom.

We all are "Stardust"! Yes, we all are made up of atoms that are product of neucleosynthesis that happened in millions of long dead stars. We have our rises and falls (asymmetrically more fall!). Out of millions of stars out there, only few go Supernovae. Likewise in humans, only few like Bowie go Supernovae blowing out (Ziggy) Stardust far out in the emptiness of the cosmic space and seed new beginnings even with their death. So Rest In Peace is not for Bowie. His journey has just reached a different dimension.

Amateur Finance Tips

The following tips are from my own personal experience and may not be suitable for everyone. But still I am sharing this so that people who are in their early years of their careers can benefit.

Image Credit: Wikimedia

1. Don't save what remains after your expenses. But first plan your savings and then plan your expenses according to what is remaining.

2. Three things you MUST have: Health insurance that covers the entire family, life insurance for self and non-earning members (other earning members should take it on their own), cash in form of fixed deposits/savings account (this should be at least 30 to 50% of your annual income)

3. Never lend money for interest. Getting interest on money from banks and other such legal means in not "sin". But lending money for interest may cause innumerable problems. Also don't get enticed by pyramid schemes, wealth accumulation schemes, chit funds etc. They are risky and probability is high that you may lose money.

4. If you want to help a friend or relative in need, you can gift/lend money without interest. But make sure that you are not giving more than 10% (in terms of gift) or 20% (in terms of interest free lending) of your monthly income. You should not worry if the money doesn't come back in case of lending. That is why an upper limit is always advisable.

5. Don't invest too much in one sort of investments. Some people buy too much land, some stack gold coins and others blindly invest on shares. Take a balanced approach.

6. Never buy car/bike on loan. In early years of your job, you should try to cut expenses like this so that you can climb out of your educational loan and other such financial problems easily.

7. Never buy apartments on loan (or even with down payment). Instead wait for sometime, buy a land in your native or some nearby village, after 10 to 15 years of earning, build a good house with minimal or no loan. This will reduce your dependence on market forces and stress of loan pursuing you rest of the life.

8. Don't have any sort of addiction. Addictions apart from having detrimental effect on health also have same effect on your earnings. Spending 10,000 on a weekend booze is not acceptable even for a person who earns 1,00,000 a  month!

9. It is OK to be religious/spiritual. But watch out! God doesn't need your money. Especially in terms of rituals/tithing/donation etc. If you are compelled to help others for love of God, then do it in person yourself. Why give money to others?

10. Never go for EMIs (especially for smartphones, gadgets or for anything other than building a house, education and medical care. If you can't afford anything through down payment, then the time has not yet come for you to own it!

Finally, never try to cheat others in money matters. It may be one or two rupees in that corner shop. Or it may be a minor error in your income tax calculation. Never overlook these. Be watchful and keep your accounts clean. By this, you will also have the habit of checking your incoming account keenly. It will help you to check unnoticed loss of money.

If you have more points, please add them in comments! Thanks for reading!

Why eBooks Are Evil?

• You don't own the book.
• You can't gift the book.
• None can inherit your books.
• You can't donate it to local library.
• You can't sell it.
• You can't buy it for second-hand price.
• There is no way to have special editions.
• Rare books which are no more of interest and out of print (say for example Soviet era books) can't be found in eBook stores.
• Your books can be censored by or deleted by anyone sitting in a remote location.
• Photos, diagrams, tables and maps look better on physical books.
• You can't have any number of books open in front of you and cross-refer as with the physical books.
• You need to recharge your batteries.
• Your guests won't have an opportunity to peek in to your collection and find a common interest.
• You can't show off your collection to others.
• Your children will not be drawn to books if you always stare at a tablet. But a colorful cover is enough to hook in someone to read the book.
• Your reading choices can be used to predict your political or religious or any other demographic information with data mining.
• You won't get the physically connected feeling with your book. Unlike the physical books, with eBooks, all books feel the same in your hand.
• You need to stay with a particular service provider to access your books.
• You need any third-party software or hardware to read your book.
• You can't tear away pages, paste extra pages, combine and bind a customized book as per your wish. (My dad had compiled entire novels from published series in some magazines.)
• Paper may be considered polluting. But the impact can be mixed. But with tablets, the impact is always negative. Paper wastes are far less damaging than e-wastes and pollution from manufacturing process of tablets. Also eBook readers need constant power supply throughout their life! Hence eBook readers are far more damaging to the environment.
• Can't be used to cover your face, hold your ticket or letter, swat flies, as pillows or to adjust the height of your monitor!
• Can't be burnt to show your opposition to an ideology.

These are very few of the many reasons why eBooks suck and its advocates are dumb.

Chennai Book Fairs - 2016

So far this year (2016), there have been three Book Fairs in Chennai. The first one, Pongal Book Fair by Tamil Nadu Book Sales and Promotions Association, happened in the month of January at YMCA grounds, Royapettah. Soon after the floods that devastated the city, it was missed by many and the stalls were also few. Usually during this time of the year, BAPASI's book fair would happen at Nandanam YMCA grounds. As the city was just limping back to normalcy, BAPASI postponed their book fair to second quarter of the year. I was bit disappointed. But the discounts were better than BAPASI's usual 10%. Some stalls had up to 30% discount. Food stalls were few (who cares!) and other arrangements like parking, floor leveling were not up to the usual standards.

The second one by Chennai Puthaga Sangam at the Periyar Thidal in the month of April was the best according to me. There was a flat 50% discount on new books and there were lot of second-hand books for the delight of people like me. I was able to buy 10 novels (350 pages approx. each) for Rs. 300/-. Best deals were available on children's book too. 10 books for Rs. 100/- and 100 books for Rs. 500/-. I was carrying two wooden-handle bags full of books back to home!  Parking, food stalls and cleanliness were far superior. There was no entry fee. It happened in a fully air-conditioned hall. Those who missed it should regret!

The current one (1st to 13th of June, 2016) by The Book Sellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI), at Theevu Thidal is a bigger one with lot of publishers and stalls. But the discount is just 10% and also there are fewer shops selling second-hand books meaning lesser chance of getting rare collectable books. It is almost like a commercial exhibition instead of a book fair. More stalls for CDs, Magazine subscriptions, magic/arts/crafts kits and so on. Though I was able to get some good books, I was disappointed as some popular titles I searched for were not available! There is a train ride for kids and a large food court (again who cares?!?) available. Compared to previous two book fairs of this year, I have purchased lesser number of books. Stalls by New Century Book House, Bharathi Puthagalayam, Books for Children, Keelaikatru, Periyar Self Respect, Tamil Semmozhi Research Center (Government's) are some of the stalls I liked the most.

Overall, this year is a good year for bibliophiles in Chennai. Those who have missed Chennai Puthaga Sangam's book fair at Periyar Thidal may regret after visiting current BAPASI book fair. What to do? Let us hope Chennai Puthaga Sangam will conduct a bigger and better book fair next year! Thankfully I have hoarded my shelves with books for next 6 to 12 months! Happy Reading!!!

It Works!!! Really??!

I am really fed up with the ways in which so called "educated" people act.

Incident 1:

A girl in my apartment had some viral fever and was taken to a homeopath. He said that it is typhoid and gave "medicines" (sugar pills) for three days. After 3 days, the viral fever has gone and the girl is doing fine. But her mother says that the homeopath is like god and she fell on his feet for saving her child from typhoid. The problem here is the mother and the homeopath. The homeopath cheats people with a fake system that has been banned in many countries. He also claims a normal viral fever (just on day 1) as typhoid fever without proper tests and methods. He gives some sugar pills and charges Rs. 500/- for it. The girl is prevented from seeking proper medical care. The mother becomes foot soldier for the homeopath, telling everyone in the apartment and in the neighborhood to stop taking "allopathy" medicines with side-effects and start taking homeopathy which can cure all diseases. She also claims homeopathy cures once for all. If a disease is cured by homeopathy, it will never come again in lifetime.

Incident 2:

There is a small clinic in my neighborhood. A doctor who works with a reputed hospital visits the clinic and treats people with diabetes for a nominal fee (Rs. 100/-). Just four shops afar, there is a Siddha clinic. There is a board in front of it which says, diabetes can be cured in 6 months. Now, some people are consulting both these "doctors". Some even say that they will stop the "English medicines" once Siddha medicine starts taking effect. The point here is, there is no cure for diabetes (except gastric bypass in some cases) and no legiyam or kashayam or herbal powder can cure it. Second, the unregulated Siddha medicine may contain mercury, lead or other hazardous chemicals/plant extracts. The patients who are taking both "medicines" are feeling better due to the prescribed medicines given by the doctor. But they attribute it wrongly to Siddha medicines and once they stop the prescribed medicines, their conditions start to worsen. If that Siddha practitioner in the street corner can cure diabetes, why can't he just publish it in medical journals and claim a Nobel Prize?

Incident 3:

I was in a park and saw some people walking on a floor embedded with pebbles. I have seen that area of park earlier and thought that it is for decorative purpose. But people were taking off their shoes/slippers and walking slowly on the pebbles. I was curious and asked one of them. He said, it is acupressure treatment and walking on that small patch of pebble for 15 minutes is equal to jogging for 2 hours. He also claimed various parts of foot have links to various organs of body and by stimulating them we can cure diseases. I asked what is he doing. He said that he is a retired bank manager. Most of his retired life is spent on TV and sleeping. Instead of walking an hour or so to maintain an active lifestyle, he is diverted to this fake-science. The strip of floor is so small (around 10 meters) and over-crowded. Brisk walking is out of question and these people also walk very slowly pressing every step hard on the floor to stimulate "acupressure points".

You might have seen similar incidents . And if you refuse to believe and criticize these stupidities, you will be labeled as an agent for big-pharma and corporates. And when you get a severe fever or problems like knee pain, these people will come back to you and make fun of you and ask you to concede the defeat of "science" and embrace the truth of tradition! But it is your brain that finally gives you the courage to show them the middle finger!

இயற்கை விவசாயம் எவ்வளவு இயற்கையானது?

முதலில் இயற்கை என்றால் என்ன? இயல்பில் அமைவது இயற்கை. மனிதனால் செய்யப்படுவது  செயற்கை. இதில் நாம் முதலில் தெளிவடைய வேண்டும். இன்று "இயற்கை விவசாயம்"  என்று கூவும் பலருக்கும் முதலில் விவசாயம் பற்றி என்ன தெரியும்? அல்லது இயற்க்கை பற்றி என்ன தெரியும் என்று ஆராய்ந்து விட்டு,  அவர்கள் சொல்வதை நாம் நம்பினால் நல்லது. ஒவ்வொன்றாகப் பார்ப்போம்!

1. நிலம்

விவசாயம் செய்ய முதலில் தேவை நிலம். இந்த நிலம் எப்படி வந்தது? விவசாய நிலம் என்று இயற்கையாக ஏதாவது இடம் உண்டா? குரங்கில் இருந்து தோன்றிய மனிதன், முதலில் குரங்கைப் போல பழம், கிழங்குகள், சிறு விலங்கு/பறவைகள் இறைச்சி மற்றும் முட்டைகளை உண்டு வாழ்ந்தான். அப்போது ஒரு நாளின் பெரும்பாலான நேரம் அவன் உணவு தேடவும், உண்ணவும் செலவானது. பின்பு வேட்டையாட கல் மற்றும் மரத்தினாலான கருவிகளை உருவாக்கினான். வேட்டையாடி உண்டபோது அவனுக்குத் தேவையான ஆற்றல் (caloric energy) குறைந்த நேரத்திலேயே கிடைத்தது. அதன் விளைவாக ஓய்வு நேரத்தில் குகை ஓவியம்  வரைவது, மொழி மற்றும் இசை வளர்ப்பது, இதர ஆராய்சிகளில் ஈடுபடுவது என முன்னேறினான். அப்போது, எதார்த்தமாக ஆற்றங்கரைகளில் மரங்கள் மற்றும் செடிகள் வளர்வதைக் கண்டான். அங்கு நீரும், விலங்குகளும், பழங்களும் அதிகம் கிடைக்க, அங்கேயே தங்கினான். இன்னும் அவன் விவசாயம் செய்யவில்ல. பிறகு, தனக்கு ஒவ்வாத தாவரங்கள், மரங்கள், விலங்குகள், பறவைகள் மற்றும் வேறு இன குழுக்களைச் சேர்ந்த மனிதர்களை அழித்துத் தனக்கென்று ஒரு நிலத்தைக் கைப்பற்றி, அதில் தான் விரும்பும் மரம்/செடி/விலங்குகள் மட்டும் வளர்த்தான். இப்படி மனிதன் பிற உயிகளை அழித்துப பறித்த "விவசாய நிலம்" இயற்க்கைக்கு மாறானதே!

2. நீர்

இயல்பாக ஓடும் நீர் மட்டுமா விவசாயத்திற்குப் பயன்படுகிறது? அப்படிப் பார்த்தல், இங்கு விவசாயமே கிடையாது. கால்வாய்கள் வெட்டி, குளம் குட்டிகள் உருவாக்கி, கிணறு, பம்பு செட் என்று நிலத்தடி நீரை உறிஞ்சி, அணைகள் கட்டி, மழை இயற்கையாய் பெய்யாத காலத்திலும் நீரை தேக்கிப் பயன்படுத்துவது இயற்கையா? இப்படி நதிகள் மற்றும் ஓடைகளின் போக்கை மாற்றுவது அந்த பகுதியில் உள்ள இயற்கைச் சமநிலையை எப்படி பாதிக்கும் என்று யோசித்ததுண்டா? அணைக்கட்டுகள் எவ்வளவு காடுகளை ஆக்கரமிக்கும் என்று கணக்கிட்டதுண்டா? இப்படி நீரை மனிதன் தன விருப்பத்திற்கு ஏற்றார்போல திசை திருப்பி, தேக்கி, உரிந்து செய்யும் விவசாயம் எந்த வகையில் இயற்கை?

3. விதை

இன்று நீங்கள் உண்ணும் எந்தப் பழமோ, காயோ, பயிரோ, கீரையோ இயல்பாகத் தோன்றியவை இல்லை. இவை அனைத்தும் தெரிவுமுறை பயிரிடல் (selective breeding ) மூலம் மனிதர்களால் உருவாக்கப்பட்டவை. எடுத்துக்காட்டாக, முட்டைக்கோஸ், காலிப்ளவர், நூல்கோல் அகிய அனைத்துக் காய்களும், ஒரே தாவர வகையே! இதை மனிதன் தெரிவு முறைப் பயிரிடல் மூலம் உருவாக்கியுள்ளான். அது மட்டுமா? ஒரு பகுதியில் இயல்பாக விளையாத பயிர்களை மனிதன் அங்கு கொண்டுவந்து விதைக்கிறான். இன்று நாம் சாப்பிடும் உருளைக்கிழங்கு, மிளகாய், தக்காளி, பப்பாளி எல்லாம் அமெரிக்கக் கண்டத்தில் இருந்து வந்தவை. இப்படி ஒரு இடத்தில் இல்லாத தாவரங்களை மனிதனாகக் கொண்டுவந்து திணிப்பது இயற்கையா? எங்காவது நெல்லோ, கோதுமையோ அதுவாக வளர்கிறதா? மனிதனால், மனிதனுக்காக உருவாகப்பட்ட பயிர்கள் மற்றும் அதன் விதைகள் எப்படி இயற்க்கை ஆகும்? ஒரு புலி தனக்கான மானை selective breeding செய்து உருவாக்கவில்லை! ஆனால், நாம் சாப்பிடும் எல்லா உணவுப் பொருட்களும், செயற்கையாக மனிதனால் உருவாக்கப்பட்டவையே!

4. உரம்

எங்காவது இயற்கையாக ஒரு மரத்தை நீங்கள் உரமிடப்பட்டோ, நீர் பாய்ச்சிய நிலையிலோ கண்டதுண்டா? "இந்த உரம் இந்த செடிக்கு", "இந்த உரம் இவ்வளவு அளவு" என்று மனிதன் வகுத்துத் தொகுத்து போடும் உரம் (அது குப்பை மேட்டில் இருந்து வந்தாலும், ஆலையில் இருந்து வந்தாலும்) செயற்கையே! இப்படி நாம் போடும் உரத்தினால், மண்ணில் இயல்பாக உள்ள நுண்ணுயிர் மற்றும் வேதிச் சமநிலை (microbial  and  chemical  balance) கெட்டு மண் தன் இயல்பு நிலையை இழக்கிறது. இது தவறில்லையா? இப்படி தலைமுறை தலைமுறையாக மனிதன் ஆராய்ந்து அறிந்து செய்யும் செயல் அறிவியல் ரீதியான செயற்கையா? இல்லை பரிணாம ரீதியான இயற்கையா?

5. வேலி/களை/பூச்சி கொல்லி

இயற்கை விவசாயம் ரசாயன பூசிகொல்லி பயன்படுத்துவதில்லை என்று மார்தட்டினாலும், வேலி அடைப்பது, களைகளைப் பிடிங்குவது, பறவைகளை விரட்டுவது, எலிகளைக் கொல்வது என்று எல்லாவகையிலும் இயற்க்கைக்கு மாறாகச் செயல்படுகிறது. இதில், பூசிகொல்லியாக சில பொருட்களும் பயன் படுத்துகின்றனர். கேட்டல், அவை இயற்கை உட்பொருட்கள் கொண்ட பூசிகொல்லி. அகவே, அவை பாதுகாப்பானது என்று சொல்கின்றனர். அரளிவிதை, உமத்தங்காய், புகை இல்லை எல்லாம் இயற்கைப் பொருட்களே! அதனால் அவை பாதுகாப்பானவையா?

6. சமையல்

இவை எல்லாவற்றிலும் தப்பித்து ஒரு உணவுப்பொருள் வந்தாலும், அதை நாம் பச்சையாகவா உண்கிறோம்? அதை வெட்டி, அரைத்து, வேகவைத்து, எண்ணெய், உப்பு போன்ற செயற்கை பொருட்களுடன் சேர்த்து, அடுப்பில் வைத்து சமைத்துதானே சாபிடிகிறோம்? இப்படி நாம் செய்யும்போது, பல இயற்பியல் மற்றும் வேதியியல் மாற்றங்கள் (physical  and chemical  reactions) ஏற்பட்டு நம் உணவு தயார் ஆகிறது! இது எப்படி இயற்கை?

7. ஜீவகாருண்யம்

இவை எல்லாவற்றிற்கும் மேலாக நம்மிடம் அவர்கள் வைக்கும்  வாதம், ஜீவகாருண்யம்! இப்படிப் பல உயிர்கள் வாழும் காட்டை அழித்து, இயல்பாய் ஓடும் நீர் வழிகளைச் சிதைத்து, உரம் என்று மண்ணின் சமநிலை கெடுத்து நீங்கள் செய்யும் விவசாயத்தால் சாகும் உயிர்கள் எத்தனை? இவை எல்லாம் பொதுவாக கணக்கில் கொள்ளப்படுவதில்லை! நேரடியாகப்  பார்த்தால், ஒவ்வொரு நெல் மணியும் ஒரு கருவே! ஒவ்வொரு காரட் செடியும் ஒரு உயிரே! அப்படி இருக்க இந்த உணவு எப்படி ஜீவகாருண்யம் ஆகும்? செடிகள் வலியை உனாரது என்றால், கோமா-வில் இருக்கும் மனிதனுக்கும் அது பொருந்துமே! அக மனிதன் வாழ இன்றும் என்றும் பல உயிர்களைக் கொன்றே தின்கிறான், தின்பான்! இதில் உன் முறை கொடூரம், என் முறை சாத்வீகம் என்பதெல்லாம் சுத்தப் பிதற்றல்.

முடிவாக...

இந்தக் கட்டுரையின் நோக்கம் என்னவென்றால், நாம் அனைவரும் விவசாயத்தை விட்டுவிட்டு மீண்டும் ஆதி மனிதனாக காட்டில் வேட்டையாடித் திரியவேண்டும் என்பதல்ல. விவசாயம், மனிதனால் காலம் காலமாக அனுபவம் மற்றும் சோதனை அறிவின் விளைவாய் வந்த ஒரு அறிவியல் கருவி. இந்த விவசாயம் என்னும் செயற்கைக் கருவி, உணவு உற்பத்திக்குப் பயன்படுகிறது. இந்த விவசாயம், காலம்தோறும் மாறிக்கொண்டே இருந்தது, மாறிகொண்டே இருக்கிறது. இப்படி உள்ள ஒரு விஷயத்தில், 100 வருடம் முன்பு செய்தது சரி என்றும், இப்போது செய்வது தவறு என்றும் சொன்னால், அது தேக்கநிலைக்கே வழிவகுக்கும்.

மனிதனால் தெரிவுமுறைப் பயிரிடல் மூலம் செடிகளின் மரபணு மாற்றப்படுகிறது. இப்படி மருபணு மாற்றம் அடைந்த அரிசி, பருப்பு, பழங்களையே நம் முன்னோர்கள் ஆயிரக்கணக்கான ஆண்டுகளாக உண்டு வந்துள்ளனர். இன்று வேறு முறைகள் உள்ளதால் நாம் எளிதாக, ஒரு சோதனைக்கூடத்திலேயே இந்த மரபணு மாற்றத்தைச் செய்துவிடலாம். அனால், பழையமுறை மரபணு மாற்றத்தை ஏற்கும் "இயற்கை விவசாயிகள்", இந்தப் புது முறையை ஏற்க்க மறுக்கின்றனர். போர்-வெல் போட்டு தண்ணீர் எடுக்க வெட்கப்பாத இவர்கள், யுரியாவையும், நைட்ரோஜென் உரத்தையும் கண்டு அஞ்சுகின்றனர்.

இன்று உலகில் உணவுப் பற்றாகுறையும் நீர்த் தட்டுப்பாடும் தலைவிரித்து ஆடும் நிலையில், அறிவியலின் துணையை அன்றி நாம் யாரின் துணியை நாட முடியும்? ஆர்கானிக் பார்மிங் என்ற பெயரில் இன்று விவசாயத்தை பெரு முதலாளிகள் கைப்பற்ற நடக்கும் முயற்சி ஒருபுறம். விதைகளுக்கும், உரங்களுக்கும் காப்புரிமை என்று பன்னாட்டுத் தரகு முதலாளிகளின் லாபவெறி மறுபுறம்! இதில் இந்த இயற்கை விவசாயக் கும்பல் மக்களின் கவனத்தைத் திசைதிருப்பி, பிரச்சனை இல்லாதவற்றை பிரச்சனையாக்கி, பிழைப்பு நடத்துகின்றனர். "Organic" என்று ஸ்டிக்கர் ஒட்டி பல மடங்கு விலை வைத்து விற்றாலும் கேள்வி கேட்காமல் வாங்கும் மூடக்கூட்ட்தை உருவாக்குவதே இவர்கள் நோக்கம்.

இந்த ஆர்கானிக் முறை விவசாயம் சிறு விவசாயிகளினால் கொண்டுசெலுத்த முடியாத ஒன்று. இதைச் சாக்காக வைத்து, பெரு முதலாளிகள் நிலங்களைப் பறித்து, ஆர்கானிக் ஸ்டிக்கர் ஒட்டி, சூப்பர் மார்கெட்டுகளில் உணவை விற்க ஆரம்பித்து விட்டனர். இந்த நிலை தொடரந்தால், உணவுத்தட்டுப்பாடு ஏற்படுவது உறுதி! மாறாக, சரியான முறையில் ஆராய்ந்து, தனியார்களின் லாப வெறிக்காக இல்லாமல், மக்களின் ஒட்டுமொத்த தேவைக்காக இந்த அறிவியல் செயல்பட வேண்டும். விவசாயம் மற்றும் விவசாயம் சார்ந்த துறைகள் நாட்டுடைமை ஆக்கப்படவேண்டும். ISRO போல நம் நாட்டு அறிவியலாளர்களைக் கொண்டு ஆராய்சிகள் செய்து விவசாயம் முன்னேற வேண்டும். விதை மற்றும் விவசாயத் தொழில்நுட்பங்களில் காப்புரிமை முறை (patent system) ஒழிக்கப்பட வேண்டும்! பஞ்சமில்லாத வளமான இந்திய எங்கள் எதிகாலமாக வேண்டும்!

Leave and Travel?

For last few days, there was much noise about the tax on EPF. Thankfully the government has reversed the same now. But there is a feeble cry in my mind for a long time. This is about the non-taxable nature of Leave and Travel Allowance (LTA). To makes things simple and not to waste time on things that are not related to this post, please read about LTA here: http://taxguru.in/income-tax/taxability-of-leave-travel-allowance-lta-and-relevant-aspects-to-keep-in-mind.html

Why traveling alone is given a privilege over other forms of recreations or entertainments?

So what is the problem with LTA? I am not against LTA tax exemptions. But I am asking why traveling alone is given a privilege over other forms of recreations or entertainments? It is correct to argue that travel encourages tourism and indirectly benefits the economy and hence the tax exemption. But this can be said to anything. For example, a good guitar costs around 7,000 to 15,000 rupees. A good set of encyclopedia costs around 5,000 to 10,000 rupees. A hobby telescope costs around 4,000 to 8,000 rupees. Can you get tax deduction on these? They also encourage trade and business. It is profitable for the business and pays the craftsmen. It also encourages the "scientific temper" among the public which in turn may result in more inventions, discoveries, creativity and overall progress of the nation. Why there is no tax exemption on these things?

Also not everyone likes to travel. For example, I like to spend days together in a locked room than visiting 10 locations in 3 days. It is neither relaxing, not informative to travel that much in the small vacations we avail now-a-days. Some people may have a working spouse or studying kid or bedridden parents and hence couldn't plan for a travel. Physically challenged people, people with chronic diseases etc. also prefer to stay home instead of taking that extra risk of travelling. Also travels result in increased number of accidents, which indirectly harm the economy through reduced productivity, insurance cost and loss of life. As we can see, LTA is skewed towards people who like to travel a lot. But why leave behind the considerable population who don't want to travel?

A group of friends can travel to Goa or Pondicherry and booze and happily claim the travel expenses under LTA while another group of friends interested in astronomy have to fund their telescope without any encouragement like tax benefits. Is this acceptable? I think it is not! I try my best to list few of the things that can be exempted from tax. This can be clubbed under one new category "Recreation and Hobby Allowance" or RHA!

a. Exercise and Fitness Equipment

As an encouragement towards a stronger and healthy India, fitness equipment with valid scientific backing can be excluded from taxation. Why I say they should have valid scientific backing? Because claiming tax benefit for a magnetic amulet that can "cure" obesity is not what we want end of the day, right? Indian Medical Association and other such Government bodies should have a transparent process to identify valid fitness equipment so that people can get tax benefits for them. Also spending on proper sport gears like balls, nets, helmets etc. for children should be non-taxable for the parents. The price tag on a 600 rupees shoe will look like 540 rupees for a salaried middleclass parent. Will it not encourage a student somewhere to become a Olympic gold medalist holding the Tricolor?

b. Musical Instruments, Drawing and Painting Tools and the Likes

Music is integral part of our culture, so are the various arts. Music, drawing, painting, dancing, sculpting and other forms of arts demand lot of money for the equipment and tools involved. We all know that it is not cheap to learn any art. And art has no age too! Art is long and life is short, right? Is it wrong to learn Tanjore painting at 35? I am not even saying that the fee amount should be non-taxable (I will be happy if it is!) At least the money spent on the articles, tools and instruments involved should be non-taxable. Again, institutions like UGC should strongly scrutinize the candidates for this exemption as pseudo-science and religion can sneak in to this category easily.

c. Books, Infotainment Media (CD/DVD/e-Books/Downloaded Contents)

Good books are indicators of a good culture and civilization!

We are reading lesser and lesser if we don't consider our WhatsApp and Facebook ASCI diarrhea as reading. Good books are indicators of a good culture and civilization. In this modern era, not only books, but interactive software, videos and audios can also play a good role in shaping us. Again, government should make sure that no religious or pseudo-scientific books or media slips in to this category.

d. Scientific Hobbies

Young children often ask their parents "Dad, can you buy me a microscope?" or "Mom, can I get a electronics kit for this birthday?". Even if the parent is willing, when they check the price of the "gift", they get upset and settle with a video game console or a cricket bat, for which the kid shows no interest. But when the kid doesn't get what it loves and forced to love what it gets, we are silently murdering a scientist in making. If the government gives a double tax benefit on scientific equipment (again no pseudos!), we can see more and more kids looking in to the night skies or testing the salinity of the nearby pond. Who knows how many Sir C. V. Ramans and Satyendra Boses are going wasting time on WWE only because they couldn't get their hand on a book or an instrument they wished for? Giving a 10 or 20% tax benefit on these items can return the nation in many ways. Even if only 1 out of thousand becomes a scientist, given the population of India, we will be world's number 1 in few decades.

Conclusion

There can be more such things which can be classified as both entertainment/hobby and beneficial to the individual and society. I am not here to list them all. This post is just to share my opinion on the skewed nature of LTA benefits. Why I am saying this is because, government cannot decide that travel alone is what everyone wants and it is not sufficient to give travel alone some tax benefits while things far better and beneficial than travel are given no encouragement at all. As we have seen in above examples, there are lot many things people like to get involved in their free time. Given the direct positive effects on trade and economy and the indirect benefits of building a stronger and brighter nation, tax exemption on these secular and scientific areas of human interests is need of the hour!

Confessions of a Cauliflower Cultivator

I knew that from day one. The guys at neighboring farm were up to something. They were doing something with cabbage. Something odd, that every season, the cabbages of their field became whiter and whiter. Was that the leaf or the flower? I didn't know back then. I am not that silly to jump over the fence and have a look at it. But they harvested it, loaded in carts and sent it to some unknown place every season. It happened by accident. I was in the town to sell my cabbages. There was a new shop in the market. They sold some fried food. People were all around the shop, shouting and pushing each other. It made me curious. I went near the shop.They were selling some red stuff deep fried in oil. When I was waiting for my plate of the fries, I saw the cart.

The same cart of my neighbor, which he used to carry the white stuff. The cart was parked behind the shop and his men were unloading the white stuff from the cart. Before I could get a better view, I was given my plate of the fries and asked to move on. The stuff was hot. It was nothing but the regular batter they used for other such fries. But inside it, it was the white stuff. Crunchy and juicy, with a taste that was similar to cabbage stem. But the upper part of the stuff was somewhat rough and grainy in texture. So this is the stuff they are harvesting and selling secretly! I waited in the market till evening. When the crowd had gone and the shopkeeper was counting his money, I went to him.

I asked him, what was that stuff he was selling. He gave me an odd look and continued counting his money. I told him that I am from the same village as the other farmer who supplied him the stuff. He gave me a stare and asked what I wanted. I said, I will pay you twice the money, just give me the white stuff without frying. He refused. I raised the money up to 10 times the cost of fries. But he refused and asked me to leave. I stayed that night in the market. Before the dawn, some boys rushed from the back of the shop and dumped a sac in the garbage pit. I ensured that they were back in the shop and jumped in to the pit. I loaded some of the leftovers in my bag and rushed back to home.

It was clear from the leaves. It was a cabbage plant. But something had happened. Like what happened 100 years ago, when a great demand for turnip got started, they made cabbage plant to grow turnip like stem. How they did that? I remember my grandfather explaining that to my father. First they selected the wild cabbage with somewhat stouter stem, then every generation, they replanted plants with stems that were even stouter than the previous generations, while the other plants were carefully uprooted and fed to cows. After 60 cycles, they got it! A turnip like stem, green in color and crunchy to eat. It was an instant hit! People added it to their soups and salads. Almost half of the farmers switched to this new product! So my neighbor had done something similar with the flower this time. And he kept that secret unlike how they shared the idea 100 years ago.

3 months later, it was my youngest son who went to play with my neighbor's children, brought home those pods. They were like cabbage pods. But I understood that they are of the new large-flower breed. I managed to get 8 to 10 seeds from that and planted them on a patch of land behind my cottage so that my neighbor couldn't see it easily. It grew. Exactly like how it grew in his farm. I didn't know how my neighbor will react towards this. But I was curious to show him the plants and get more information on it. I was even ready to exchange some of the new breed chicken I got from a friend abroad.

So I gave him a shout and called him to the patch of land where those white buds were smiling at the sun. He didn't expect the surprise awaited for him. He was angry and shouted that I had stolen his hard work of 15 years! I was speechless. He almost made me cry. I promised him that I will destroy the plants and will never plant them again. But that was not enough for him. He revealed that he had an agreement with the fries shop. Moreover a share of the profit, he sent to the duke as tribute in exchange for protection in case of any problem. According to him, I have stolen his work of body and mind and deserved punishment. He called his men and tied me up and took me to the duke. The duke ordered me that I should give him an years yield and I should be imprisoned for twenty years! I was on my knees and I was crying for mercy. Neither the duke nor my neighbor considered my plea.

At last, I asked for a chance to meet my eldest son to settle things before I went to the dungeons. It was granted. Apart from advices on money dealings and other stuffs, I asked him to go to hill side and get some wild cabbage. I instructed him that he should plant them and replant them selecting the ones with larger and larger flower cluster, cycle after cycle. This he had to do it in my brother's farm in the next village. It may be a hard task for a 13 year old. But still, he had to do it for the honor of his father. 20 year passed and I came out half the man I used to be. Instead of taking me to my home, my son took me to my brother's farm. It was almost the same! White mounds of flower clusters! It almost looked like those clouds in the Heaven! He did it! He did it on his own. Now nobody can come and tell that we have stolen their work. It is our own work! Our entry in to our village was almost a carnival! A cart full of the harvested flowers followed us. My wife and other children came running to me cheering and yelling.

It was almost the same! White mounds of flower clusters!

That evening was almost like a dream. We were all reunited. My youngest son was already planning what to buy with the money we get when we sell those flowers in the market. Someone knocked on the door. Then there was a bang and the door flung open. Men of the duke marched in to my house. They kept a knife on my throat and my son's throat and pulled us away to the court. My neighbor and his son were standing there, filled with anger. The duke, now a ripe old man, looked at me and wondered was it the same man he released that morning. Now my neighbor's charge against us was "copying his idea". The duke heard for some time and declared that we both had violated the law by copying his idea and stealing his wisdom. We were clueless. If selectively planting the seeds with the desired traits is the "wisdom", then it was not their wisdom. This, everyone knows. If making a cabbage plant with larger flower is the work, my son had done it on his own. What had we copied? What had we stolen? But nobody listened to us.

At last they sentenced me to death for repeated offense and my son to 20 years in prison. I begged them to give me a chance to confess my sins to you, the public, before the sword takes my life. These are the crimes I have committed. I did to the flower exactly what they did with the green turnip. I wanted to share the fruits of my work like how they shared the new breed of cow that gave more milk. I wanted to sell more cabbage flowers so that the fries will be cheaper and made at everyone's kitchen. But I stand before you awaiting the sword. For his profit, you are going to pay with that extra money every time you eat the fries. I am paying with my flesh and blood. Good bye!

Testing The Waters

There are two things currently trending in social media. Beep song and Sagayam for CM. Thanks for our short-term memories that we have already moved away from recent floods, let alone protest against liquor. In my understanding, these two incidents seems to be testing the waters before a full fledged public "coming out". It is safer for the parties involved.

The song was written, sung, recorded with music and vulgar words beeped-out. Perfectly ready for posting in Youtube or Soundcloud. Then suddenly someone "leaked" it. If the public reaction was positive, then we might have seen people claiming that "Simbu alone didn't do the song." "It is my music." "My recording theater!" etc. But as the reaction is negative everyone else had forsaken Simbu to fight the legal battles alone and face the angry crowd of people. But as the song is not "published" in proper sense, Simbu can claim that the song is "leaked" without his knowledge and it is none of his fault. Perfect example for the benefit of "testing the water"!

Now take the another case: Sagayam for CM. He may be a good IAS officer. And the idea of Sagaym for CM is not that bad. But the way this idea is brought to public is what strikes a nerve for me. Sagayam can resign his post and start a political party or join any existing party if he wants to run for CM. Else he can just openly give a statement that he is not interested in politics and no one should use his name in that way in social media or public gatherings. But his "silence" is deafening as he just sits like it is somebody else's problem. If there is enough support, he may come out as a candidate in coming elections. Else he may just downplay this entire episode as a social media sensation created by some over enthusiastic fans. A Goundamani comedy scene comes to mind!

Even Dr. Kalam tried his hand at this trick, when he said that he was willing to be the president for second term if there is "certainty".  (http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/kalam-surprises-third-front/story-YxWB2XRUrveu8aCHigxvBJ.html)

So the lesson for us is, if this method works even for public figures, why not we utilize the same? You can tell your wife that there is a good offer on pizzas in nearby shop. If she shows some interest, you can go ahead and order pizzas and escape from upma. Else you can silently glue your mouth shut with upma without further "consequences". Practical isn't it?

Pyramid Schemes?

Recently I heard from a friend that there is an easy, legal and moral way to earn money - lot of money - so that you can just quit your job and sit at home while your bank balance swells with time. He perfectly sounded like a tele-marketing agency trying to sell me a lucky stone. So I asked him how it works and he took me to a place on a weekend.

There were some 20 to 30 persons who are just like me brought there by their friends. We were quickly introduced to some one who came in a costly car with latest mobile and dressed like a VJ.  He is an elder member of the scheme they said. They started with how marketing works and how much is spent on advertising blah blah... Then they said that if that much amount spent on advertising is diverted to people who introduce their friends or family to the product, then the introducing person can get good deal of money. And as the people who he introduced in turn introduce more and more people, he will get money endlessly as more and more people join the scheme.

Next they showed us some sort of binary tree. Each person must introduce two persons and they in turn will introduce two persons and so on. So if you have two persons below, when they bring two persons each, then you will have 2 + (2 + 2) = 6 persons below you. According to them, you can fully get your money back apart from taxes if there are some 10 to 16 persons below you. Someone asked what will happen if the person whom I introduce didn't bring new joiners. For that they said "Even if you don't bring new customers, we won't allow the tree to grow asymmetrically. We will ensure that the tree grows in a proper binary tree pattern!"

Suddenly Something came in to my mind. It may be linked to the binary tree they have discussed or the racing flag key chain at the hands of the person sitting next to me. That "Wheat and Chessboard Problem". I remembered my dad saying that story when he first bought me a chessboard. Nothing which doubles in every next step can go indefinitely. This is what we call exponential growth. Here the growth will be limited by the population who can participate in this scheme.

Consider India. We have more than 1 billion strong population. But how many of them are earning members who can buy this? Can we take it is approximately 750 million (this is gross exaggeration as most people won't spend thousands of rupees in questionable schemes)?  So it means that almost all the person including children and bed-ridden senior citizens are joining the scheme. So it all starts with one person. He will have 2 persons below. Let us say this is first level. So at any point of time, the total number of persons in a proper binary tree will be 2^(n+1) - 1, where n is the number of levels from the first person who starts this scheme.

So this tree can grow up to 28 levels in India (when the total number of members will be 536,870,911 or approximately 536 million). Even if all of the existing members hunt for new joiners from the dense forests of Andaman to the dusty deserts of Thar, they won't get enough members to fill the next level of the tree, which will cross the 1 billion mark. So all the people at the bottom most level can not register any profit and turn to their introducer for a refund.

And the beauty of a proper binary tree is that in every level it will have 1 more person than the total number of persons in all previous levels. Mind you! This is not just the immediate previous level but ALL previous levels. For example, in level 4, there will be 31 persons in total. But on level 5, there will be 63 persons in total. That means, 32 new people have joined in level 5. The number of new joiners is greater than the TOTAL of existing members in the scheme! So, there will be more people who will be demanding for a refund than the people who can offer a refund.

Another point to note is, unless you get 2 or 3 levels below you, you will suffer loss. So let us assume that people in level 28 and 27 are after all other people in the scheme for a refund. That is 402,653,184 people who lost their money are chasing 134,217,727 people who introduced them to the scheme for a refund. Hmm... Don't worry! Such doomsday events won't happen in real life. Because the tree won't grow that large in first place. In my opinion, the tree can grow safely up to 10 to 20 levels after which, no matter how hard people try, it will stop growing. At this point you can see in news that thousands are protesting outside police station to punish the people who run the scheme and get their money back.

I was just doing some math in my mobile's calculator when I was awaken by my friend, with a typical toothpaste ad grin, from my numeric trance. He was holding some forms with a pen and asking me to sign it! He was telling that he will pay the joining fee and I can repay it later. I just refused to sign as I had lot of negative feelings about the scheme. But I was surrounded by people who were frantically running for ATMs and signing the forms. I just walked out while he was running behind me begging please. I might have lost a good friendship. But I just saved myself from loosing many other good friends who I might have introduced to this scheme if I had become a victim myself.

So, when things like this come to you by any means, just say "NO!". It may be selling some soap oil or buying a gold coin or marketing lunch boxes. Say no! If you want to invest your money, invest in gold, FD, RD, insurance, mutual funds, SIP, ULIPs, shares, land etc. But don't think that there are shortcuts to earn and multiply wealth. There is no way like that to be rich. Pyramid schemes are banned in many countries. I seriously doubt whether these schemes are legal in India. If more and more people start talking about them openly, sooner or later government will ban them. By joining these schemes you may endanger your hard earned money, reputation among friends and family, job and peace of mind just because you allowed someone to fool you.

DIY Cap Gun

The fireworks season is on! Diwali followed by Karthigai followed by Christmas followed by New Year, followed by Pongal! WOW! For next three months, there will be lot of dazzling colors and sounds (and also smoke and bit of paper!). What to do if the kids are demanding for lot of crackers and sparklers? How to divert them to do something useful and at the same time less polluting and cheap? This Do It Yourself (DIY) cap gun is one. When I was a kid, during a Diwali time, one of my friend introduced this in our street. Soon, everyone of us were bugging our parents/brothers/friends to help us in making our own cap guns and we almost lost our interest in everything else (sweets are exceptions as usual!). Let us see how to make it!

What you need?

Things you need

1. A hollow stick (I don't know the name of that plant we used, but any hollow stick that is strong and not so thick is suitable)

2. A large nail (4 or 4.5 or 5 inch nail according to the size of stick or availability)

3. A small nail (1 inch nail)

4. A bicycle wheel spoke with the nipple (screw like part that connects the spoke to the rim)

5. A rubber band

6. A knife to cut the stick

If you are below 15 years old, you also need an adult supervisor (preferably parent/elder sibling).

Steps:

Don't forget to get adult(s) help in case you are younger than 15!

1. Cut a 2 to 2.5 inch wide rectangle in the middle of the length of the stick up to half of the thickness (refer image).

2. Insert the large nail in the stick through the slit which we have cut. The head of the nail should be facing the opening of the slit (refer image). You may need some bits of paper or card to hold it tightly in place. You can use any suitable thing like large screws, flat head pins etc, preferably made of metal, in this place if you don't find a suitable nail.

3. Drive the small nail on the stick so that it is in the opposite side of the large nail (refer image).

Nipple end should be straight...

4. Bend the bicycle spoke as shown in the image.

5. Insert the bicycle spoke in to the stick, with the nipple facing the large nail and put the rubber band over the small nail and bent end of the spoke.

6. Drag the spoke and insert a spot cap or a single bit of torn roll cap in the space between the nail and spoke's nipple. Release the spoke, “Tzzaap!”

You can try with different shape of sticks. Also you can paint your gun or stick some color papers to improve its look. I once tied an empty soap box to the bottom and pasted black paper to give it a better look!

Advantages:

This gun will soon break or may need frequent tinkering. So this will keep the kids engaged in taking care of their home made guns and improving the same instead of demanding  you to buy another 1000-wala. Also it will make them proud that it is the gun they themselves have made and hence their happiness is much more compared to those who own costly cap guns and crackers. As the parts are fully bio degradable and caps cause relatively miniscule pollution, this is Eco-friendly too! You can think of lot many improvements and other such DIY toys. If you have any ideas, you can also share it with others! So have a creative, safe and responsible festival season ahead! Enjoy!

Rain Rain Go Away?

It is rainy season again. A good rain is what farmers need to grow crops, forests need to sustain the flora and fauna, people in cities need to replenish the ground water, power-plants need to supply us with electricity and the list never ends... The purest natural source of water, "The Elixir of Life" as told by Sir C V Raman, is rain. Nature itself distils the water! Removing salts, killing germs and leaving behind sediments, Sun works as a huge boiler that provides us with pure water. Whenever scientists look for life in other planets/moons they look for liquid water. As Valluvar said, "The world can't sustain without water!". But what our people think about rains? Some people like the "Little Johnny" want their life to go on as usual and feel rain as a spoiler! But for a "regular" life 365 days, we have to happily receive rain for at least 15 days!

Bad Roads?

A subway, completely submerged in water.

We should not be angry with the rain for bad roads. We should raise our voices in proper forums to repair the roads regularly before the winter begins. Also the sewer system should be prepared to handle rainwater and waste water efficiently. Rainwater falling on highways and other places like bus stands and railway stations can be harvested easily. Already government has started some initiatives like that, but due to bad maintenance, these systems are barely working. So stop accusing rains for bad roads!

Mosquitoes?!

Mosquito repellents are secondary!

Rains are not the "cause" of increased mosquitoes and mosquito borne diseases. It is human inefficiency to keep the surroundings clean of stagnant water which creates suitable breeding havens for mosquitoes. And one more thing, mosquitoes that cause diseases mostly breed in fresh water. They don't breed in drainage or murky waters usually. Also the water on roads usually dries in few days, hence mosquito larvae can't grow to mosquitoes in road side puddles. But on the other hand, water stored in tanks, pots, vessels are where these mosquitoes find fresh water to breed. Also places like AC machine cases, discarded tyres, broken plastic/glass articles can hold clean water for many days providing suitable space and duration for mosquitoes to breed.

Fever and Diseases

Maintain cleanliness!

With rain, we get more fever and diseases. It is not the rain water itself that causes the diseases. It is the germs which utilize the moisture in air and on surfaces to survive for longer periods and easily spread from person to person. Sunlight, which kills many germs in sunny days of summers is also scarce. So what can we do? By maintaining clean habits, one can protect himself and others from catching infections. Frequent hand washing, avoiding touching face/eyes/mouth/food without washing hands, sneezing in to kerchiefs, wearing shoes, avoiding urination and defecation in open etc can prevent lot of infections. Taking brooms in hand is not the only way to create a "Clean India"! Every person maintaining a good personal hygiene is a soldier in this fight against diseases.

Conclusion

Some believe that if people are upset due to rains, there will be lesser rainfall! I am not one of them. We can neither summon rain through rituals nor we can send rain away by wishful thinking. But what I mean by this article is, if we take proper steps and remain well prepared, rainy seasons are enjoyable. It is a chance to thank the Almighty for the divine providence. Next time when it starts raining when you are half way to office, just find a teashop, have a hot tea/coffe and enjoy the love of nature poured upon us!