A Letter to NASA

Dear NASA,

The media in my country tells me that you have selected some dude called Sridhar Kamble for becoming an astronomer at NASA. They tell me that based on his feedback on “Evolution of Galaxy”, you were so impressed by this high school kid that you have recommended him to Colorado University (No, not Colorado State University, not University of Colorado but Colorado University, wherever that is) for his college education in Astronomy.

You have also promised him  $1000 monthly stipend and Junior research scientist position at NASA.

Please tell me he is pulling this up from his donkey. please tell me he is scamming the citizens of his country and government. (oh, about the scam, did I tell you that to qualify for your stipend he needs to actually come to US and pay his freshmen year fees about $40000 and coming from a modest family, he needs HELP. State government has already agreed to help and he is accepting private donations)

Please tell me that he (or whoever scammed him into it) with that $40000, he is going to sip pina colada in Maui Island wherever that is, or central Jail of my country whoever finds him first.

Please tell me that he is just like the other low life guy who was caught while trying to fake similar NASA award in my country couple of years back. Remember?  Media in my country got wild even then just like they are now. Please tell me they fell for it again…(yes few things cannot change)

Please DO NOT tell me this is really happening, please do not tell me there is actually a NASA Essay Writing competition held internationally, based on which you recruit “JUNIOR RESEARCH SCIENTISTS”. Why did you not come to when I was in my country??? why did you not come to me when I am in your country for last 7 years and now with a freaking PhD. Why did you not ask me what are my thoughts on Evolution of Galaxy???? Why did I not see you in any campus recruiting event in US? Wont that be cheaper than bringing a high school kid from half way around that world and pay him $1000 monthly stipend for two years before he joins? Why why why??

Somebody, somebody at NASA, are you listening? hello?? please tell me this is BULL. Please leave a comment on this blog.  Please give me 1 million dollar. No? but at least leave a comment. Tell the truth or tell everything what I want to hear, whichever is  truer.

I have a bet with my wife on it. please do not let me loose it.

Yours Truly,

Tismar Khan,

P.S: Sridhar Kamble, may be we can work out a deal if you want me to remove this post. I am very influential writer. I just need some influence to write.

Hey Ram…

Note: Post slightly outdated, I wrote it last week but could not find time to post it.

When it comes to protecting our protector, GOD, India has always been a step ahead. And as long as RSS and VHP are around, Lord Sree Rama has nothing to fear. Didn’t they prove it once on December 6th 1992?

Last year around this time, Indian politicians were awfully conscious about 100th Anniversary of Vande Mataram. This year, their memory seems to be little rusty on 101th Anniversary. However, they have a bigger history to protect this year. Rama Sethu (Adams Bridge) of Ramayana which Rama used to crossover to Sri Lanka!

Lift off

 More than a year after I mourned for ISRO’s splash down, today we finally have a lift-off  of the same launch vehicle carrying identical satellite!

GSLV-F04 successfully placed INSAT-4CR in Orbit. In my opinion, It is a defining moment for Indian space program, firstly because it is first of INSAT series to be launched from Indian Soil (Earlier INSAT vehicles were piggybacked to Arena rocket launched from Kourou, French Guiana), and secondly it puts in confidence in our mission to moon and manned space flight. And of course, dozen of high-power Ku-band transponders onboard will make your network television look even better..!!

Go ISRO!

 

(Picture taken from ISRO website without permission).

The N-Word

The word being NUCLEAR. The outrage, the accusations, the anger, all following the 123 agreement of India-US nuclear deal, has put the entire political stability of the nation (India) in question.

The complexities involved in this deal and the convenient interpretation by each political party to make their point in either supporting or opposing it, has made the specifics of this agreement more obscure to common people than Aishwarya Rai is to acting.

This article summarizes the situation quite well and he rightly ends the article with this note

“Both the left and the right are being utterly dishonest in their refusal to see the answers to the questions they raise are written in stone in the 123 agreement.”

Well politics and dishonesty do not live that far and India is no exception. When we borrowed Heavy Water from US for CIRUS (Canada India Reactor US) reactor, the terms of the agreement both with Canada and with US were explicit that India will use that reactor only for civilian and peaceful purposes. Yet a official government document on ‘Evolution of India’s Nuclear Policy’ claims that

“It (India) has not violated any international agreements either in 1974 or now, in 1998.”

Yes the Pokhran test in 1974 which used the plutonium produces by CIRUS was quite ‘peaceful’.

So my point for both left and right of Indian parliament is WHY BOTHER?  Never mind reading the agreement, lets just get the nuclear technology from US while we have a chance. Once we have it, our neighbors would give us lot of ‘peaceful’ reasons for its use. Let the US worry about its interpretation and consequences, as this guy from Nuclear Control Institute, seems worried. Just an excerpt from his article:

” Today, the U.S. government appears to be preparing for a repeat performance on CIRUS, only this time the end result may be an agreement that allows India to turn an Atoms for Peace reactor into a declared military production plant.  “

We can always make additions to ‘Evolution of India’s Nuclear Policy’  and maintain the sanctity of 123 agreement, whatever that is. 

Five steps commemoration

I missed the parade and bad chapatis at Meerut, but I

commemorate 150th anniversary of start of Indian Revolution:
by
1) Looking in awe this portrait of Mangal Pandey

2) Successfully reading this rare and historic document which is court order for Mangal Pandey’s execution

3) Borrowing “The great Indian Mutiny” by Richard Collier from my library.

4) Feeling sorry for the lost heritage

5) Buying Reebok shoes from Kohls.

Space, Religion and Journalism

I am finally writing after a LONG time out of my really lazy schedule. Probably my last one for this year and this year ends in 4 days.

Last week Dr. Kasturirangan (former Chairman of ISRO) was appointed as academician in pontifical academy of sciences.

Just for the starters, this academy is part of Vatican (though claims to function independently) and aims at devlopement of scientific research. Pretty noble idea, however, here are two issues (not related to each other and not directly related to this news) which popped into my mind

India’s Possible First Manned Mission – Are we ready yet?

There are some who question the relevance of space activities in a developing nation. To us, there is no ambiguity of purpose. We do not have the fantasy of competing with the economically advanced nations in the exploration of the moon or the planets or manned space-flight. But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of man and society.

As a kid, I was never too excited about this vision, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai has laid for space future of India.

TODAY, for the first time (as far as I can tell) ISRO has (arguably) contradicted this idea and has officially spoken positively about FIRST INDIAN MANNED MISSION TO SPACE.
Though they did not speak much, I am excited!! Indian going up there from Indian Soil…!!
(Remember only Indian so far who has been to space is Sqdrn Leader. Rakesh Sharma in 1984. But he piggybacked himself on a Russian (Then Soviet Union) spacecraft).

To ‘Vande Mataram’ or Not….

Some politicians have tough time separating religion from state. Be it American Republican candidate for U.S. Senate who thinks appointing non-Christians is equivalent to ’sin’ or be it Indian BJP leaders who wants to make singing Vandemataram mandatory in schools and parliament on the songs 100th anniversary on Sept 7th.

On the face of it, one might not find anything religious about Vande Mataram. So just to remind you, the only reason, in spite of being a revolutionary slogan during independence, Vande Mataram did not qualify as national anthem, was because it literally translates as ‘I bow head in front of you, Mother’. ‘Mother’ could be thought as Mother-India (not the movie!) but some believe it was actually meant to be Hindu Goddess. Indeed, she looks like one in this image which was posted on net as ‘Bharat Ma’. ! In any case, Islam allows that kind of respect only to Allah (May peace be upon Him) and secular India had to respect that choice. (Note that definition of secularism is quite different in India than what it is in America and LOT different than what it is in European countries like France).

Well surely every Muslim does not take Quran so seriously. I would not if I were a Muslim. Neither did A R Rahman, and surely not Mukhtar Abbas Nakvi, BJP Spokesperson, who is very vocal in supporting his Party’s stand.

But that’s not the point. Point is for good or bad, whether you agree or not, Vande Mataram is not our National Anthem and we have to live with it! Its really ironical that both National song and National Anthem of India have always been in controversy and more ironical is that most (or all) the reasons fueling the controversy were just dumb. Reason Vande Mataram is in controversy now is exactly the same it was 60 years back.Nothing has changed now. So why you just do not accept it and move on? Singing a song is not going to solve our problems, would it? Unless, your problem was there has been no political-religious controversy stalling the government for a while. Don’t we have a Nation to run? Oh right, I forget, these politicians don’t.

Yes, Vande Mataram is our ‘ National Song’ but still that does not warrant the idea of forcing everyone to sing it. What’s next? Making it compulsory for everyone to play India’s national Game’ hockey on Dhyan Chands 103rd Birthday?

Sorry, No more ‘Pizza’

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas..if this phrase reminds you of nine Planets, better change it to My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nothing, because International Astronomical Union, declared today that Pluto is  not a planet anymore and neither are other three contenders (Ceres, Charon and Xena) who were hoping to hop into  planet family.

So its not nine, certainly not twelve ., its just Eight Planets.

Pluto looses out on last two of the three conditions as presented on BBC

it must be in orbit around the Sun

it must be large enough that it takes on a nearly round shape

it has cleared its orbit of other objectsSo yes size does matter..!

I doubt if anything would change in Nasa’a  Horizon mission which was launched early this year and is scheduled to reach the so far largest of dwarf planets and once a planet, Pluto by 2015.

On another note, the present configuration will still have only 5 planets in common with Navagraha (Nine Planets) according to Indian Mythology. These navagrahas are Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. (First seven representing the seven days of the week in order). 

Pluto was kind of my favorite planet so far but I agree that it has to go because if it stays, there would be at least 100 more neighboring objects which have to be let in. This decision will surely throw Pluto into anonymity. How many of us heard of Ceres before  which was also a planet once upon a time?

But again, so what? Why do I care if Pluto is a planet or not? How did it effect me when it was one. Other than my neighbor naming a dog after then ninth planet, I do not see how else it would have changed the life around me..

Nonetheless, Pluto, I will miss you, from this planet..!

Expanding the Circumference of Your Social Circle

Note: This one is just a re-post with some minor updates from my yahoo 360 blog. I am just trying to move some of my earlier and most viewed blogs to wordpress.

My guess is about 1.5 million Indian youths, living in India, USA and other countries are on Orkut, an “online community” , to increase the “circumference of their social circle”. It might seem like a low number when compared to about 14 million Brazilians out of about 22 million (more than 26 million at the time of this update) total Orkut members. However, it is clear that among Indians this website is more popular than any other similar ones like myspace, yahoo 360 or hi5. Every other person from India I come across seems to be registered here.

So what is in Orkut that makes it so popular among Indians. From my two month (now 4) experience on Orkut, I figured out top 5 reason why Indians like Orkut.