After the rains

Under the grey sky,
in the stillness of the aftermath,
the silence occasionally broken by a chirp,
the air now a damp petrichor,
it feels cooler than usual,
as I walk deep into nature,
leaving a trail of muddy prints.
The flora's regained freshness
and little drops balance,
on the edge of petals and leaves,
containing in them a luminous spectrum.
Indeed it is heavenly,
a divine aqueous assaugement
soothing the parched lands,
soothing the dusty particles
and wiping off sweat 
from the scorching sun.

Post of the Day - Golden Ratio

The golden ratio is a rather interesting and astonishing observation. It has been re-discovered several times over years by several scientists, mathematicians, astronomers, psychologists, botanists and is an area of study for even designers. 

Simply defined, golden ratio exists between two numbers when the ratio of larger number to smaller number is equal to the ratio between the sum of two numbers and the larger number. Its value is 1.6180. 

For example, consider the numbers 13 and 21.

21:13 is 1.61:1 and 21+13:21 = 34:21 is also 1.61 

The ratio is usually represented by the Greek letter 'phi' (  ) .

It is referred to as 'golden' ratio because this ratio is observed in many patterns across several disciplines. 

In mathematics, a classic example of golden ratio is the 'Fibonacci series' 

(0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55 and so on wherein every following term is the sum of the previous two numbers). As the series keeps increasing, the ratio between any two numbers of the series gets closer and closer to 1.61. This series is further observed in seed/pollen growth of several flowers and even in trends of stock prices. 

In architecture, a golden rectangle is one in which the length and the breadth of the rectangle are in the golden ratio. Application of these rectangles in architecture has been considered to be the most suitable for the building and also the most attractive. It is seen in many ancient Greek places like the Parthenon. 

In nature, the golden ratio stands as a universal law in the growth patterns of cells of animal skin, DNA molecules, plant veins ,arrangements of leaves, shells and in fact even hurricanes. The Milky Way has a number of 'spiral arms', each of which showcases a shape/ pattern of a golden spiral and a golden rectangle can be drawn over all of them.

A study has shown that facial features in the golden ratio have been perceived to be the prettiest. That is, the ratio between the length from forehead to the chin and the length from one ear to the other. Also, mostly the length from one's head to the navel and the length from navel to the feet exhibits the golden ratio.

Several popular celebrities' faces are in the golden ratio

Some examples of golden ratio in nature

Golden ratio as observed in Musical notes

Why 'Startup India' could not kick start the startups

In a move to give a boost to start-ups, the government launched the ‘Startup India, Stand up India’ initiative in January 2016 to promote bank financing for ventures and startups to boost entrepreneurship and job creation. It aimed at restricting the role of the state and getting rid of license raj, permissions for land, etc and also promote entrepreneurship among schedules castes and women. However, it has failed miserably to deliver. Since the launch, only around 1400 applications have been received. Among all these applications, only 500 or so have got approval from the Department of Industry Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the organizing body.

It is reportedly being said that it has become easier to access funds through relaxed rules for angel funds and foreign venture capitalists (investors who provide capital to or support startup ventures), etc. However, no names of the startups or any other beneficiaries are known in the public domain. The government did not give any guidelines on what kind of startups qualified to apply for these funds. No one knows which agency/body is disbursing the funds and in fact hardly any venture capitalists have been even contacted yet.

Courtesy- Financial Express

There are several reasons that explain the failure.

-The terms laid out in the scheme are not clear.

-Parameters on which a startup will be assessed are not defined precisely

-what kind of startups are eligible to apply for benefits of the scheme is also not mentioned clearly and ;

-concerns or risk factors involved for Venture Capitalists are undefined and unanswered. Moreover, the benefit in terms of a tax holiday (temporary reduction or elimination of tax) for three years is not going to be useful, for a startup does not even earn as many profits as to avail a tax holiday. Also, mere monetary hand-holding (extensive assistance in the form of money) from the side of the state is neither sustainable nor efficient and advised.

Besides funding, startups in India face primarily two significant hurdles. One, relating to corruption, red-tape( too many layers of bureaucracy involved resulting in extremely long delays) and inefficient approval systems (delay in issuing of licenses or permissions, complex paperwork, etc) and the other being the stronghold of powerful corporate houses that oppose or kill the startups that challenge them. Thus, the focus of the government should be to stress on policy measures to improve the ease of doing business for these start-ups by introducing structural reforms like reducing the layers of bureaucracy, making the process of availing permits and licenses easier and faster, making good use of e-governance and help save entrepreneurs time and energy, fixing the labour laws, speeding up the judicial system by adding more courts to look into corporate disputes, etc that facilitate free and fair competition.

The nurturing and growth of startups is best left to incubators (companies that help new startups nurture through technological and financial assistance) and accelerators (companies that help startups expand or enter global markets) who have all the required expertise, experience, resources, connections and tools to work on the very idea and technology and also bolster growth in less time. Their success rates are also significantly higher.

For instance, the Microsoft Accelerator, based in Bangalore, has funded many startups like Altizon,  Healthify, Voonik and DailyRounds. Till now, 83 startups have had an average funding of around $1Mn. 80% of their accelerated startups have been funded. Similarly, Tlabs (owned by Times Group), Amity Innovation Incubator, CIIE IIMA (owned by IIM-A), are some examples of highly successful accelerators and incubators that have helped hundreds of startups like Inshorts, Nextgen, Vyoma, etc in receiving adequate funding and provided them with relevant and cheap technology, mentorship, et al.

Hence, the role of the government in facilitating a successful startup culture should be in making the general administrative environment hassle-free for businesses to flourish and also providing commensurate tax reliefs and related incentives to local incubators, accelerators and investment firms that support startups. This will also attract more foreign investment in the country.

According to a NASSCOM report, with 140 incubators and accelerators, India now ranks third in the world. But that’s far from the count in the top two, 2400 and 1500 in China and the US respectively. Thus, it’s a long way to go in bolstering the growth of these assisting bodies and improving the ease of doing business that will actually in effect help startups to grow and yield concrete results.

'Badrinath ki Dulhaniya'- Misunderstood and underrated

Indians are carping by nature. Criticism is more like an impulse than an intended action. Finding petty faults without giving due importance to the context is our favourite pastime. 
There were highly critical reviews of the movie, 'Badrinath ki Dulhania'. (I watched the movie just yesterday) The movie got barely 3 stars but managed to do well on the box office. 

Several people were angered by certain scenes and portrayals, clearly failing to grasp the bigger picture behind them. Here is how and what people missed to appreciate.

Plot- The movie deals with issues of dowry, patriarchy and women empowerment. It highlights how even extremely rich households control their women. They will shower them with gold and money but won't allow them to pursue their career. The movie subtly touches these issues and is a true reflection of the fact that they are rooted in the society, so much so, that we find them normal.

Characters- 
Varun Dhawan (Badri) deserves an award for his performance. He caught the essence of his character so wonderfully. Badri is who he is because of his surrounding and upbringing. A man brought up by a dominant cruel father, a non-protesting mother and was exposed to goons and getting things done his way. This same man changes to become a respecting and compassionate person after he sees a woman living independently and on her own terms. 

Alia Bhatt (Vaidehi) was equally smooth. No frills or over drama, just natural acting. Vaidehi is a strong and brave woman truly who put her self-respect, independence and career above anything else. She fought family pressure, felt sincerely guilty for running away at the last moment and made up for it and despite everything, appreciated Badri for his pure heart. 

Swetha Basu (Urmilla) came out as a fine actor too. Her character in the movie expresses the sad reality of 90% Indian households. She is highly qualified, intelligent and contributes to her husband's business but has to do it secretly as she is not allowed to work. 

The one where Varun Dhawan is assaulted- Many viewers didn't appreciate Alia and other people laughing when Badri was assaulted in Singapore. The director is wise enough to not deal with such a sensitive issue in humor. However, that is the reflection of how society treats male-molestation. This scene should not to be taken on face value but on its implicit message.

Overall, the script was believable and with amazing punches of healthy comedy and no abusive language or vulgarity. It is shocking why so many people failed to notice the subtle treatment and the implied seriousness of things. Hats off to Shashank Khaitan for a close-to-reality direction and careful and a fun-filled dealing of serious issues.

Save water rural style

I started my internship at Jal Bhagirathi Foundation yesterday, i.e.,World Environment Day. Based in my hometown Jodhpur, it is an NGO owned by His Highness Maharaja Gaj Singh Ji, that works primarily to secure basic water supply to western rural households who constantly suffer shortage of clean drinking water. The NGO also seeks to involve more women in the decision making process, improve sanitation and promote sustainable use of water. 

Water is becoming more precious by the minute, as population continues to grow multi-fold. Fresh water resources and ground water levels are depleting rapidly and we still do not have an efficient and cheap mechanism to make use of the abounding saline water of the oceans. Moreover, certain ill practices of citizens and industries are also polluting the scarce amount that we have. Hence, water conservation is the most important issue to deal with in regard to challenges to climate. 

Urban lifestyles lead to more wastage of water than rural routines. Since there is paucity, people in the villages respect the resource and use it sparingly. In many villages of western rural Rajasthan, water sources like lakes are even worshiped. They barely use a bucket full of water for bathing and washing and even that waste water is directed in a manner that helps little plants near homes to grow. They do not use fancy showers/ bath tubs, they don't use water indiscriminately to wash their vehicles or porches, et al.
Also, they are the ones who actually practice rainwater harvesting by storing rainwater in kachcha tankas. Many villages are now accepting the idea of having concrete tankas (Jal Bhagirathi is assissting many households in this project) to store rainwater that can be used throughout the year. They also utilize the water from naadis and beris for cattle.

In sharp contrast to this, the urban lifestyle is a killer. So much water is wasted in frilly fountains; so much in pools, which is sometimes not even clean; pipes are left open for hours in gardens, gallons of water just goes into the drain unnecessarily when houses and cars are cleaned and what not. 
Intellectual discussion on water conservation is restricted to impressive theory on paper and sadly no concrete steps are taken in the cities.

Notable in this field is Mr. Rajendra Singh from Alwar, Rajasthan , who is known for his techniques of and contributions to water conservation. He was also awarded the Stockholm Water Prize (Nobel prize for water) and is known as the Waterman of India. 

Several NGOs and the government are taking steps to provide us with regular water supply but until we as citizens don't change our habits, nothing is going to make a difference. It appears to be a lot, but even if you save half a bucket of water in a day, it can reduce your total consumption of a year phenomenally.

Post of the Day- Mehrangarh

It is seemingly impossible for me to get over with my obsession for the majestic beauty and pride of my city, the Mehrangarh fort. Recently, Jodhpur completed 558 years of existence. The kingdom of Marwar has indeed witnessed a glorious and rich history.

'Mihir/meher' = Sun (in sanskrit) and 'Garh' = fort. In fact, even Jodhpur is referred to as the Suncity. (Only those who have lived in Jodhpur can truly understand and appreciate how appropriately it is named so! )

Mehrangarh, one of the most exquisitely and strongly built forts, has a rather interesting legend. 

When Rao Jodha moved the capital of the kingdom from Mandore to Jodhpur, the most suited location was a hill called Bhaurcheeria (hill of birds) where a sole hermit named 'Chiria Nath' lived. Like any other ruler, Jodha too ordered the place to be cleared for the construction of the fort. 
Angered by the King's decision, the hermit cursed the ruler that his citadel would always suffer from scarcity of water. It is also said that the hermit cursed that no living ruler of Jodhpur would be able to see his grandchild. And for many many years, surprisingly it was indeed true. However, recently the vicious curse was fortunately broken.

Jodha built a house and temple for him in close proximity to the place the hermit used for meditation and managed to appease him. However, to further ensure the kingdom was not affected by the curse, he had a man Raja Ram Meghwal buried alive in the foundation. Even today, his descendants live in Raj Bagh (Meghwal's garden).

Thereafter, the foundation was laid by the famous Hindu warrior sage, Shri Karni Mata.
Legend has it, that only those forts whose foundation was laid down by Karni Mata (Jodhpur and Bikaner), are still in the control of the Rathore clan. All others have been abandoned due to some reason or the other.

Near the fort, is a 'chhatri' or a raised dome-shaped pavilion of Kirat Singh Soda, a soldier who died defending the fort. Within the fort, is a dargah (tomb) of a Muslim loyal of the royal family. 

The grandeur of the fort and its breathtaking location has also attracted several international artists, directors and film makers.

A still from our school visit to the fort 

The dargah in the premises

Jaswanthada and the fort behind

Post of the Day - Our Forgotten Scientists

Brain Drain is a serious issue in India. From high school, college to post-graduation, bright minds study in premier national institutes at subsidized fees (money of the taxpayers of course), only to migrate to other countries, especially in the field of science.

Those scientists who do stay back, are compelled to work in paucity of resources, inefficient government machinery, corrupt officials, deplorable laboratories and of course, negligible recognition. 

Today's post is dedicated to a few of these extremely talented scientists whose work has gone almost unnoticed and disappeared behind bollywood gossip, political propaganda and news oriented towards TRP and viewership.

ECG Sudershan

1. ECG Sudershan 

He made some significant contributions to many areas of Physics. He laid the foundation for several theories like electroweak theory, quantum representation of coherent light, etc. 

He was also the first one to bring to light 'tachyons' which are particles that travel faster than light.

He developed 'dynamical maps', one of the most primary tools to study open quantum system.

In 2005, he had to face unfair judgement twice regarding awarding of the Noble Prize, where another scientist Glauber, who initially criticized his work, eventually presented Sudershan's work in a different name and got the Nobel for the same.

In 1979 too, work which he developed as a 26-year old was used by three other scientists who were awarded the Nobel, with no recognition to Sudershan.

Narinder Singh Kapany

2. Narinder Singh Kapany

Very few of us know this, Fibre optics, used in high-speed connectivity and networking , especially for internet and Wifi, was in fact invented by Narinder Singh Kapany. However, Charles K Kao, who later developed on the idea, was awarded the Nobel for the concept.

Mansukh C Wani

3. Mansukh C. Wani

All of us are concerned about the rapidly increasing occurrence of cancer in people these days and recognize the need for an anti-cancer drug. I believe you didn't know this, that Masukh C. Wani, an Indian scientist, developed Taxon and Camptothecin, two standard vital drugs used in treatment to fight lung, breast, ovarian and colon cancers.

Jagdish Chandra Bose

4. Jagdish Chandra Bose

He first demonstarted wireless signalling, back in 1895! However, again, the Nobel and credits for the discovery were given to Marconi in 1909, 14 years after it was made.

Satyendra Nath bose

5. Satyendranath Bose

 

He made a path-breaking discovery on statistics of quanta of lights. His work was even appreciated and recognized by Einstein and the famous 'Bose-Einstein' statistics and the term 'Bosons' followed.

Later, three Nobel prizes were awarded for works based on this work, but the originator Bose himself never got one.

These are just a few instances. Let alone the prejudices and bias at international level, our own government does little to ensure they get justice or an appropriate environment to work within the country. 

Even our curriculum is based on mugging up and blindly following established rules, there is hardly any incentive, push or focus towards new research. And which is also a big reason why students run off to developed countries, where they get the apparatus and the opportunity to display their talent.