random thoughts

Wow!!! I and Shweta have launched it at http://insidelinuxkernel.blogspot.com/ successfully, after much thinking. The second post (which will be the first kernel related post) has already taken shape.

We are looking forward to a good learning with great fun. Wish Us Luck…

It has been a significant time since I had started studying Linux kernel. I started at about the beginning of the year and till now I have not got confidence on the subject. Something is missing. Proper guidance for sure and may be the discussions also. The only mate I have got for discussions is Shweta, and having started recently, she also doesn’t know much.

The other problem is with my memory. I had thought of preparing notes but... when I start writing, every line of the book seems worth noting down.

Now thinking of writing a technical blog on whatever I learn in Linux Kernel, but haven’t locked that idea yet. May be, that way I would be able to arrange my thoughts properly. Explaining something always helps one to learn more. Because the thinking one develops on something while explaining, he never develops while reading himself.

The idea sounds good, but far-easier said than done. What to write about, how to write about, who to seek help from and the most important thing is how to tell things without repeating what is already there on websites, books.

There are problems, but I am looking forward to work on this idea. It will help the learning, certainly!!!

Some time ago, somehow I got interested in studying Linux kernel. Credit goes to Shweta, whenever I talked to her, she explained me some kernel stuff. More than me, AirTel should be thankful to her for talking half of the time about that crazy kernel stuff (Seriously, I thought I should talk to her less frequently now). And if that was not enough, at the end of almost each conversation, I had to face a question from her, when would I start studying Linux kernel? :o

No, No. This question was not THAT bad. Actually, I had started getting serious about her kernel learning. Not that she forcefully made me to do this, I only used to keep her telling that I also want to study Linux kernel (may be, to shut her up when she forgot to take a break talking about it 15-20 mins nonstop). But every time I said so, I used to keep one excuse ready to escape and that is what irritated her.

After all, two months of intentional procrastination ended when I became a little free from the project work. Anyways, there were no more excuses left and even if the project had been stretched, I would have to start.

It has been two months now reading these books called LKD, UTLK, and LDD. And I am actually enjoying it. I understand now why geeks (and Shweta) call Linux a beautiful, fascinating piece of code, may be the best software ever written by humankind.

I am on this great road of fascinating journey. Learning a lot, seriously!!

During my childhood, as a family trip we were visiting a well known temple in Himachal Pradesh. While I was moving away after praying, a pujariji came and said, “kuchh chadhao”. I looked at him, wondered, and said, “mere paas toh kuchh nahi hai”. Seeing that my parents were outside and no one was close to us, he stared at me with his big-red eyes and almost shouted, “kahan se aaya hai”? I was so scared that I couldn’t stand there for just a second. I just ran!

They say, “GOD is everywhere”… but I doubt because if that’s true, then what purpose do temples serve here? And if HE lives in temples, how can HE be everywhere? Why one has to go to a temple (or a mosque or a church for that matter) for prayers? A confusing cycle of questions… and these questions arise in my mind due to these incidences, which often take place with one while visiting temples.

In another recent incidence, while doing parikrama in a famous temple in AP, a pujariji came to me, put a small pudiya in my palm and started enchanting some mantras. Two thick gold chains around his neck, of length upto his belly drew my attention. He asked my name, place etc during his pooja. I was literally feeling so good. And then came the shock after 2 minutes when he demanded dakhshina (though it was a forceful demand by him, he called it dakhshina). “How much”, I asked. “Thirty”, he said. I bargained for 20, to which he replied, “achha theek hai, jaldi se do”, in a hurry as he was losing other “customers” arguing. I am not sure if the GOD is watching what these sacred people are doing in HIS home?

Tirupati temple earns donations worth millions of rupees, which is spent in welfare activities like education and treatment of poor people etc (although even there, it’s not made clear what amount comes and how and where all it’s spent). But a large fraction out of that comes from a pool of illicit money. The corrupt Commissioner P K Ajwani (exposed some 3 yrs ago) had promised in his personal diary that if he gets a bribe of Rs 1 crore a month, he will donate Rs 10 lakh from it to the Tirupati temple. CBI discovered Rs 15 crore worth of unaccounted wealth from him. And definitely, Mr. Ajwani did not intend to donate his money to poor, he was just bribing the Lord. I wonder if the divinity of the temple worked against his evil intentions, case is still going on.

For an enormous amount which comes unaccounted at temples of similar importance, their “money-managing-dept” runs 24×7. A “genuinely” earning person in India can’t earn such huge. And by the way, does HE need these gifts? May be, HE wants to receive it from us, in a manner such as parents feel proud when their children give them gifts with their own earnings. But most of the parents would certainly not accept such gifts of their child, which are earned by wrong means. For many people in this country, giving money to a needy is a better option; rather than throwing hard earned money in a temple without knowing how that will be spent, donation to a scarcely resourced village school, or responsibility of education of an orphaned child, or donation to a hospital seems like a choice.

I wonder…I wonder does GOD eat the sweets, or enjoy the aroma of the flowers, or uses the money presented? Does HE care if I had stolen that money? Does it even go to the GOD or someone’s pocket?? Is presenting such things the only way to delight HIM? Does one really has to spend money, even in buying sweets or flowers, to please HIM? Does that mean a person who can’t afford these is not blessed by HIM? The temples, where devotees have to buy ticket for darshan, how would a person hardly earning his daily wedges “meet” HIM? May be, God of poor lives somewhere else! When someone pays bribe to temple staff for getting a quick darshan, does GOD watch? When the barber in Tirupati demands 20 Rs for mundan (tonsure), even though he is paid by temple administration, does GOD watch? When a pujariji scare a 10-year boy for money, does GOD watch?

Believing that GOD is everywhere means, seeing or realizing HIM everywhere. But in India, this philosophy is practiced in a different manner. Even in a small town, a number of temples can be seen, approximately one in every 300 square meter area (how about “GOD is ‘almost’ everywhere”). After Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga Puja, the same idols lie helpless on the riverbanks after a few days forming a part of scrap and posing pollution threats, which are worshipped and immersed in water during celebrations. This is what have we done with our GODs!!

Certainly, building temples and idols and presenting HIM gifts could not solve the problems of our society deluged with issues of castes, illiteracy, unemployment and dirty politicians. There is something more to be done, but what? Lets go to a temple and ask HIM, but would we find HIM there? Sure, because HE is everywhere!!

I have been reading blogs for past 2 yrs, but never thought of writing one. Not that I didn't want to, but there is an A-1 class of laziness repleted in each cell of my body, a habit of staying away from tasks which consume even a minimum amount of energy. Expressing your ideas is a tough task... a listener should be able to see, understand whats in your mind. And after writing my MTech thesis, I have realized that I am not good at it. So why did I start now? answer: got some inspiration... how? from where?.... does not matter!!

The first project of my first job in MindTree gave me two good things, first- a new location, LSI office (it was good because I got on site allowance), and second- a new friend, Amit (because he is really good) . I am having a good time with him, not sure whether he thinks the same though. Me and Amit, surrounded by unknown faces working on bugs, implementations, and releases, things which we were hardly interested in after sitting on bench for around a month, used to spend almost entire day together talking, eating, walking and traveling from/to home/office.

During our two months at LSI ,which happened to be the best time after joining thanks to those extra bucks, we both discussed a lot of things...mutual-funds, human relationships, Reebok offers (he might have thought of beating me for this one!), social issues, global-warming, Mausmi* (smile, Amit), 101 ways to earn money, and of course, his Naruto-like powers and psychic healing abilities (probably Ujjwal knows that well). Most of the times we concluded "ye duniya khatam hone wali hai" OR "ye society barbad ho chuki hai" OR "hamari kismat..."! At other times, we were like great philosophers who were to show mankind the right path!!!

This confidence of writing a blog is majorly because of him. Although right now I am not sure how far shall I continue with this new passion, but will definitely write at least two posts...about two topics I generally think about.

*About Mausmi, cant be told much, but it was one of the most important and unforgettable factors of our so pleasant LSI days... thanks Mausmi for all your support... we both miss you so much!!!