Mythological Characters

Stories that your grandmom (or grandpa) told you usually stay with you. Some characters from the stories/myths that stayed with me-

Ghatotkacha, Bheema's son. The lasting impression is from a Telugu film about his adventures, from the film Mayabazaar. A song from the film while he devours an entire wedding feast by himself was a highlight.

Narada, the sage who appears and disappears at will. He keeps chanting Narayan, Narayan, as he is a bhakt (devout follower) of Vishnu, and keeps carrying tales from one place to another, sometimes causing consternation, if not mayhem. There is also a funny story about Vishnu giving him a test to see if he still chants his name while carrying a bowl of oil filled to the brim. His task is to carry it around the world without spilling  a drop. Naturally, he forgets to chant Vishnu's name in the process.

Abhimanyu, the brave son of Arjuna who gets into an enemy formation called the Chakravyuha, knowing fully well he may not come out alive. He doesn't.

Karna, the son of Kunti, along with the major Pandava brothers, Arjuna, Bheema and Yudhishthira. Their tales of bravery and righteous behaviour would keep everyone glued. B.R. Chopra's retelling of the Mahabharat was a masterpiece, with Shakuni being played brilliantly by a goofy guy called Goofi Paintal. Kunti and Draupadi were strong female characters.

First Impressions- Cambodia

Just returned from a conference on Emerging markets in Cambodia, Phnom Penh..OK, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. My fist impression is that it's worth a visit. Cambodia's major temple, Ankor Wat, is built in the Hindu style with Brahma type four-headed figures, and Vishnu and Shiva in most places. That's a major attraction, and not located in the capital city-it's at Siem Reap, 300 kms. away. But Phnom Penh is on the banks of two rivers, Mekong and Tonle Sap, and has a lot to offer also.

Peaceful, English-speaking, squeaky clean, and with the US dollar as its major currency for day-to- day dealings as a tourist. Damn convenient. And you can take a tuk-tuk (a tonga with a motorcycle or scooter in front instead of a horse) almost anywhere and bargain, like with the auto-walas in India-what fun!

More photo-essays will come up, but I must say the conference itself was truly multi-cultural. Kenya, Norway, Philippines, Canada, Austria, USA and Slovakia being some of the countries represented. Besides India and Bangla Desh, I mean.

Life and Technology

We used to debate in school on whether technology is a boon or bane, in the 'good old days'. Now, technology is a given, except to a few technophobes like  my generation.

The good that tech has done is tremendous. Communication technology has really changed lives for the better (mostly), except for some uncouth elements who do not have good usage etiquette.

The cost to an average user is also down, thanks thanks to competitive innovation by software and hardware manufacturers.

To me personally, tech is a great tool which attempts to enslave. This blog and Facebook, in particular, have helped me communicate with more people (since nobody has hacked these yet, I assume they are not totally pissed off). If you are able to keep it on a leash, it can be of great use- rather like Vishnu's Sudarshan Chakra, my favourite weapon of mass destruction. It can kill Bill, Tom, Dick, at will, but Krishna (Vishnu's avatar) uses it sparingly.

Likewise, the idiot box, the cell phone, gadgets of all descriptions. Apply your mind-don't lose it, is a good watchword in using any of these. People are more important. Maybe nature too.