The Way I See It

Neuron Data Structure

2012-02-03T04:29:00.000-08:00

Published in Infobahn : Volume 15, 2nd Edition, 2012

Time and again we programmers get stumped by simple problems. The efficiency of the application is not governed by the kind of hardware, operating system or the features of programming language but our choice of data structure and the way we organise our processes.

I remember the data structure which was used to generate timetable for train trips in a project I worked in London. It took me a long time to understand and appreciate the design made by the original developers. We had train routes, which had certain trains taking trips. Trip consisted of timing points, which in turn consisted of Site and Location. Location consisted of Site and Path.

In my current research project I was confronted with a specific problem as to how to design a data structure for a genetic algorithm which involved evolving images. I am currently on the seventh version of the Data Structure and am sure more modification will be needed enroute.

Lets us discuss in detail a thought exercise I had put across to students in an Advanced Data Structure Class for MCA students.

How to design a data structure for a Neuron which has to pass data from the palm of a hand to the human brain?

There are many scenarios I could envisage

Hand sensing severe pain to a mosquito bite. Hand feels cold, warmth and pressure. We can sense different things using our sense of touch. On the other extreme our hands “feel” numb too !!

What all information should we need to pass if were to design a node of such a data structure which will pass an information capsule to the brain

Touch will require
· Heat / Cold / Temperature (do we need three variables or one)
· Pressure
· Texture (Is this a struct in itself with lot of attributes, or a result of our brains very complicated AI algorithm)
· Pain
· Rupture (Is this different from pressure)
· Tickling Sensation

If we were defining a C Struct for the same we may use integer data type to scale each of these parameters examples

Temperature: Can be an integer data type which stores level of heat or cold

Texture: A whole range of texture will need to be taught to the brain and use integers to classify them and another integer to range their distribution

Numbness: The absence of feeling. If nothing happens is there need to communicate!! That too from every location of the hand. Imagine the number of hits the brain would be receiving saying no problem, no problem, no problem ..........

Additionally we will need the following metadata

· We will either need time stamp or should we stick to instant messaging only

· Exact location (example: Right Hand , Third Finger, Middle Part, Front Side, 0.5 centimetre front left). How the brain comes to know the exact point a bee stung us is pretty amazing. Does the brain use some sophisticated co ordinate system?

The brains ability to make intelligent guesses is quiet over whelming. If we roll the following items in between our finger tips like mustard seed, red kidney beans or even a sugar crystal, can we not sense them?

Sense the texture by patting a coir mat, velvet cloth, metal grater, a boiled egg, curtain cover, child hand, dog’s fur and even a cow’s nose. Dip and feel if it is petrol, sugar syrup or water. Feel and make our way through a dark room. We can size up or weigh an object. Feel rain, breeze and hail. There is a lot learning which happens as a child grows and explores the world around. But to draw a parallel we cannot even teach a “bubble sort program” to grow up to be a Quick Sort leave alone an Operating System.

So I am sure the reader can appreciate the complexity of the data structure which is required to convey all this information to the control centre in the brain.

Corollary Exercise: In this article we discussed the data structure from Hand to Brain now Design a data structure for information flow from Brain to Hand?

Followership 4 @ Christ University

2011-11-24T00:09:00.001-08:00

Leadership Workshop for M.Sc/MCA Students
Conducted by Jibrael Jos
Date : 14 - Nov -2011
Participants : 16 students

Agenda

Followership
Self Belief
IPS
Leadership Traits
Building from Scratch

Conducted some different kind of activities to make participants realize the importance of team work, planning and time management

The enthusiasm of the participants was very heartening. Two foreign students added a different flavor to the workshop, bringing in their insights. A very talented bunch of student, they had a task to build a 3 feet long bridge using thermocol plates, glasses, straws, rubber band, glue , paint, thread etc. Time Limit was 30 minutes. Both the teams did a wonderful job.

The workshop included Theater Based Games, Verbal, Numerical and Analytical Puzzles and activity based games. The idea is that different leaders emerge for different areas. Some students are creative, some are more disciplined, some have good speaking skills, some can act and some can dance. Students get a chance to both lead and follow.

Let there be light!!! Part 1

2011-10-06T03:06:00.000-07:00

Reading the recent Geo Magazine I came to know that in one night an estimated billion insects die in Germany alone. Reason!! , Street Lights. These insects get confused and dance around these lights mesmerized. Many thoughts raced through my mind

How did they estimate the number
How fast do these insects multiply
Why do they go towards the light in the first place
I wish the mosquitoes did that, but I doubt if even one died that night, they are too smart

How can you do an estimate in a street light near you:

Estimate number of dead bodies in an hour multiple by number of hours in the night into approximate number of Street Lights in Bangalore
Barricade the area of predators, weight 10 dead insects, next day morning round the lot and weigh the total and estimate number for one light one night
Take sample count in 10 cities, 10 towns, 10 villages, 10 highways spots (to get the idea of variance of insects according to demography)
Or may be better, just switch of the street light and take a wild guess like 1 billion

The other questions I leave it as an exercise for you all.

These poor insects gets confused thinking of the light as moon in the night sky, all those who have worked late night shifts and fallen in love would agree what a mess it does to our internal bio clocks.

Some Solutions

The street lights can they be switched of in the night. Sensors should activate the lights when they detect human motion.
Can we invent some special light type which is less intense and does not attract insects
Can we install 2-3 additional moons in the orbit, it will save a lot of power and simply reflect sunlight

Conclusion
Human History is full of inventions, followed by mess ups , followed by further new inventions, followed by further mess ups
Let me not think too much, I’ll just Switch of the Lights like my dad used to say, when I am not using them

My Sabatical from Work

2011-07-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

By Alfons Madoc, (my sister)
We all need to retreat, realign and refresh at times .... here is how my sister did it . An excellent example of how Goal Setting can do wonders !!!

Introduction

Long working hours, unending piles of work, children and homework neglected, food taste unsatisfactory………nothing seemed to be in perfect scenario. This incompleteness was causing a vague sense of burnout. I needed to stop my world from spinning for a moment. Then think what I wished to do. Maybe a break from work for a month or so. After many deliberations and discussions at work I got the desired ‘sabbatical’ sanctioned. No phone calls, no mails. This is unlike the regular leaves which make you still responsible for all the work entrusted in your care.

What to Do

I’m an A type personality. Have to be always doing something. I cannot be still for long without any activity. So I had to list the things that I intended to do during this time. Here it goes:

1. Travel/trip

2. Read Books

3. See Movies

4. Cooking

5. Ron/Bon

6. Housekeeping

7. St Stephen’s Hospital

8. Learn something new

9. Collage of pics

10. Discipline for Happiness

Travel

My sabbatical began with a triangular trip to Bangalore, Mysore and Ooty. Bangalore to meet my dear Manoj, Philo, Alex and family. Met all three and chatted up. The kids had a fantastic time with cousins. The delicious food at Manoj, the beautiful home of Alex intact with a lot of gizmos, the homeliness and liveliness at Philo’s, all were very memorable.

Ooty was a long pending desire. Even as I was in school and we used to make our trips to Kerala, this was one hill station, I felt we must go. After a lot of deliberations by Madhu with Manoj and Alex we finalized our trip. The toy train on which Shahrukh danced to Chaiya Chaiya, the tea plantations, the tea and Chocolate factory, Lambs Rock, Dolphins peak, boating and shopping and some good food and our trip was done! What added to the delight was the journey through the forest where we could see many a deer in their natural habitat and also many a shooting spots for the typical song sequences of Bolllywood!

Mysore had 2 must sees. One of course the palace and the other one being the Mysore Zoo. You name the animal and it is there in the zoo. Healthy and active. After seeing the Delhi Zoo about 3-4 times, the Mysore Zoo was really a treat especially for Ronnie and Bonnie. I enjoyed it too.

The flight to and fro was also a fascination in itself for Ronnie and a joy for Bonnie.

Books

What to read? Coming from a family of Book Worms I cannot let my reading habit die just because of lack of time. I had to read all the so called “Best Books”. So I asked a few close family and friends and got a list ready:

1. War and Peace

2. Les Miserables

3. Who moved my Cheese

4. Sunset Club

5. Be All You Can Be

6. Outlier

7. 7 Habits

8. The Secret

9. Prisoner At Birth

10. Atlas Shrugged

11. Pelican Brief

12. Night Train to Lisbon

13. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

14. Kite Runner

15. Fruits of Earth

16. Prophet

17. Of mice and men

18. Winter of Discontent

19. Bhagwat Gita

20. The Holy Bible

I stopped asking after getting 20 suggestions for Best Books. The above choices include suggestions from Monchetan, Lincy, Anna, Manoj and Litty. Of them, 8, I read. 3, I had read earlier. That still leaves 9 books for me to read.

Movies

Last year saw me emerging as a movie fan. Only English or World movies, though. In pursuance of my interest I also got a list ready of ‘Must See’ movies. Well, I must add that suggestions in this arena was not very forthcoming, anyway……..I got a list……

1. War and Peace

2. Les Miseables

3. Anna Karenina

4. Gone with the Wind

5. Life is Beautiful

6. Roman Holiday

7. Benhur

8. Amistad

9. Heidi

10. Tempest

11. Shakespeare in Love

12. The Queen

13. Kings Speech

14. Invictus

15. Pearl Harbor

16. Kung Fu Panda

17. Transformers

18. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2

The first 3 are books! Now you know what my inspiration is. Yes, I liked the books so much that I was tempted to see the movie as well. War and Peace is Awesome! Well, the last 3 was added by my kids! Leaving 3, I managed to see the rest!! Yes, I’m getting to be a movie buff.

Ron Bon

Summer vacations for kids are these days loaded with holiday homework. And it is near impossible for kid to do it all on their own. Thus, a lot of time was spent with Ronnie and Bonnie searching for pictures of shapes, pictures with a certain sound, places and faces. And projects on Silk, mathematicians……yes, interesting too. Getting Ronnie to speak and understand English was one main target as well. The Bangalore trip was the beginning of learning to speak English. Well it was good to have spent so much time at home with them. Lucky we, who had our Mom at home when we returned from school! I guess I assuaged a little bit of my guilt of not spending adequate time with them with this break.

Cooking

Rising complaints of the maid not cooking well…..I knew it was time to Rise to the occasion. Thanks to the inspiration from Manoj, I bought a few cook books and got started. It’s amazing how a little bit of inspiration and some perspiration in the kitchen can lead to such satisfactory smiles from hubby and kids. By the way, lack of frown on Madhu’s face is to be taken as a smile. And asking for a second helping is actually a sign of a lip smacking delicious meal!! It is fun cooking! Hope my enthusiasm lasts!

Housekeeping

Clean home is a must and a beautiful home is a desire! Somehow with 3 boys at home cleaning is one continuous task! I wanted it clean and tidy inside out, from attic, to bed boxes to cupboards and everything else.

Got a little bonsai from Bangalore, a bamboo shoot to decorate, tidied and spruced up the potted plants. 2 garden stools (read balcony), a shoe rack, some bed and table linen and a touch here and there was all my purse strings allowed for the moment! My greatest joy was the multiplying of one Champa to 4 Champas by cutting their branches and planting the branches in new pots. All 4 are growing well! There is a lot of joy in creation. Imaging how joyful our Lord must have been when he created it all!!

Collage

There was a time when I was always taking pictures. At every occasion, any time, any day. Now, I enjoy seeing them again and again. Guess, I’m getting old! What better way than to make a collage and put it on the wall. After cutting and putting together more than 125 pics, spending hours selecting and pasting them, my collage was ready. Framed with Madhu’s assistance in a neat manner it was soon put up on the dining room wall. It captures many events from my wedding till date which spans about 12 years! As the ad goes……12 years in one sheet, Priceless!

St Stephens Hospital

10 years spent at this institution is unforgettable. It is the place where Ronnie, Bonnie were born and the place I was working during this time. It is the place that gave me an opportunity to shift to my desired stream of work – HR. That was 4 years back. Today, thanks to the same I have made a decent place in Corporate Healthcare in the field of my choice. I wished to go back and meet all the people there and see how life has changed the place. It did not come as a surprise that nothing had changed. All the staff was as caring as before, with all the time in the world. It was a good feeling. I returned with a lot of volumes of the hospital newsletter, a brochure, 2 caps and a memory to last for some time to come. A thought did occur to me was to retire from this institution perhaps! To close where I began…….

Pranic Healing

This came unplanned. One call from one of my doctors at Fortis whether I wished to learn Pranic Healing and be a healer had me all ears! Yes, the thought of being able to heal had definitely a very good ring to it. What greater joy than to alleviate suffering and pain. That too without the gruel of 5 years of MBBS!! With 18 years in healthcare, this sounded just about right! So I entered into the basic course and then the advanced course. Now, I’m a Pranic Healer. I have learnt the stuff and have books to refer to. Now, I need loads and loads of practice to get to the heart of it. This too like medicine is an art and has to be practiced well to be perfected. It does not cost any money to heal and neither does it cause harm. It only requires time. To start with small aches and pains and when the doctor gives up hope then this is definitely worth trying. I have a ready person to try it on. Ronnie. And maybe teach too! Well, if (or shall I say once) mastered it could be my retirement pastime!

Discipline for Happiness

Frivolous mind, as mine is, tends to forget many things. So, I naturally became fond of checklists. Also, I realized that what causes stress very often is unfinished tasks. Both at work and at home. Well, at office I tend to be on my toes, and that has borne fruit and happiness. So, I decided to do the same at home. What evolved next was a Daily, Weekly and Monthly Checklist of To Dos. Some checks and balances on my finances, expenses and savings. Then got Bonnie and Ronnie to do the Check and Audit respectively of all Mom’s tasks! Well, print out taken, it has also found a place on the Notice Board. Now, I’m geared up to go back to work and take life headlong!

Ravi Nagar

This was unlisted in my to dos. Yet, this break saw me take 3 trips down memory lane. One with Mummy, one with Litty and Mom and the third with Monchetan. Cleared some debris, sorted some stuff and books and felt good! Well, we seem to be struggling to put together one tiny home and here Papa and Mummy have put together such a big home and that too with one person working and ten children. We must be having the best parents ever!

Conclusion

Life is one big journey and half the journey has already Gone with the Wind. No point shrugging life as envisioned in Atlas Shrugged. Sometimes life is like Tempest and sometimes like a Roman Holiday, but most often Life seems to be like Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace, like seasons it keeps changing and keeps going on and on and gets us back again and again to where we started making a Full Circle. We must BE All We Can Be and be connected till the Sunset years of our life. Life is Beautiful!

Rejoice and be Glad! That is what HE said!

PS: I wrote this for the sheer joy of writing. By sharing this with all of you, I'm sharing a bit of myself.

Enjoy!

IF : by Rudyard Kipling

2011-06-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Context : My All Time Favorite English Poem

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Back to Cooking

2011-04-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

I love cooking and I used to cook a lot back when I was in UK and US. But back in India with the working hours stretching at your creative best, we ended up putting a cook. Now I was down to once a week, with making something the kid's like : Tomato Rice, Chicken Biryani, Pasta , Noodles Variation etc

This Summer Holidays I visited my sister's place (Rita @ Pune) and eating at her place made me look into the kitchen once again. She cooks with her heart and that is something no cook can replace. She reminded me of mum but on the same hand the recipes were not the same. In fact it is amazing that the same dish can taste so unique depending on the kitchen and hands that craft them.

Back in Bangalore I took out my Cooking Apron and dished out some curries. In the last two weeks I cooked
Standard Recipe like

Moong Dal
Rajma
Chicken Biryani
Plantain
Palak / Dal
Kichidi
Fish Curry

Some Variations like

Chick Peas and Chicken
Beetroot, Olives, Apple, Potato Salad !!
Orange Tea
Snake Gourd and Potato
Lobiya / Peta
Chicken in Mushroom Sauce !! (kids loved it)

Will I continue once College Starts !!!! Time will tell

All the Best

2011-03-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

"A mail from a Teacher to his Students"

Dear Students,
Exams are starting and I know you all will be studying very hard.

I wish you all the best but do keep in mind luck favours the prepared mind

Like Doug Firebaugh said "Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow." In your case change it to Every Hour

Study in rotation in terms of Subjects/ Units
Take 10 minute break every hour when you study otherwise your one hour will end up having only 10 minutes of study
Ask your self can I write at least 1 line on each line item in the syllabus
Can I explain any algo .... can I walk thru the algo with example ..... then I will study the algo syntax
Studying should include recursive calls to reading, writing, speaking, verification
Is there something in this unit I definetly need to know for the exam
Is there something I keep forgetting or making a mistake .... how can I use a mnemonic or association to retain the same in the mind
Teach others in the process your concept will be clearer and preparation better
Reach for the exam 30 minutes in advance
Dont Pray for a miracle ..... because you are the miracle ..... Pray instead that you will be optimally able to use the time at hand and have the presence of mind when studying and when giving the exams.
I wish each one of you will do atleast 10% better than what you did in the previous semester

Followership 3 @ Engineering College

2011-03-17T02:09:00.000-07:00

Leadership Workshop at Christ Engineering College, Kengeri
Conducted by Balachandran K and Jibrael Jos
Date : 11 - Mar -2011
Participants : 17 students
Vishaka,Lucy,Christy,Anith,Alan,Thomas,Animesh,Cyril,
Albert,Anu,Neetha,Maria,Vinjohn,Jubin,Joe,Ajas,Sumith

Agenda

Followership

Self Belief

Leadership Traits

Building from Scratch

Conducted some different kind of activities to make participants realise the importance of team work, planning and time management

The enthusiasm of the participants was very heartening, A very talented bunch of student, they had a task to build a 5 feet long plane using bamboo, newspaper, thread, paint etc in a time frame of one hour. Both the teams did a wonderful job at it.

Balachandran Sir conducted the session on Leadership Traits

Feedback
"Very useful and constructive session on leadership qualities. It was a great experience for all of us" Anu Anto

"I never felt so involved in the extra curricular activity held before" Vinjohn

Followership : A Leadership Workshop @ MindTree

2011-01-24T02:14:00.000-08:00

Conducted a Leadership Workshop at MindTree Limited
Initiative of Dept. of Comp Sc. Christ University and Data Warehousing Practice, MindTree
Date : 21 - Jan -2010
Participants : 18 Employees with 2+ years of experience
Agenda

Followership
Self Belief
IPS
Getting Buy In / Selling Ideas
Leadership Traits
Career Plan / Organisation Alignment

Conducted some different kind of activities to make participants realise the importance of many of these areas.
One question which was raised by Bragga was that can leadership can actually be trained ? A very good question , I feel that my one day workshop is not meant to teach you leadership but make you appreciate the importance of it and make one see where they stand currently on the different expected traits.

Coming back to the question asked, yes I feel leadership can be trained but like most skills it needs to be honed, a mentor to guide and experiences and time to actually ripen

Dipanjan M faciltated the Career Planning / Growth Session. His frank and clear point of view was very refreshing. He highlighted the need for individuals to align to organisation goals on the same hand he shared that anybody in the DWH leadership team would be more than willing to help individuals to reach their career goals.

Sincere thanks to Pavan, Lijosh in helping to organise it.

I will post any feedbacks I get on this blog

Big Enough

2011-01-21T21:47:00.000-08:00

Lyrics by Chris Rice

Context : One of my favorite hymns

None of us knows and this makes it a mystery

If life is a comedy, then why all the tragedy?
Three and a half pounds of brain try to figure out
What this world is all about
And is there an eternity Is there an eternity?

God if You're there I wish You'd show me
And God if You care then I need You to know me
I hope You don't mind me asking the questions
But I figure You're big enough
I figure You're big enough

Lying on pillows we're haunted and half-awake
Does anyone hear us pray "If I die before I wake?"
Then the morning comes and the mirror's another place
Where we wrestle face-to-face
With the image of deity
The image of deity

When I imagine the size of the Universe
And I wonder what's out past the edges
Then I discover inside me a space as big
And believe that I'm meant to be filled up
With more than just questions

Salutation of the Dawn : By Kalidasa

2010-12-25T19:30:00.000-08:00

Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life,
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:

The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendor of beauty,
For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow only a vision,
But today well lived makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day!
Such is the salutation of the dawn.

Followership : Workshop Feedback

2010-12-24T03:12:00.000-08:00

Feedback received from Students who attended the Leadership Workshop on 17 Dec 2010

We enjoyed a lot in Followership Workshop. It was the best interactive session i have ever attended.Each game we played like( 7 UPS or narrating the story) was interesting and at the same time we gained knowledge in different aspects. I had never thought that just by watching waves i can gain such knowledge.We were motivated by your enthusiasm. I think because of small group it was very interactive and informative. I would like to attend more workshops like this in future.
Last but not the least it would be nice if others in the class also get to attend the same workshop in future.
KavyaShree C V

I never forget today's workshop, because we people had a good session on the topic leadership....
And the events and games whatever we had was superb, especially 7up and Dancing game was cool....
And I hope, Xmas plan what we made in session will come into action, insha allah....
Thank you for such a wonderful class..finally the lunch was superb....
Abdul Kareem M A

The workshop conducted today was very interesting and interactive.We came to know the quality of a good leader through various activities rather than boring lectures.We realized our potential and each one came up with innovative ideas which were communicated to the entire class.This gave us extra confidence to tell out what we feel.Overall session was planned very well and each activity was in such a way that we learned something new.
Nivetheetha.U

Followership : A Leadership Workshop

2010-12-24T02:57:00.000-08:00

Conducted a Leadership Workshop entitled “Followership” in Christ University on 17 December for MCA and M.Sc. students

I intentionally kept the attendance as optional and since it was a holiday, I got a small select set of students. My target was twenty but was more than happy to get sixteen who were willing to spend a day for this workshop.

The workshop was called “Followership” as I strongly believe that Leadership ad Followership are strongly connected and a person cannot be a good leader if he is not a good follower.

The workshop as usual included games and team activities. This time I included two videos in the sessions. Like the last time it did have an exercise using Theatre, additionally I got dance in to add a new dimension.

Students seemingly enjoyed the workshop and gave good feedback. Conducting it was fun. The Agenda included

· Self Belief
· IPS
· Leadership Traits (Based on Stephen Covey / Robin Sharma)
· The Road Ahead

The Games included

· One To 50 Team race
· Thespian Walk
· Fairy Tale Enactment
· Choreograph a dance
· Listening
· 7 UP
· Mirroring

The students showed great leadership potential. Some are already leaders in many ways. The dance and play they put up was pretty awesome. As a follow up of this workshop all the students took the initiative to organize a Christmas Party on the 22^nd Dec.

Thanks to JP Sir(HOD) and Rajeshwari Maam(M.Sc Coordinator) for all the support they gave for the initiative.

Thanks to Dannie, Kavyashree and Kareem for the logistic / planning support.

Book for IT Developers

2010-11-28T02:00:00.000-08:00

Must for IT Developer, Should be read cover to cover
(if I have missed something, do let me know)

C , Kernigan & Ritchie
Code Complete, Steve Mc Connell
Thinking in Java, Bruce Eckel
Software Engineering, Roger Pressman
Head First Design Patterns
Introduction to Databases, C J Date
Unix Programming Enviorment, Kernigan and Pike
Algorithims (Any One)
Computer Network, Andrew S Tanenbaum
Modern Operating System, Tanenbaum
Programming Pearls, John Bentley

Books for Data Structures

Pseudocode Approach to DS, Foruzan/Gilberg
Algorithims Vol 1-5: Robert Sedgwick
Art of Computer Programming, Vol 1-3 Donald E Knuth
Introduction to the Design & Analysis of Algorithms

Teaching: Odd Semester 2010

2010-10-25T03:54:00.000-07:00

This semester had the following classes

M.Sc Data Structures (~60 hrs)
M.S Data Structures (~40 hrs)
BSc (CMS and CME) DBMS (~50 hrs)
MCA/M.Sc Placement (~25 hrs)
BCA : Pl/SQL (12 hrs)
Class Teacher for M.Sc 1st Sem and MS 1st Sem

I have really enjoyed teaching here at Christ and each semester it is getting better.

Students of B.Sc were a different bunch to the students I had taught in PG Courses and taking their class was definitely fun. I found the class very enthusiastic and it gave me new energy each time I walked into the class.

My Learnings:

Not to go unprepared for a class as a time gets under utilized and students do not understand, it is not that I have to learn the topic but rather how to teach it.
Came to know that some students felt perturbed by me, need to be more expressive
I tend to praise students and sometimes it erks other students and they start assuming I am biased. (Need to be careful)
Stick to the fundamentals
Learn from previous semester the topics which students had doubted in end sem and tried to revise it or teach it differently
Used Blackboard more, ppts are not effective in many situations
Trust students, take feedback from them half way thru
Code along with teaching
Importance of Test and Assignments
Teaching Simple Topics I tend to find difficult
Need to take care of both the Outstanding and Weak Students and not to get one sided

Some different methods applied

Used different games to foster thinking
Games to improve team work
Used discussion/interactive mode
Quiz (as teams)
Data Structure / DBMS dumb charades
Excercises
Songs / Mime on different computer papers
Assignments (Create a video on DBMS / DS) ; Writing out of box code; Create Notes from Wiki
CMS/CME class created notes as a team and end result we had two version of notes
Used Java Application (created by me) to explain sorts
Shared Online resources

I tried to repeat topics in rotation rather than just going Unit 1 - 5 sequentially. Took revision classes.

Playback Theatre

2010-10-01T23:29:00.000-07:00

Attended 64 hours (in three months) in a Certificate Course in Playback Theatre conducted here in Christ University (along with Script Peoples Theatre) was an awesome experience

Credit goes to the phenomenal trainer we had in Rajesh P I and the wonderful team of playbackers ( a mix of students and industry professionals)

There are no practices or scripts here, the topic is given and we have to perform. No classroom sessions, just games, acting, innovating, creating , feeling ........... We had a final performance on 25th September in front of a small crowd

The impact of the workshop was so high for me that I concluded my documentation for the workshop with the following lines

"When the mind is ready and visualization is clear and with all the positive energy around the universe will conspire for you and when one becomes a witness to so many miracles, one cannot but bend down to say a prayer of gratitude"

Acting : Beyond Boundaries

2010-10-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

When Sibu Sir (TIE) offered me an opportunity to act as a murderer just returned from jail, I was excited to say the least. Add to that the murderer(Ashwin) was repenting on the very day of his heinous crime. Three short scenes, but on the same hand a powerful and emotional one. I practiced with the group and even at home. I had to practice staying in a depressed, frustrated and repentant state for the first 6 scenes of the play. The second scene was in the shadow so I had to make sure that I used my hands and the body language more effectively.

I learnt a lot of things in the process of practices. What makes it memorable was the comradeship we shared with the fellow actors, dancers, backstage artists and the director. The environment was friendly and even though the director had a strict eye on quality nobody felt a hanging Damocles sword. The passion and dedication of the fellow artist pushed me to take that extra yard. I was acting after twelve long years and being part of this production and standing under the lights in huge Christ Auditorium was an impossible dream just a month before.

Three shows to remember, my kids loved my performance and kept repeating my dialogues in the next two weeks

Theatre in Education: A Teacher’s Perspective

2010-08-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

Published in Theatre in Education magazine for the Production of 2010 "Beyond Boundaries"

Dec 2008
When I decided to leave the lucrative IT Industry to pursue a career in teaching, many people dissuaded me but none from their hearts as all could see the fruits of following your dreams. I planned it for four years and finally I undertook a 17 day road trip from Bangalore to Delhi to prepare my mind for the change. On hindsight it seems ridiculously funny, like a child contemplating whether to enter a play area in a park is a good idea or not.

June 2009
This was not the first time I crossed a “mind” made boundary and once I entered Christ University and stood in the massive auditorium on inauguration day listening to the VC addressing, I knew it would not be the last. I could sense the tingling magic that was floating around. The soaring roof and beautiful stage beckoned my soul to rise and my heart was in my throat. The lines in my hand danced around mesmerized at the very possibility.

July 2010
I always loved theatre. When I was in school and college, I was fortunate enough to have acted in many plays, script some and direct a few. I used to look back on those days with nostalgia. TIE poster attracted my attention this summer and my mind started wondering of the possibilities of a second helping of theatre.

My days are very tight with teaching and mentoring students in the Department of Computer Science. Taking time out in the early morning for this seemed a bit difficult. The Certificate Course in Playback Theatre was meant to be more of a hobby when I started but it has been such a learning experience that it is hard to put the impact into words.

Two hour classes from 6:20 to 8:30 AM actually put in me so much energy that I feel I had gained more time in a day
• I was getting up at five in the morning
• Practicing for a corporate play from 4:30PM – 6:00PM
• Taking Theatre Workshop for MBA students on Sundays
• Directing two plays
• Giving moral support for my students of CMS / CME for Darpan
• Squeezing time to see Darpan Stage Events
• Teaching Computer Science using Theatre
• Activities/CIA to make a song/play on a computer theory paper
• Workshop for Placement based on Theatre

I feel I have become more expressive when I teach in class. I have discovered more sections in the library I did not know existed. When I tell stories to my kids in the night, they seemed to be enjoying it more than before. I actually wrote a poem after four years called Playbacker’s Prayer. I have expanded my student network in Christ University to different courses.

I am a peer of fellow play backers who are immensely talented and with electrifying spontaneity. I am a student of an outstanding teacher whose methodology is treading the fine line between the real and the spiritual world. I am an actor working under two directors who have a passion and vision which makes you just stare at the direction they point.
August 2010
It has been only a month since this teacher joined Playback Theatre but one thing is clear you will not be able to take the theatre out of this teacher because “Theatre in Education” is his new mantra.

“Success is counted sweetest by those who ne’er succeed
To comprehend the nectar requires the sorest need”
Emily Dickinson

Playbacker;s Prayer

2010-07-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Background : I am taking part in a Certificate Course in Playback Theatre, it is an amazing experience as you get to think, act, innovate three times a week for 3 months. This poem was inspired by a great teacher and a very energetic and innovative class.

(half way thru the course)

Dear Lord,

If life is a play
Teach me to act according to your way

If life is a walk
What pace will I take
What friends will I make

If life is a freeze
What opportunity will I seize

If life is machine
Teach me to make my repetitions fine
Happy even on a production line

If life is a tableau
Teach me to add value in the show
And innovate on my toe

If life is a fluid sculpture
Teach me not to rupture
The very fabric of your structure

If life is a script
Even I have no line I am fine
But if I have one, not my wish but thine

If life is a play
Teach me to act according to your way

Think First Workshop

2010-06-06T05:02:00.001-07:00

Conducted a 6 day workshop this summer holidays for the B.Sc students here at Christ along with other teachers in the department.

The basic idea of the workshop is that students try coding , debugging on their own ..... and maybe some would come to have the "Joy of Programming" ..... and other to atleast "Think First before they Google"

We tried to mix Interactive Sessions, Theory Classes, Leadership Games and Lab on these six days. I enjoyed preparing for the same and even more enjoyed conducting some of the sessions.

The 60 odd students were a great bunch to teach, and many performed much beyond my expectations.

Some Games to increase thinking:
Building Tower
Building Bridge with newspaper
Communicating with a string !!
Fairy Tale Dramatization
Presentations with Ads
Puzzles etc

Thanks for all the support from the wonderful students of CMS / CME. Looking forward to teach them Database this semester

A budding journalist in the class has also posted a blog,
Vacation Workshop

Evolution

2010-04-09T04:37:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine how much time it takes for a stone to become a pebble.
How much time for the Himalayas to get formed that is a rise of around 8 kms from the sea level of Tethys Sea?
How many generations from early man to me? How Many Generations for Giraffe to develop his neck so long?
How many years back did my mother tongue come into being?
How did the eye evolve, kidney come into being, heart began to beat?
If man has ruled the earth for 100,000 years …. Dinosaurs have done it for 150,000,000 years …..What kind of laptops did they have ……… was man the first specie to go to the moon and watch LCD TV?
Does the DNA code have “if” conditions and “loops” like a programming language? Are A,G,S,T amino acid actually just bits like 0,1 in a computer program
Where is the DNA’s compiler, linker and loader ?
For every human alive there are a million insects? There are insects in the deserts , forest, poles, flying over Himalayas, living in crude oil well, salty water. Who is king “homo sapiens” or “mosquitoes?”
You may know Charles Darwin travelled 5 years in HMS Beagle way back in 1831 before he published “Origin of Species” but have you read his grand father’s poem !
Organic Life beneath the shoreless waves
Was born and nurs’d in oceans pearly caves
First forms unseen by spheric glass
Move on the mud, or pierce the watery mass
Then as successive generations bloom
New powers acquire and larger limbs assume

These books are great reads:
Evolution: Carl Zimmer
Origin of Species: Charles Darwin
Life on Earth: David Attenborough
Climbing Mount Improbable: Richard Dawkins
The Earth through Time: Levin

eChalk and Talk

2010-03-16T05:42:00.000-07:00

Having moved laterally into teaching after 12 years in Industry, one area where I realized I need more practice was in the effective use of the black board. I realized early on that explaining an example on board used to take me more time compared to explaining on a pre prepared/planned presentation. Another problem was that to explain sorting, I had to juggle with a lot of numbers and presentation become more cumbersome to pull up to explain a particular doubt.
So I improvised and started using “eChalk” !! I discovered the use of MS Excel a bit more for this purpose. This led to the first excel sheet to explain different kinds of sort.
Excel can also be used to explain something on the fly, easy to type in numbers and even to make diagrams. I explained Binary Search Trees using an excel sheet
To capture brainstorming ideas or discussion points, excel can also be of help.
Some key features
• Typing Numbers
• Color Coding
• Drawing Diagrams
• Zoom in facility
So normally there is phrase used “Chalk and Talk” what do you think about “eChalk and Talk”

Check out Sorting Excel Sheet
Sorts Explained

Teaching Data Structures

2010-01-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

I am a faculty in the Computer Science Department in Christ University

In the last 7 months I have been fortunate enough to teach Data Structures in M.Sc, MCA and even a few classes for MPhil

Attached are the samples of a few ppts I used. These are teaching aids and cannot be used as self learning tutorial.

Microsoft Presentation gives amazing flexibility in creating your deck of slides, do explore the package.

AVL Trees
BTree
Graph
Slides Deck

If any teacher finds these Slide Decks useful feel free to use the same

Recession

2009-09-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Context: Hope in the time of recession. Writing this article with a pen in one hand and a job in the other may seem a bit high winded but I will request you to read on ……..
(I would like to thank Pragya for giving the chance to contribute to the Comp Sc PG Department Newsletter)

Published in INFOBAHN, Christ University

I will survive

Because challenges cannot break me
Vultures of gloom cannot take me
Fire cannot consume me,
Rejection cannot drown me

Not only will I survive but

Challenges will mold and let me grow roots
Gloom will teach me to happy in little things and still bear fruits
Fire will make me stronger
Failure will make me strive higher

Because when going gets tough, the tough get tougher
Perspective

We only see the plane flying in the sky and we strive to be one. Little do we ponder as to how much time it waited patiently in the imagination of early man in the drawings of Da Vinci to the ideas of numerous others to the belief of Wright Brothers and finally to the opportunity of aviation fuel …….. that today a thing which more than 1000 kilogram can fly.

When we compare man’s achievement of flying a plane and the need to get a job to make ends meet we may come to perspective. When we were young we dreamt of greatness like being a sports star, artist or scientist and here we are at the very onset of our adult life and we are choking at the very thought of failing.

· We will need to be patient (and not expect a job 6 months before)

· We will need to be disciplined and diligent (to drop a 100 CV’s in different companies)+

· We will need to maintain a positive attitude (then only company number 101 will recruit us)

· We will need to make allowance in our expectation (salary, location, profile)

· We should manage our time well and make sure our fundamentals our strong and our key skills are honed

· We need to be realistic as we may need to work in an NGO,BPO or as a Salesman

And in spite of all this we still may not get a job THEN we need to have the wisdom to see that we are jobless not because of our own limitation.

Then and only then will we have the hope that when the time comes we will get our break. Any organization would like to recruit a mind who is patient, disciplined, flexible and has a good attitude. A mind with ability to learn on his own, realistic and wise. A person whose mind, heart and soul has been molded in the fire of challenges.

Success is not dependent on IQ, it needs a brain alright but it clearly needs the head its inside should be screwed on right. And trust a challenging situation like recession to get any fault we have collected in the early years’ right.

Just like recession is temporary slump, so was the ridiculous high salary some people got at boom time a temporary jump! So do not be lamenting on the spilt milk ….. the milk which you were about to buy with the money you were about to get from the lottery you were about to win.
Recession 2001

In 2001 a whopping 2.7 million jobs were lost.

A good friend of mine was fresh out of college in that year. He dropped more than a hundred CV’s in Electronic City, ITPL, Koramangala and Jayanagar. His first salary was a paltry Rs 1500. He worked extra long working hours for more than a year. Today he has a very good pay package but does he look back and curse those time, no my friends he looks at it with nostalgia. My NCERT scholarship holding sister who lost her job in recession today earns 3 times her otherwise would be salary. CFA and MBA are feathers in her cap she added (apart from the MTech she already had before recession).

These are not exceptions as I do not know a single person who did not have a job in 2001 and who still does not have a job
Growing Roots

The biggest challenges many of the IT Companies have when they recruit from campus is that they need to arrange a training program to assimilate the new joinees. This assimilation program ideally just needs to cover the organization culture, processes and best practices. But this is far from what it is today in India. Campus program are quiet extensive. A lot of time is spent teaching programming basics, SQL and some key fundamentals. Some organizations spend considerable time also on behavioral skills.

It is the prime responsibility of each job seeker to be honing their skills, not just to clear the interview and get a job but to do well on the job. So if challenges come grow your roots deep and spread them far. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing grass at a tremendous rate of 2 feet a day but what many people do not know is that the first 4 years it does not show any outward sign of growth as it spreading its rhizome system of roots deep and wide.

So aspire to be a bamboo in the tough times ahead and success will find you. Do not become like seeds caged up in a box in a cozy kitchen but bury yourself and build your roots so that one day you may become a mighty tree.

Conclusion

O Recession, I am like champagne,

Shaking me would be in vain

I WILL shoot up without disdain

Footnotes

· Why Aviation Fuel: Leonardo Da Vince was living 500 yeas ago, pedaling up the hill is tough enough taking off like a plane !

· Heaviest plane AN225 loading capacity is around 500,000 kgs !

· 2.7 million jobs were lost according to one study in the recession of 2001

· “Mighty Oak tree” and “tough get tougher” are not my original quotes

· Check out Bamboo on Wiki, some have grown at 4 feet a day

"Joy of Programming"

2009-08-20T04:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Programmers
Check out my other blog http://zingprogramming.blogspot.com and try the Level 1 Programming Excercise

Submit Code and Time Taken to my email address if interested

Think First Google Later

2009-08-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

Google is a wonderful
.........But use it as a tool
................Its not AI for fools
---
If you download every code
Coding will be a heavy load
---
If you search for every error
Debugging will be terror
---
When will you think
Else Brain Drains Thru the Sink !!
---
"File Not Found", "Suspicious Pointer Assignment""Bubble Sort"
please please please
---
Research is not same as search
Discovery is not searching thru results
Innovations is not googling "Ideas for meeting"
---
Think First Google Later
---

(Please Note: AI:Artificial Intelligence)
(Please Note: I love google but I suggest use it as search tool, it is not meant to be AI for fools)

Bhaiya Me Not

2009-08-05T03:21:00.000-07:00

Re Released: Rakhsa Bandhan 2009 (originally published in Hindustan Times Jul 5th 1995)

Context: This article was written by me when I was doing graduation in St Stephens. Read the article keeping in mind that I am quiet young when I wrote it. The emoluments (Rs 700) from this went on to serve my one year’s tea and bhelpuri expense

The normal English language may have one hundred and one flaws, but it is one up on most Indian Languages, i.e in its lack of use of the words “brother” and “sister” during normal conversation.

In this land of Rakhi and Bhaiya Duj children grow up with firm realization and conviction that any one older to them (even by a matter of seconds) has to be branded under the label of Bhaiya and didi.

It is the former label that I have an aversion to. This aversion though not recent reached its peak about a week ago. If you say you haven’t had a crush during your college days you are either a fluent liar with a misplaced sense of secrecy or a person with a lack of certain hormones.

The damage these two words, bhaiya and didi do to your lovelorn self is worth narrating. One day I spotted God’s wonderful creation at my college gate. Time came to a stand still, the world moved in slow motion with the constant ringing of bells and fluttering of my heart. Such a situation instead of getting the best in you invariably numbs your thinking process. So when she looked at me, I was sure she had also had heard the bells and felt the flutter. I walked straight up to her as smartly as I could under the circumstances (I must have resembled a lumbering and bungling bear with a minimum of seven litres of the best wine inside him).

But I was run down by a bullet train. Hit by a six ton battering ram and brought down to earth by a small push when she said “Bhaiya, time kya hua hai ?”

All the bhenjis who without any bias believe firmly in the concept of brotherly love and affection to all men kindly do not misunderstand that the apoplexy, anguish and tribulation I underwent was not due to the trivial question hurled at me, but the implications that went along with it. It meant, I was not going to be ever considered by her.

The blatant use of this terminology is curtailed only in the first year of college. Thanks to initial courtesy you have to call you seniors, sir or maam, for a month or so. In this duration the non brotherly relationship is well established. Which I am sure has cut short a dozen rachis enroute.

Unlike the word bhaiya, bhenji is not the said thing. A student calling a lady on the wrong side of 30 as bhenji may not raise much of an eyebrow. But repercussions in calling a young attractive lady in campus the same is not hard to imagine.

But challenges and bets are so much in vogue that you can actually consider it as part of the college curriculum. I challenged my friend to call the lady across the street bhenji. My friend a true college dada went across the road and asked “Bhenji time kya hua hai ?”

In this sweltering heat one would welcome a cold wave anytime. But the ice cold glare which he got back in return for the question from the woman was another matter.

That he had a grin and she had a glare, that she didn’t have a watch and he had one, did not add much warmth to the tete-a-tete, so coldly they parted.

The message I wanted to get across is

Bother me yes
Brother me not
Curse me yes
Bhaiya me not

Why Teach

2009-08-03T06:09:00.001-07:00

Context:

Senior Lecturer, Christ University
Teacher and Guide, Sneh Sadan Orphange
Ex Competency& Culture Manager, MindTree

I love converting ideas into action and teaching lets you do that day in and day out.
I always wanted to share the
· Joy I get from reading books,
· Joy from doing things,
· Joy from touching lives,
· Joy from living dreams
· Joy of seeing someone else see ”wonder” in things around him
Mentors and Guides

I was way too lucky to get good teachers, mentors and guides all along the way. My parents and siblings to begin with, teachers in Columba’s, people like Fr Ajay and PG Uncle, Lecturers in Stephens and Birkbeck.
I was not much attached to my father in my growing days but what I am and what I stand for a lot comes from my dad and I would always be thankful. The stories he used to tell me as a child always inspires me to be a writer. The travelling and the trekking bug comes from our trips on shoe string budgets and our annual 6 km walk across the field in Kerala to the location of the church on top of a hill. Adi and my love for trains also come from my dad.

I used to go with my grandfather to “chanda” (shopping place) in Kerala from the time I was 5 years old. I have learnt more from him than anybody I recollect. Apart from learning how to buy fish and tapioca. I have sat on a tractor and bullock cart with him. Climbed trees, picked wood, eggs and fruits. I have taken the calf to the river for giving it a bath, my grandfather was taking the cow alongside me. Whenever I think about it tears well up in my eyes even today. How many of you have actually helped in getting honey from a hive !!! (Do keep in mind I did not get to put my hand in, I just held the ladder)

These guides taught me the reason why knowledge has to be applied to truly appreciate it
Books
Before I learnt the alphabets I learned from my siblings that reading was fun. When there are six siblings elder to me who deep dive into books every afternoon without any mandate from the top it makes complete sense to get a hand on a book ASAP.
I enjoyed reading both fiction and non fiction and when I took control of my senses (in class III) I realized not all felt “wow” when they read History, Geography, Maths and Science and I used to think boy what a waste
Today I read a lot of subjects including Science Fiction, Fiction, Physics, Maths, Psychology, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Religion, Management, English, Computer Science, etc the only difference is that now I exclaim “man what a waste” when others fail to see the joy in the books.
It is possible that my screws need a little tightening and this wonder I see is misplaced ….. but till this conviction exist in my mind I always would want to share this feeling.

When did I start teaching

In school I used to request my friends to read Alistair Maclean and Resnick Halliday
In College I was crazy about Physics so I used to explain relativity to those who would lend an ear.
In the Youth Movement while leading / directing plays or while taking workshops
As a PM in the last 6 years, I have always tried to be mentor those who work under me by leading with example, Inspiring with words and in worst case pulling my seniority
Giving PMP Training
Teaching in the Campus Batch

So I do not feel I have become a teacher today

In Conclusion

My friends I believe that there is teacher in each and every one of us, we would all have memories of some people who guided us in the past. There would also have been numerous occasion where you would have guided somebody else. It so happens that my job title matches with what I do today.

My Recent Sessions Include:

Advanced Data Structures in C
Including Heaps using PPT Animation
Linked List using code walkthrougho Sorting using Excel
BTREE using Self Discovery
Leadership Workshop mixed with games
Readiness Workshop (include session on Recession, Self Learning , Happiness)
BI Labs : Self Learning
Campus Training (SQL , Doc and Collaborate)
Path to Excellence (MS Excel)
Project Management (PMP)
Readiness Workshop (include session on Recession, Self Learning , Happiness)
Think First Google Later
Physics : Optics, Magnetism, Electricity
Chemistry : Atoms
Maths: Bodmas and simple multiplications!!!
History : Alexander, Shivaji, Babar
Geography : Asia, Europe
Story Telling

ARISE Summer Camp : Summary

2009-05-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

Context: Summer Camp conducted in the Sneh Sadan.
The camp was shortened due to an administrative problem and lasted only 10 days unlike the planned 20 days. To compensate for lost time we doubled up the time spent, some highlights include

Computer Classes taken by Ryan, he came every day for the whole week and he brought in some learning software. Children learnt a lot of geography and GK in a very short time.
Class on Leaves proved that children knew much more about leaves and plants, as in Sneh Sadan has an excellent farm like environment. Each child bought 10 different types of leaves to class and we had a small quiz on the same.
Alpho and Naveen from MindTree took a class on Astronomy and taught the children about planets and gave them an idea of size of each by making a model in class. Children affirmed the learning by making an animated presentation using Microsoft Powerpoint the next day (with the help of Ryan).
Alpho and Divya took an excellent class to improve English using games. (Word Antakshari, Pictionary, Building Words from Big Words)
Rahul Mohandas from MindTree shared with the children his fascination of cars and his curiosity to find out how things work. How did he teach this? By simply opening the car’s bonnet!!
Srivatsa from MindTree came down and took a class on Painting and Origami.
Cricket Match was played on one evening. Team was captained by Santosh and Prem. Prem came up with class shots and Alwin did some cool spin bowling but Santosh and Father Roy’s team beat our team 2-1.
Apart from this some other classes on History, Science and Maths were also conducted
The children daily played with toys (on loan) brought in for this camp which included 3 blocks set, 2 train/track sets, 3 animal and birds set. (Seeing the way kids enjoyed and came up with really out of the box design I think one day I will open a Toy Library)
Rahul’s son and my two children came down on last day. The youngest group took them around their home and showed their bunk beds, classroom, dining halls, animals in the farm, different types of fruit trees and they loved playing with the baby rabbits.
Trek to Savandurga has been postponed to July as the schedule turned out to be very tight.
Overall it was an enjoyable and enriching experience for one and all. Father Roy did a lot of running around to coordinate the whole event, playing cricket and making sure all who came felt “very welcomed”.
Special thanks to the cook of establishment who sacrificed her 10 days vacation to make this event happen.

Finally three cheers for these wonderful children who inspite of their difficulties are able to share their joy and enthusiasm in even studying in the summer holidays. Overall the children are very bright and what was pretty evident was that they are very sensitive and soft at heart and not all that tough as they like the world to believe.

We have just scratched the surface, we will need to spend much more time with these children in a similarly planned manner if we are to make a positive impact on their careers and life in general. As of today I am sure the children have taught us more than we have taught them !

Thanks for one and all who contributed in making this Endeavour a success.

ARISE Summer Workshop

2009-03-30T04:44:00.000-07:00

I am conducting a Summer Camp for children of Sneh Sadan. There are 30 students in this home , the age is ranging from 6-15 years. They understand English (otherwise with my Language Barrier this would not have been possible) . Two MindTree minds have shown interest, but more help is definetly required. This would be a great oppurtunity for you to give back something to the system !! . It could be as simple as 2 hours on a particular day !!

Arise

2009-03-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

Context: I am organizing a summer camp for the children of Sneh Sadan (off Bannerghatta Road). The returns in conducting any program with children has so much returns that to put a dollar value to the ROI is simply not possible.
So are you interested in spending time with these children and to make your time count?
On 8th March 2009 I conducted my first workshop with the permission of Father Roy in the premisis of the Sneh Sadan. There are currently 30 children here for whom this is their home.
We divide the group into three batches, each class one hour and the agenda was
Group 1: Ages 6-10 years
· Ice Breakers: Spinning the Top
· Book Appreciation: Book of Buildings around the world
· Building Tallest Tower (Using Jenga Blocks)
Group 2: Ages 10-13 years
· Ice Breakers: Spinning the Top
· Book Appreciation: Book of Buildings around the world
· Building Tallest Tower (Using Jenga Blocks)
· Implementing their own design (House/Apartment/Church/Monument etc)
Group 3: Ages 13-15 years
· Ice Breakers: Number 1- 50
· Book Appreciation: Book of Buildings around the world
· Implementing their own design (House/Apartment/Church/Monument etc)
· Team Building Game : Tap Tap

The children seemed to enjoy the games and said they are looking forward to the full fledge summer camp. I was completely exhausted by the end of it but did enjoy playing with the children. I plan to conduct these introductory playing sessions on the remaining Sundays of the month of March. Summer Camp is scheduled to start in the first week of April.

The Agenda of the camp would include (5 days a week, 1 hour a day, 3 batches)
Team Games
Individual Motivation Games
Presentation Skill
English Speaking Skills
Subject Appreciation
Astronomy / Maths / Physics / Computers / English
History / Geography / Zoology / Biology
Book Appreciation
Loads of fun

Leadership Traits

2009-02-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

Jibrael Jos, Ash Wednesday 2009

Context: What are leadership traits, Steven Covey puts forward seven traits. The people mentioned are all whom I hold in high regard and what I put here is only my perception with my limited interaction and my limited understanding.
Leadership and Followership are connected, if you do not believe in the system, your company, your practice how do you expect your team members to believe in you.
If you do not follow the strict path ( I do not think we need to) but then why do we expect others to toe the line we draw.
If you do not stand up to change the things you want changed you should not expect your team members to take onus.
Leadership is 90% Action and the remaining 10% is thinking what else to do.
Steven Covey puts forward seven traits of a leader
They are continually learning:
Subroto Bagchi, a major percentage of the books in the library are from his collection and the collection is not random one, it shows the person is a thinker and innovator (or is striving to be one). Closer home there is our very own Srikanth, Derick and Senthil who show the same trait. Learning is not just from books it comes from experiences, people you meet and concepts you develop. It is from both eyes and ears !!
They are service oriented:
Leaders see life as a mission. Ashok Soota comes to my mind but my favorite is definitely Mahatma Gandhi, people followed him by the thousands not for his oratory skills or for his style or for his looks. I believe a good leader needs to be closer to reality (real world) rather than lofty words and high altitude have to the point words and positive attitude.
They radiate positive energy:
Krishnan is a very good example as when he is around rarely does one feel any negative vibe. I remember once I approached with a serious problem of something which I thought we have “committed and we could not technically deliver “. I had been fretting on this problem along with the team for more than a month. But talking to him I was able to abstract the problem and within next couple of days had a meeting with customer and they agreed that yes this same problem was definitely not in scope!!
Siva Vajjala is another person who has impressed me a lot for those who have interacted with him I do not need to elaborate and those who have not I do not think my words can be the paint or this document a canvas to capture the person.
They believe in other people
This according to me is the key to Radha leadership style, she puts immense trust in the people who work under her and once she gives the task she is not trying to guide them, check on them or show them the way. She intrinsically makes the person in front believe he can do it.
They lead balanced life
I have not come across many who does this ! The best people who comes close to this in my experience in MindTree is Suresh H P and Raju Dani
They see life as an adventure
Some people may think that I am a maverick who does 18 trips in 18 months fits the bill but actually Steven Covey is talking about people like Sanjoy Roy. He is my role model when it comes to this trait as I chickened out with TPM role he has moved from Manager to Pre Sales (US) to Operation to Pre Sales (Proposals) to Account Manager. What a journey and behold the trail he set ablaze.

They are synergistic
This is closer home to what I see myself as a leader, I have found that a team of ‘n’ minds are much-much stronger than ‘n’ independent minds and once you get the chemistry going miracles are sure to follow.
They exercise for self renewal
Exercise four dimension of human personality
· Physical
· Emotional
· Mental
· Spiritual
Most of us are playing the role of leader but I am sure none of us can say we are there yet
Why don’t you get the feedback from your team (anonymously) working with you on these seven points and see where your rating stands against theirs. If you are married get it from your spouse and you may discover a new dimension to leadership and followership
On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is Excellent, Rate the following for Mr. Zing Wing
· Learner
· Service Oriented
· Radiate Positive Energy
· Lead Balanced Life
· Synergistic
· See life as an Adventure
· Exercise for Self Renewal

Paddy and Passion

2009-01-31T11:20:00.000-08:00

(Bangalore, 1:04 Am, 1st Feb)
Rajesh Padmanabhan and I have a lot in common
We joined CMC on the same day
We are Graduates from Delhi University
We both had love marriages (even got married the same month)
We love programming
We believe in dreaming and taking it a step more,
We both have faith in our abilities to convert our dreams into realities.

This conversion of Imagination into Action is what God defines as Passion in the Book "Conversation with God". The reason my good friend Paddy is my role model is for the reason that he spells Passion with capital P.
I have not an iota of doubt that
I am smarter than him but he is the one working for Microsoft
I am the one who has clear cut PM skills but he was PMP three years before me
I am the one who is more athletic but he is the one who ran a marathon

Paddy would have himself vouched for the statements if not for his ego. So how does this guy who is 2 years younger than me achieve targets 3 years before me ? Must be "Luck By Chance" (which by the ways guys is a good movie ... see it if you get a chance)

Our conversation is limited to maybe once in six months but I do not believe that has any negative impact on our friendship because we do catch up each and every time (btw: this friendship is 12 years old). My wife always commented that after our sporadic conversation I would always be bubbling with energy to try and do things.
This article is also triggered by the conversation we had today just a few hours back so I have no qualms in sharing that this guys has been my role model for the last six years.

Last year we had gone cycling together in Seattle and as soon as I was back I purchased my 21 gears Octane NV and have taken my kids out cycling most weekends. Though I have done a lot of cycling back in Delhi, UK and US .... Reigniting the flame is credit to Mr Passion Paddy.

Friendships are special and there are strings of memories that one holds on to, may it be the trip to Nainital (1997) or Seattle (2007). The beer in Rishi flat in Janak Puri or the orange bar we used to eat on the return from movies at midnight. Though we both are into Data Warehousing we never ever worked together except for a ping pong game we made on his PC in his flat in Paschim Vihar.

The beauty of the thing is that there has never been any jealousy between us whether it was when I went to abroad first or when he got into Microsoft. When I got my Master in UK or when he did his PMP back then. When I was travelling all over Europe or when he travelled all over US. Today when I left my lucrative career in IT for a stint in teaching, I know he understands and appreciates my passion. When I did the Road Trip to Delhi he applauds my success and on the same hand brutally frank and truthful if I make some mistake or if I am on an ego trip.

I am sure you all have very good friends and understand where I come from.

There are some who only see things with their 'Scaly' eyes as "Peer Pressure",
for them everything is relative.
But I for one see my good friend "Passion Paddy" as my inspiration,
for me its is always elative

Goal Setting for Year Two Thousand Nine
A marathon which would be mine
Inspired by my friend who blogs about Wine

Aditya’s Birth Story

2009-01-16T05:27:00.000-08:00

Aditya’s Birth Story

(Written in 2005 when Adi was born)

(Narration by Daada, Emotions from Mama, Elations from Didi)

Contractions kick up on the eve Hospital Bag packed and bursting at its seam
Everybody standing on their toes
Because after all only God Knows
This comes to pass when the child is about to be born

At midnight after Anu Didi went to sleep
The contraction reached its peak
A dash in the car was in storeWith pain difficult to endure
This comes to pass when the child is about to be born

Water broke on the hospital door
Hospital Staff rushed us indoor
Medical Staff ready at hand
And Mama in a determination to withstand
This comes to pass when the child is being born

Emotions swell up
Cup of Joy overflows
Across our heart there is a brand new dawn
This came to pass when Aditya was born

A silent prayer was on our lips
To hold the baby … O what sweet bliss
The last two years with our princess has been ecstatic to say the least
Now with this prince our family feels somehow very complete

Born on Dec 30th the day Rudyard Kipling and Tiger Woods were born
6.12 pounds and 20 inches long
With a nose like Anu is very clear to see
We ask you to pray that he grows to be
Outrageously happy whatever the case may be

Our Princess

2009-01-16T05:24:00.000-08:00

Our Princess
(Written in 2003 when my daughter Anu was born)

Well there may be many thrills in life,
but we doubt whether any can better this.
Out of 24hrs this ladysleeps for 14 hrs (and make sure we don’t sleep more than four)
feeds for 6hrs (and does not care an iota about our woes)
cries almost an hour a day (and keeps us on toes)
expects us to toil for her as she soils her clothes.

But
Her 1 yawn
Her 1 smile
Her 1 stretch
Takes us to cloud nine
And Fills us with pride

Gazing at her is peace
Holding her is success
She is what makes us feel complete.

We never understood why our parents love is so unconditional
But we have an idea now why.
So much emotions in the last 10 days
Labour,Birth, Jaundice .. smiles and tears.
Bless and Pray for herUncles/Aunts/Grandpas/Grandmas/Bros and Sisters

This is our princess … as you may have yours.
This is our bundle of joy … which knows no bounds
This is our baby – “Anukriti”Our life from now on.

Statistics
DOB 11.12.03
Weight 2.9 Kgs
Delivery : Normal
Looks like: …. Ummm can’t say yet
Had Jaundice but is now fine.

Second Childhood

2009-01-16T04:48:00.000-08:00

Second Childhood
Jibrael Jos, Karnataka Express, Delhi – Bangalore, Jan 2009
Context: Raising Children can be a lot of fun and sometimes father’s miss out on this due to heavy workload. I experienced the satisfaction one gets when one squeezes time for playing with children. The satisfaction is not in doing something which I am supposed to be doing or some contrived sense of duty but the sheer pleasure of living your second childhood along with your child and again not limited to observing the child

Five years back on a winter afternoon my daughter was born and two years later in another winter night my son was born. Success and happiness was redefined. Though I cannot claim to understand what love is but I got an understanding of what love can be. Somebody very nicely had put it that having a child is like letting a small part of your heart walk outside your body. So here was the two aspects of love which always alluded me “unconditional love” and the need to “let go” for the growth of the one you love.

Seeing my children smile and laugh is so very uplifting and on the same hand seeing them sad is heart wrenching. I am well aware what I am feeling is quite universal but the depth of it one feels only when one has experienced the same, just like somebody explains you the taste of Besan Ka Ladoo versus biting into one and sensing the texture of ladoo mixture and tasting the ghee and sugar literally melt in your mouth.

I had a head start with children, thanks to all my nephews and nieces I have. So the returns one get when playing with them is pretty good (in terms of the satisfaction) and when I had my own child the ROI on the same scale was excellent to put it mildly. The difference I guess is due to the bonding one develops over time when one takes complete onus.

Love Expressed is Love Enhanced
My children love singing, acting in plays, dancing, playing with blocks, playing hide and seek like most kids but what I really like is that they love to play with me all these things too
· They run with excitement every day I return from work
· They like to hear a story when ever they get a chance
· They love to share the stories and events which happened in their day at school
· They make birthday cards for my birthdays
· They hug and kiss without even requesting
· They pray for me at time of some exam and when I am unwell
· They share that they miss and love me when I am on some tour
I am sure you all have seen such miracles in your homes but how did this happen ?

Playing with children
At each stage of development there are different games which excites children. There may also be a variation in taste from child to child. Each child is a unique wonderful creation and measuring one against another just does not make sense, so on one side my son loves his favorite engine Toby my daughter loves her doll, but both love to play hide and seek and build with blocks. Adi loves the sea but my Anu hates the waves, Anu thrives with friends but my Adi prefers playing on his own.

Playing with children is the reason I call this my second childhood. Setting up the tracks for the train to run, building my daughters first play house with a bed sheet and two chairs (when she had not even learned to walk). Like most task you start loving it after you have put in some initial effort.
· Almost 90% of my days, whatever time I return from work I take time to play with my kids, read them stories, draw/paint with them.
· Every Saturday I take them out cycling and on the way we discuss different things, sometimes listen to songs on my mobile and sing along with it.
· Going to Church with them on Sundays
· Giving them bath on weekends with their bath toys
· Exploring nature / zoo
· Dancing to a song they like together
· Singing poems one after another
· Enacting plays like “ Red Riding Hood”
· Playing Train – Train with chairs
· Going to beaches and making castles
· Going for a movie with them and see them enjoy

With practice each one of us can do things which we would not have fathomed even possible in our wildest dreams. For instance I have stitched two dresses for Anu’s dolls. Not that I have done this before but stitching the sides on a sewing machine , giving a running stitch on the hem and stitching a press button and beads can be very satisfying compared to buying the same in a mall.

There are things that we sometimes consider it as a thing which the mother does by default but sometimes changing the norms can be very satisfying. Why not hatch up a meal for your kids on the weekend just a simple omelet with a little pepper and salt, maybe some pasta or Kebab keeping in mind of their palette.

Word of Caution
It is also important that children have time for their own, but I am sure in these career oriented times it is quiet impossible to be too obsessed but there are cases.

I buy a lot of toys because back in my childhood I had very limited toys and most were made by myself from tooth paste cartons and other loose ends. But on hindsight this economic drawback had its advantages, it developed an imaginative side in me and also a deep appreciation for things in life. So look out for opportunity to create an extra zing with your and your child’s imagination.

Over a period of time I saw that my children did not take care of the toys as much as I would have liked to take care of them and many got just dumped into the common toy box. I made it a point to make sure some of the key sets like train, blocks, animals and certain games I kept out of their reach and only took it down on their request maybe once a week. And I have seen them value it much more now.

Birthdays is a time when kids get flooded with gifts and again we need to make sure we do not end up creating an environment where a child gets satisfaction in only getting things and not in actually using / playing with these gifts. Also if the child has a set of crayons with her there is no point in opening a new box without need

Conclusion
I share these moments because many a parent loose out on this opportunity in their very busy lives and also for those who do this as their duty and take the joy and soul out of these activities.

So let us all take in this fresh air.

All good things come in three I have one more innings, my third childhood …….. (Grand Parents !!)

Bangalore - Delhi by Car (Summary)

2009-01-12T00:54:00.000-08:00

From: Bangalore
To: Delhi
Duration: 17 days
Mode: Car - Alto
Distance: 3321 KMS
Dates: 24th Dec 2008 to 9th Jan 2009
Purpose: Travel across India in car, see places on the way with a special interest in history so read about Heroes,Events and Construction of the places I touched on the way. Get in touch with the folk tales of the location I visited (so spent money on tourist guides )
Read About: Stone Temples and Hoysala Empire, Jainism, Shivaji, Fort Construction in India, Portugese in India, History of Old Goa, Rajputs of Rajasthan, Mahatma Gandhi, Mughal Rule in India.
Route:
Karnataka

Bangalore, Srvanabelagola, Hassan
Halebidu, Belur, Chikmaglur, Shimoga
Sagar, Jog Falls, Karwar

Goa

Cancona - Palomel Beach
Panjim Beaches
Old Goa
Anjuna Beach, Vagator Beach

Maharashtra

Pratap Garh (Shivaji Fort)
Raigad (Shivaji Fort)
Mumbai, Pune

Daman
Gujarat

Surat, Baruch
Baroda, Ahmedabad, Himat Nagar

Rajasthan

Udaipur,
Chittorgarh (Fort) : By Train
Jaipur (Amber Fort)

Delhi

Road Condition:

On hindsight it was good that I traveled from South to North because as I moved from Bangalore to Delhi the road condition steadily improved. The road condition has definitely improved considerably in the last 10 years. Toll was directly proportional to the quality of the road but I am sure I would have saved both on time and fuel on these stretches. No car breakdown and no flat tyre is a testimony to some well spent tax money.

Top 5 Road stretches (in my route)
Rank 1: Mumbai – Pune Expressway : (Toll:Rs 140) This road had six lanes all the way from Navi Mumbai to Pune and the condition of the road was very good. The reason I rate this stretch the highest is that this stretch of 120+ kms (since I joined it at Navi Mumbai) was through the Western Ghats. The tunnels, bridges and road layout were impressive and reminded me of the driving in US. Speed Limit was 80 km/hr; most cars were speeding with ease at around 100 km / hr.

Rank 2: Gurgaon – Delhi Expressway: (Toll: ) This 8 lane expressway, was cool with the roller coaster ride over the flyovers (due to the umpteen number of intersection). A must see for those who have not see it. Exits to move away from the expressway is also well planned. Traffic was heavy but no delays in toll gate.

Rank 3: Vadodara - Ahmedabad : (Toll: Rs 70) Called the National Expressway 1. This is part of the Golden Quadrilateral. This 90 km stretch had the highest speed limit I had seen in India till date 100 Km / Hr. In fact I was actually driving in this stretch below the speed limit, I thought I will wait for my Alto to grow into a Merc before pushing on the gas.

Rank 4: Himmat Nagar – Udaipur: (Toll : Multiple Tickets) 90 % of this stretch was a breeze and the quality of this stretch is the main reason I made it all the way to Udaipur. This and NE1 gave my highest distance (450 Kms @ day) . The rugged terrain gave a different perspective to my tour.

Rank 5: NH 17: Karwar – Goa - Mumbai, not an expressway but a scenic stretch and the ride over the rolling hills of Goa and Maharastra was a pleasure. Though not all of NH 17 is good the Calicut – Udipi stretch is pretty horrible.

Other strecthes are also very good for example Ajmer: Jaipur and some parts of Jaipur - Gurgaon

Bangalore- Delhi : Leg 2

2008-12-31T05:15:00.000-08:00

Day 4: Karwar - Goa
Started from Karwar and drove over the beautiful Kali Bridge and entered Goa after undergoing some security checks. Filled petrol (45 a litre only !!).
Beautiful scenery all the way to Cancona, here I drove straight to Palolem Beach. Walked on the beach to a point where I had to wade through waist deep of torquoise color water to reach a point where I got an awesome view of the landscape.
Lot of foreign tourist on this beach but on the same hand not very crowded (maybe because it is a working day). Had lunch on a beachside restaurant, resting in the shade on cane chairs, staring at the sea while having an excellent meal with Feni.
Talked to a History Teacher from Kent, with my current aim to become a Social Studies teacher this turned out to be an interesting conversation
Drove down from here after lunch to Panjim and saw a beach there, had a Cafe Latte at Cafe Coffee Day at some hiked up price due to the Xmas season
Drove down to Old Goa and took a place for the night at Old Goa Residency
Read about Portugese in India from John Keay's book on Indian History
Day 5: Old Goa, Anjuna, Vagator and the Fort of Dil Chahte Hai fame
Saw the mass at Bom Jesus, went to the cathedral, churches and museum
Read about St Francis Xavier Life History
Beautiful Scenery and I trying to capture the same in words is going to be difficult
Had a meal this time with Port Wine.
Left Goa in the evening and took a place for the night in Kudal in South Maharashtra
Now it was time to read about Shivaji my role model for this leg :-)
Day 6: Kudal - Mahad
Day 7: Mahad - Pratapgarh Fort , Raigad Fort, New Mumbai

Bangalore to Delhi

2008-12-26T05:44:00.000-08:00

Bangalore - Delhi by Car !!!
Well this was a dream to do a North South India road trip from way back in my school days. Finally taking the plan to the road feels great.
Car: Maruti Alto
Driver : Self
Accompanied by : Vijayendra Gururao in the first leg till Jog Falls
Met : Sister (Jai) and Family in Pune, Aunt (Rosy "Chechi") and Jojo (Cousin) in Mumbai, Friend (Jwalant) in Surat

Plan

The general idea is to see make this a trip with the core theme being "History" and "Geography" of India. I plan to drive around 250-300 Kms a day, take an acco by 6:00pm, do some reading and some writing every day. I intend to walk 2-3 kms every day to keep my circulations running. So the day before I cover the forts of Shivaji (in Maharashtra) I intend to read about him a day before, read about Jog Falls before I visit the same in Karnataka. Plan to visit my Sister In Pune and Aunt in Mumbai.

Plan to do the distance in 15 days
Itinerary:
Sravanabelagola: Jain Temple and Statue of Bahubali
Belur, Halebid - Stone Temples of Hoysala Empire
Jog Falls- Highest Waterfall in India
Goa- Beaches, Cliffs and Portuguese in India
Old Goa: St Francis Xavier, Mass at the church
Pratapgarh,Raigarh (Forts) : Shivaji's Rule and Strategy, Forts and Defence
Mumbai (Rosy Chechi),
Pune (Sisters Place), Sinhagad (Fort)
Karla and Bhajja Caves
Surat (Jwalant)
Jodhpur : History of Rajasthan
Udaipur
Jaipur
Delhi

24th Dec 2008
Bangalore: Last minute insurance issue delayed the start
Started our journey on the first leg along with me is Vijayendra Gururao
Sravanbelgola
Climbed the hill and saw the huge statue and the awesome countryside
210 Km: Hassan : Rest for the night
Xmas Mass in Hassan
25th Dec
Halebidu : Wonderful Stone Temple of the Hoysala Empire
Belur: Another example of fine artistry of the Hoysala Empire
Drive right along side Mulayangiri to Babudgiri, where we had trekked just a few weeks back
Chikmaglur: Xmas Lunch
Tarikere
Shimogga
460 KM Sagar:Rest for Night
26th Dec
Jog Falls : Largest Fall in India
Saund : Vijayendra Parts Ways, now I am on my own
701 Km Karwar: Rest for Night

Zing In Ur Wings

2008-11-17T23:14:00.000-08:00

Why this name ?