Guru In Good Company

See here for the CBS feature on NetApp. Guru makes a cameo twice in the video:) David Hitz talked about work/life balance and spending time with family (LOL!!).

Here's to Guru and his good company!!!

What does this mean to Indians?

See here

Does it mean India is a better place to live now? Of course there is always the million dollar question of "How long will this last?"

~Laks

Are these people barking mad?

See Here
for what I am talking about. Why do we have to keep bailing out these folks?

I really hope the US Government does something about this.

~Laks

Karadaiyaan Nonbu & other thoughts

So,today is Karadaiyaan Nonbu, where women pray for the longevity and good health of their spouses, fast until the nonbu time etc, etc (you get the picture). It is the South Indian (SI) version of karvachauth. While I was getting everything ready for the fast, my mind wandered to all the festivals/fasts/rituals or religious ceremonies that one observes during their lifetime and it stuck me that everyone of these festivals/ceremonies etc are geared towards men (doesn't matter who - brothers, husbands, fathers etc). For example,I pray for my brother the day after pongal (its called kanu - SI version of Rakhi, then we have the nonbu. Even the ceremonies we conduct at home - shashtiabthapoorthy, bheema ratha shanti, sadabishekam are all when the man turns 60, 70 or 80.

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to get into a feminist/women-need-equal-rights mode here but almost all Hindu festivals/ceremonies/rituals are geared towards the male counterpart. All these beliefs promote the notion that a woman cannot exist without the man. Never once have I heard something where a brother is on a fast for his sister or a husband for his wife. Of course, men can still do that by their own choice but its not a norm or a ritual. If by any chance I don't follow or forget these important rituals, then GOD FORBID something should happen!!

The Western Society is not that different from the Eastern Society, minus all the festivals/rituals. Women are always portrayed as delicate, clad in pink and always need somebody (Read MEN)to take care of them. I disagree. I love my husband and all but I don't think I really am delicate or need him around me all the time to take care of me (and I hate Pink). I am pretty self sufficient and independent and don't get weepy or teary eyed. Most of my friends are like that too.

I think it is the other way around, men have this need of getting their ego satisfied and what better way than taking care of somebody who is in need. Women are mentally and emotionally strong and they really don't care if the guy brings you flowers or chocolates or huge diamond rings.Of course they would want their guy to be a good friend and companion and if that doesn't happen, then they shift their focus to the material pleasure of the world.

So this brings me to my question: Do women really need men all the time to exist or is it the other way around? You know my answer already:)

~ Random thoughts by Laks

Happy Birthday Lakshmi

Today is my wife's birthday. Here's wishing her a very happy birthday and a wonderful year ahead

Slumdog brings out the Indians in US

Slumdog has brought India and Indian artists a whole new viewpoint from the Western Society. While A.R.Rahman and Resul Pookutty walked off with kudos and aplombs, India is now being viewed by everybody as a Country with slums, mud roads, gutters, poor living conditions.

I am the only desi at my workplace. My colleagues are predominantly from the U.S and most of them have not even ventured beyond their City, let alone their State. Time and again, I have been asked questions about the concept of arranged marriages, extended families and the supposedly (LOL!!!) conservative nature of Indians. Now that Slumdog is out, a colleague of mine mentioned to me that he would never dream of visiting India as it is so horrid. I immediately retorted to his comment by saying that Stereotyping a Country based on a small area shown in a movie is stupid (and the guy is a City Planner for heaven's sake).

This comment brought out my thinking horse and how the Western Society views the Eastern Society. I had a colleague thinking that everybody has an arranged marriage and everybody wears a bindi/kumkum on their forehead,all of us know how to read horoscopes, that Indians never hug anybody esp. the opposite sex and all of us listen to Hindustani Classical, are trained in dance/music etc etc....you get the idea. The best part is I don't even listen to Hindustani Classical, I don't even like it. When I mentioned this and the fact that I don't read horoscopes, her jaw dropped. I am not sure how she/others would react if I were to stereotype the entire Western society based on their crime rates, teenage pregnancy rates, views and attitude towards pre marital sex. What's so wrong if one does not have sex or date before getting married? Hey, we just didn't meet the one before we got married. That's all that's there to it.

I am looking at other fellow bloggers and see that they share the same views. With all the advancement in technology and information sharing, I just hope people come out of their warped bubbles that is based entirely on myths, TV shows, films and news articles. Please do take the time to do your research before stereotyping an entire nation.

~
Thoughts by Laks