Heatwave in Mumbai

Mumbai is going through a worst heatwave that I've seen. And it's a long one beginning March. People are having all the symptons and diseases associated with such dreaded heat. Mouth ulcers, stomach ulcers and burns, heat boils, bleeding, loose motions. Everyday you hear someone having one problem or the other. Older people with blood pressure problems are collapsing and being admitted to hospitals. Air conditioners are still a luxury in India. You can't sleep through the night with the heat bugging and sometimes even suffocating you. I just can't bear this suffering. Stepping out in the sun is like taking up an AXN Challenge. But then we should be rewarded for doing so.

While God has blessed the city of Delhi with rains after the heat and so also Pune with some of it, Mumbai is yet to bathe in the cool showers from heaven.

Hectic Week

Hmm.. the last two weeks have been busy paying several visits to Used Car showrooms till I finally found a car of my choice. A little savings and a little loan should get me my first car by the end of this week.

Another part of this week went in fighting for a cause for getting a Net connection for my laptop. More of it later.

So much to do. So less time. Tomorrow is another Monday but since UK/ US closed for Labor Day, foreign exchange market closed in India. That's less work for me.

So much to write. So less time. A new and less hectic job is all I require to write, write and write. And maybe start my own website.

Vintage Car N Getting a Driver's Licence

Ain't that a beauty? A vintage Chevrolet ?

It's housed in Hotel Ajit at Pune (near FC Road), where I'd been a few days back to refresh my mind from the stressful situations at work and in my life. My youngest brother works and studies at Pune, so he joined me there.

This car is always parked in front of the lobby entrance. This hotel is reasonably priced and that's why our family stays there when we visit Pune. I clicked the snap while checking out with the permission of the owner of the Hotel. People tend to be quite touchy about such prized possessions, so I didn't want to take a chance. This car is definately huge. The height and length is somewhere close to an Innova, though the seating capacity is like a normal car, only more spacious.

These days I am quite amused by cars. Especially since I started to learn to drive. Though my driving sessions were completed a month back, I couldn't get time for going for an RTO test. And since I was on leave, I decided to go this Monday (yesterday). My driving school has arrangement only on Mondays. I'd heard that driving tests were quite easy and 'andha kanoon' is generally practiced. I wanted extra sessions before I could go for the test, but unfortunately no time-slot was vacant. So I took a chance. I'd heard how officers just wait outside and tell you to drive. And pass you anyways. Of course getting a learner's licence is much easier. You give a theory test and I got full ten on ten!

I'd never been to or watched a driving test being taken. But I can say that what all I'd heard, does not hold true for getting a permanent driving licence. At least not with the young police officer on duty yesterday. He made it a point to sit next to every wannabe- licence holder and watch him/ her drive the car. He was very strict with all and had stern comments for nearly everyone. I was nervous. I started off well. Ignition... clutch... first gear.... releasing clutch slowly.... increasing accelator.... Suddenly the officer ordered, 'Second gear'. My heart skipped a beat. I pulled the gear back without pressing the clutch. The car started vibrating like crazy! He got wild and blurted why I should be given a licence! So I didn't get an okay. Neither did another female with me. But she could not start the car properly. At least, I was driving smoothly until that officer opened his mouth.

My driving school officials requested for a re-test coz I wasn't that bad. And I had to wait for my turn in the scorching heat till almost other schools were through. I was nervous and thirsty. The other lady with me was still not sure, so decided to take the test next Monday. But I wouldn't have time once I'd had to report to office. Three more guys joined from our school for a the test and were trying to boost my morale.

Finally my turn came. I remained cool, trying to ignore the presence of the officer. Ignition...clutch.... first gear..... accelerator........ And then he remembered where I'd gone wrong. 'Second gear', he blurted. Before I could go blank again, I pressed the clutch, went into second gear and smoothly drove. 'Stop at the side', he commanded. I moved sideways and applied brakes. No mistakes this time. He said 'okay' and signed my papers. That was a relief. I'll be holding a driving licence very soon. But as luck would have it, two of the other guys delayed in getting the engine started. And the officer could not tolerate such errors! 'Failed', he scribbled on their papers. So, I request everyone to take a driving test seriously, especially if you're affliated to the Thane RTO. Who knows you might bump into some strict officer!

Now I'd like to buy a used car to practice more till I get perfect. And this Chevrolet isn't a bad idea. At least not for me! But the owner might have other thoughts :)

Treatment for your Illnesses by doing Sujood- My version

This post takes us a step further from my earlier one and is addressed to all those people who think that the article The benefits of Sujood (Sajda or Prostration) is fake and the Professor/ doctor / scientist who has done research on the same does not exist.

Whenever we try to study or find out the authencity of a study or theory, our main aim should be to find whether the findings are true, but we try to find about the author. And when we fail to find out about him, we conclude that the study/ theory might be fake. This generally happens in cases when our mind works with the intention of proving something wrong. What we fail to understand here is that an author/ writer could be anyone. One day a layman might do a research and write about it. And also share about it to others. His credentials might not even be on the Net. He/ she might be a small time researcher/ scientist. I still know of some people who never or hardly use the internet. A couple of my school friends do not even have an email ID ! The world exists outside the internet, friends. And not everything that happens in every inch of the world might be available on Internet alone.

Coming back to the topic and the research of Dr. Mohamed Diaa El Deen Hamed- the findings state three important points (I am only listing the main points here) :

1) If you are suffering from exhaustion or tension or permanent headache or nervousness and if you are afraid of tumors, so all you have to do is Sujood. Sujood frees you from your psychological and nerves illnesses.

2) Any increase in the electromagnetic waves to which the body is exposed, causes disruption in the cells and consequently the human being is infected by what is called the diseases of the ear; such as headaches, muscles pain, neck pain, exhaustion in addition to forgetting things and non concentration. There has to be an earthling’s connection to free these extra waves and this is to be done by Sujood to ALLAH Almighty, as we are ordered. This process is done by connecting the forehead to the floor. In Sujood, the negative waves move from the body to the floor which is a negative pole. Consequently, the emptying process happens specially if you done the Sujood by your seven members (forehead, nose, hands, knees and feet).

3) The studies revealed that Mecca is the best direction to free these waves because of facing the centre of the Earth which is effective in freeing the human being from his grieves to feel peacefulness afterwards. That is because Mecca is the centre of the Earth.

When you read the entire thing, it is not as complicated as it seems like. Even a non scientist like me can use his/ her common sense and compare other related studies and come to the conclusion that this is true and proven. We have all heard of Yoga. I am an Indian, where yoga is the best form of exercise. It is the land from where Yoga originated. It started as a form of religious meditation and slowly grew as a scientific form of maintenance of mind, health and body. Yoga is now a well known branch of science and is proven for its effects in relaxation, weight reduction and cure of diseases. There are several 'asanas' (poses) in Yoga which have different effects on your mind and body. One of the Asanas is 'Balasana' (Child pose). If you observe this pose, it is similar to prostration or sajda or sujood.

Let me state the benefits of Yoga posture - Balasana (taken from a Yoga site) :

This is a good yoga position to relax in during fatigue. The knees increase in flexibility and blood flows into the mind.

Benefits : This pose stretches the knees and the lower back. It is a very good pose to do to get blood to the brain and is recommended if you have dizziness or extreme fatigue. You may want to open the knees a little more if you suffer from over acidity. This will create more room around the belly. It also allows deeper breathing.
Muscles tendons and ligaments in the knee are stretched. These are the patellar ligament, the articularis genu, the head of the popliteus, the tendon of the quadriceps femoris, the ends of the vastus medialis and the medial retinacular ligament, vastus lateralis and the lateral retinacular ligament. Further up the gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus and upper hamstrings are stretched.

Blood Circulation :

Apart from Yoga, our own scientific knowledge tells us that blood should freely circulate through the entire body to keep all parts healthy and in good working condition. When our body movement is less (i.e we are mostly sitting or standing), we tend to get lethargic. Excessive sitting in one place for long hours without movement even leads to numbness and swelling in feet. This is because most of the blood settles down. It does circulate. But not as freely as it should. Hence movement of body is important to keep the blood circulating well. Head is the topmost part of the body. And blood cannot rush there. Because it will be anti gravity. When you touch your head to the ground, blood rushes to your brain and it makes you feel fresh or relaxed.

Centre of earth (Mecca) :

Proving this one was the difficult part. But my previous post proves that point also through the link provided (http://ilalliqa.wordpress.com/2007/06/29/mecaa-is-the-center-of-the-earth/). The research is beautifully concluded with the lines - 'We can say that every thing on and in the earth directs its face to Mecca where the Moslem Kabba lies , this system will go on , according to God’s will , to a certain time assigned by God , this accurate unwavering system can’t be out of a chance ; it is a supernatural power that made it and is still keeping it going on ? That is God , who rose the heavens with unseen pillars .

Interesting : http://diodati.omniscientx.com/2007/10/11/facing-mecca-in-space-an-exercise-in-spherical-geometry/

Is Mecaa the Center of the Earth ?

I was doing a research regarding an article stating ‘Benefits of Sujood’ doing the rounds through many emails and on many sites. Though many people appreciate the same, there are some people who think that the credentials of the scientist/ biologist/ professor -Dr. Mohamed Diaa El Deen Hamed cannot be verified. I had a post on my blog to that effect. I started by search for the professor without any major breakthrough. The only place I found the most similar name (of a scientist) was on the Egyptian Atomic website. Since the mails mentioned Dr. Mohamed Diaa El Deen Hamed as "Professor of Biological Sciences" and "Head of Food Radiation Department in Radiation Technology Center", his name being on an Atomic website made sense with the second half of his profile- Radiation technology. So I wrote to the email ID mentioned therein asking him if he was the same person and the research I was doing to find out the authenticity of the article. I did not get any response for reasons unknown to me. Scientists are busy people after all. Later I had some people even doubting if Mecca was actually the centre of the earth ! My love for Islam did not allow me to believe that. Some people though believed the facts from within their hearts were unwilling to share the same with anyone fearing Muslims would be called fabricators! Islam is already suffereing due to many misconceptions!

On doing further research, I came across this article/ research and I my heart was thrilled. It was titled -Mecaa is the Center of the Earth.
It is posted on a blog, the link of which is :
http://ilalliqa.wordpress.com/2007/06/29/mecaa-is-the-center-of-the-earth/

Mecaa is the Center of the Earth
Dr. Salih Muhammad Awadh
Iraq , Baghdad university , faculty of science ,
Geology Dept
Translated by : Magdy Abd Al-Shafy

Clink link to read article. Or search web with above details. Pictures could not be pasted. And the article is best explained with diagrams.

Anyone with any more information regarding Dr. Mohamed Diaa El Deen Hamed or his research or any additional information regarding the blessings of Allah, are welcome to share the same with me

Khwaja Mere Khwaja

Hindi Song Title: Khwaja Mere Khwaja
Hindi Movie/Album Name: JODHAA AKBAR
Singer(s): A.R.REHMAN

Khwajajiiii, khwaja
Khwajajiiii, khwaja, khwaja ji
Ya gharib nawaz
Ya gharib nawaz
Ya gharib nawaz
Ya moinuddin, ya khwaja ji
ya khwaja ji
ya khwaja ji
(Khwaja mere khwaja
Dil mein sama ja
Shaho ka shah tu
Ali ka dulara) - 2
Khwaja mere khwaja dil mein sama ja
Khwaja mere khwaja dil mein sama ja
Beqaso ki taqdeer, tune hai sawari
Beqaso ki taqdeer, tune hai sawari
Khwaja mere khwaja
Tere darbar mein khwaja
Door toh hai dekha
Tere darbar mein khwaja
Sar jhuka te hai auliya
Tu hai unalwali khwaja
Rutba hai pyara
Chahne se tujhko khwaja ji mustafa ko paya
Khwaja mere khwaja
Dil mein sama ja
Shaho ka shah tu
Ali ka dulara
Mere peer ka sadka
Mere peer ka sadka
Hai mere peer ka sadka
Tera daaman hai thama
Khawajaji
Tali har bala humari
Chaya hai khumar tera
Jitna bhi rashk kare beshak
Toh kam hai ae mere khwaja
Tere kadmo ko mere rehnuma nahi chodna gawara
(Khwaja mere khwaja
Dil mein sama ja
Shaho ka shah tu
Ali ka dulara) - 2
Khwaja mere khwaja dil mein sama ja
Khwaja mere khwaja dil mein sama ja
Beqaso ki taqdeer, tune hai sawari
Beqaso ki taqdeer, tune hai sawari
(Khwaja mere khwaja
Dil mein sama ja
Shaho ka shah tu
Ali ka dulara) - 2
khwaja ji
khwaja ji
khwaja ji ....

Truly lovely music and quite a mesmerising song, this! Check the video too on U-Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTzTnZYHIk0

Getting Hotter

Its suddenly getting hotter since the past 4-5 days. There seems to be no 'in-between weather' in Mumbai. And a cold climate just doesn't seem meant for Mumbai at all! And Mumbaikars like it this way only! Instead of enjoying the cool winters, many seem to like the hot weather. Not that temperatures would have even fallen below 5 degrees here or even below 8 degrees!!! I heard a few women talking in train that it was good to feel warmer and being able to switch on the fans! But these very people will start grumbling even when temperatures will soar higher! To each his own!

I enjoy the right kind of winters, which never visit Mumbai. This year was an exception. One can always combat a winter by wearing warm clothes, switching off the AC, fan etc. But we can't beat a summer! You have to bear it. At the most, you can switch on the AC. But only if you have one or only when you're indoors! Else you gotta get sweaty, dehydrated and tanned! And above all feel lazy and lethargic! I missed the winter which visited Mumbai this year!

Cool Mumbai

This year's winter has set a record of sorts, with temperatures in Mumbai dropping like never before. Mumbai does not enjoy extreme or harsh weather because it's on the coastline and has a equable climate. But this year's winter was (is?) at an all time high!

For the first time in ages, I've seen people happily shopping for and adorning woollen garments, shawls, mufflers, scarves to combat the chilly weather of the last two weeks. Mumbai has never seen such weather. Mumbaikars used to have a sweater, which they used to use hardly 2-3 days in winter or when they were down with fever! But this year forced people to shop for colourful and designer woollen wear, which generally people used to buy only while going for a trip to a hill station or on a holiday abroad! Even Mumbai men who consider wearing warm clothes or woollen garments 'uncool' were seen in warm attire!

It was really cold with breeze, making the weather really chilly. But due to the unexpected drop in weather in a polluted city, many people fell sick with heavy cold and fever!

People in trains, who generally fight for standing near the door to enjoy the breeze, were trying to close the doors. Those fans which rotated non stop in trains, were being switched off on request! Our office centralised ACs were either off or partly on, but we never knew the difference. And the best part was it was cold in the work area and chilly as we stepped out in the corrider or on the roads (whereas it always the other way round)!

On Friday 8th Feb, the Day temperature was lower than Delhi's temperature of that day. While Mumbai dipped to 8.5 degree celcius, Delhi was at 9 degree celcius!!! Just imagine the plight of Mumbaikars, for whom even 15- 16 degrees celcius every year was COLD !

I enjoy winter and loved it though I was down with fever initially. The temperature has now like a 'normal Mumbai winter' since last two days stabilising at 12-13 degree celcius (still little below normal for Mumbaikars) and the Chill is gone as the breeze has subsided, but these 15-20 days of chilly weather was a welcome change! It's still cold (though not like last two weeks). Let's see what tomorrow holds!

Learnt this Week

I learnt this week that :

It's better to be sick and in bed
than being sick and working hard !!!

Republic Day celebrations

Every year nearly all buildings or areas or societies hoist the Indian flags or organise some events on Independence and Repulic Day. And it was no different this year too. I bought two tricolored chakras which move like crazy at the slightest swish of breeze instead of the usual flags. We already have a few flags at home. This year the roadside sellers also had tricolored balloons!

Apart from the usual stuff, Mira Road also has the Children's Marathon in which all the schools of Mira Road participate. I came to know how many schools are there in the place due to this Marathon (as we are only a few years old here). It was nice to see the enthusiastic children run a little, then walk a little when tired.... but their national spirit was at its highest!

So what if I missed the Mumbai Marathon due to Moharram and full booking even 3 months in advance !!!???

Speculations of the Mars Image!

Many scientists as well as others are wondering whether the Mars womanlike image is just like some mirage or appearance which is deceptive to our eyes! Whatever the case maybe, I do believe that life exists somewhere apart from earth.... whether in the Milky Way or some other Galaxy!

People have been seeing only the womanlike image on the rock, but I can see more. I can see a man falling off the cliff (if the woman is standing on a rock or mountain). Did she push him off ? ( hmm.....) Or is he flying away....??? Maybe people fly on Mars, if they exist there, that is!!! Also I can see few greenish transparent people-like images walking towards the so-called woman!

Keep thinking!!!

Woman's Image found on Mars!

Woman's Image found on Mars photograph sent by Spirit, NASA's Mars explorer vehicle! Maybe Women rule Mars just like Men dominate the Earth! If thats true, and life does exist there, we might be having space shuttles from Earth to Mars in the future!

And then I wouldn't mind settling there!

Revolutionalising Publishing -On the Pavement!

Hey, many of the small time writers face the problem of having their books published. The established publishing houses do not want to take chances with new, unknown writers! They will ask you whether you know any celebrity, who can be called for the lauch of your book. Some will just give lame excuses or even discourage you to drive you away!

This is exactly what Dr Shailendra Vaishampayan went through when the writing-bug bit him! He is a practicing Doctor (homeopathic) and has a clinic in Mira Road and Andheri. Apart from the usual hassles of publishing, he also realised that getting a book published involves a large sum of money! To combat all evils of publishing, Dr Vaishampayan, revolutionised the concept of Publishing under the banner -Pavement Publishers. This movement started by the doctor found many supporters in small as well a established writers. The idea of 'Pavement Publishers' (now run from the doc's house) is to launch a book on the pavement itself (without any celebrity) and sell it through the pavement booksellers! The writer has to only bear the cost of printing the book.

Dr Vaishampayan's first book as a writer, SATURN AND I, was launched in December 2007 on a pavement in Andheri (West).

Best of luck to him and his publishing concept!

Note - Await the review of the book on this page

Ashura (The 10th Day of Muharram)

Today is Ashura in India. Many non- Muslims wonder what this day stands for. In India, the holiday for Ashura is called Muharram (though Muharram is the first 'month' of the Islamic calender). People think it is like Eid and there was a time when friends and colleagues used to call and wish 'Happy Muharram' thinking it was a feast like the Eid !

But slowly over time, many people are becoming aware that Muharram not a time to feast but it is a time to mourn. Its the remembrance of the day Hazrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be pleased with him), the grandson of Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him) was matyred at Karbala. The most unique call I received for Muharram was yesterday (now that many know) when a colleague from Baroda branch called and said -'I am sorry for tomorrow'!

Sunni Muslims observe the first ten days of Muharram (while the battle of Karbala was on) with reverence. Some of the Muslims (the Shias) mourn intensely for the entire month, even adorning black clothes. In India, shabbeels are made where water is kept for drinking. This is because Imam Hussain and his family and companions were not given food nor water for 3 days! On the day of Ashura, muslims make and distribute 'sherbet'. This is also symbolic of water and has nothing to do with sweets.

Hazrat Imam Hussain's matyrdom is of great significance to the history of Islam. This can be best explained in Washington Irving's words :

'' It was possible for Hussain to save his life by submitting himself to the will of Yazid. But his responsibility as a reformer did not allow him to accept Yazid's Caliphate. He therefore prepared to embrace all sorts of discomfort and inconveniance in order to deliver Islam from the hands of the Omayyads. Under the blazing sun, on the parched land and against the stifling heat of Arabia, stood the immortal Hussain''.

Let me add this Mersia ( 'Mersias' are song of remembrance and mourning sung in memory of the matyrdom at Karbala), which I've been hearing from my Dad since childhood :

"Kahe Abideen ko Shah ne Madine mein ja kaho,

Sab doston ko meri taraf se dua kaho,

Puchey agar Hussain kahaan -

Is wajah kaho ;

Bismil kaho, shaheed kaho, sar juda kaho."

This is just the opening verse and means -

Shah (that's Hussain) tells his son Abideen(before going to the battlefield)-

'Go to Madina and give my regards to my people.

If anyone asks - Where is Hussain, then say

he's attained matyrdom'.

Ashura has a lot of historic significance apart from the Karbala matrydom. It has affected nearly all the Prophets of Islam in some way or the other.

Let's list the occasions which have taken place on the 10th Day of Muharram:

• Allah accepted the repentence and had mercy on Adam ('Alaihis-Salaam)
• The deliverance of Noah (Nuh 'Alaihis-Salaam) from the flood
• Abraham (Ibrahim 'Alaihis-Salaam) was saved from Nimrod's fire
• Joseph (Yusuf 'Alaihis-Salaam) was reunited with his father Jacob (Ya’qub 'Alaihis-Salaam)
• Allah spoke to Moses (Musa 'Alaihis-Salaam) and gave him the 10 Commandments
• Job (Ayyub 'Alaihis-Salaam) was healed from leprosy.
• Yunus ('Alaihis-Salaam) was taken out from the belly of the fish
• The Israelites were saved from Pharaoh's army as the sea was divided and the nation of Israel was delivered from captivity
• David (Dawud 'Alaihis-Salaam) was forgiven by Allah on this day.
• The kingdom of Solomon (Sulaiman 'Alaihis-Salaam) was restored
• Jesus was brought up to heaven after attempts by the Romans to capture and crucify him failed (according to Islamic belief).

The picture shows the neighbourhood guys preparing sherbet all through the night! Excuse the unclear image!

Nano- Watta name!

Hey, the World's cheapest car is here! It's been in the pipeline since long and people were waiting for its arrival. There's so much written about it everywhere. Everyone's talking about it. People are forwarding mails, speculating.... So I don't want to be another person talking or discussing about the price, the appeal, the safety or even the environmental hazards related to it!

What just appealed to me is it's name and the creativity behind it. The name says it all- NANO! The car's small in look and compact. In Gujarati (Tata's a Parsi and their mother tongue is Gujarati), 'Nano' means 'small' (pronounced as 'Naahno') and in English, 'Nano' is derived from the Italian word which means 'dwarf'. So scientifically, Nanotechnology deals with 'minutest' compotent of a substance or thing. Nanometer is equal to one billionth of a metre . So the name has a universal appeal and denotes what the car stands for!

The the name's 'superfine' as any Gujju would have said it !

Afterthought :

Me thinks, when a car worth a lakh rupees only gives you so much, why would anyone buy a Maruti 800? It's not great in appearance nor is on the high-safety list. I'd been wondering for a while now why a Maruti 800 costs as high as Rs2.5 lacs? But maybe that was the most basic and cheapest car for a beginner and person with low budget, so the company's been cashing in on it all thru the years! But finally now the even the commonest man's smiling!