Thursday, February 21, 2008

Interesting Links of the Month

1. http://www.kurzweilai.net/

2. http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com/

3. http://irazoo.com/

4. http://www.linkedin.com

5. http://www.indoamerican-news.com/

6. http://houston.aidindia.org

7. http://www.uh.edu/pratham/

8. http://www.indiahousehouston.org/

Quotable Quotes (Nov 07)

A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won’t change the subject

-Anonymous


“There is neither this world nor the world beyond nor happiness for the one who doubts.

- Baghavat Gita

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost

Good judgment comes from experience... and a lot of that comes from bad judgment!

-Will Rogers

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

-Aristotle

Ancient Indian greats - 2 Brahmagupta (Nov 07)


Brahmagupta Theorem




Brahmagupta was an Indian astronomer and mathematician. He was the head of the astronomical observatory at Ujjain. His main, but not sole, achievements in the field of mathematics were the introduction of zero and negative numbers.

Like many Indian mathematicians of this and later periods, Brahmagupta was producing work that was many centuries ahead of the equivalent work being carried out in the western world. Brahmagupta wrote two main texts, both of which deal with arithmetic and astronomy. His first work in 628 was Brahmasphuta siddhanta (The Opening of the Universe) (catchy name, ain’t it?), and in 665 he published Khandakhadyaka. Both of these texts are actually written in verse!!! It is hard to imagine a book written on advanced mathematics without mathematical variables but totally in verse!

Undoubtedly, he must have been a very influential person. The astronomical observatory at Ujjain was the best in the world at that point of time. His school, which was a rival to that of Aryabhata, was very influential in western and northern India. He made his presence at an age when Indians were brimming with mathematicians. Brahmagupta had a plethora of criticism directed towards the work of rival astronomers. In fact he wrote a whole chapter disagreeing choice of astronomical parameters and theories put forward by other Indian mathematicians.

But let’s get back to his contribution. The fact that he introduced the concept of zero and negative numbers is probably known by all. But did you know that one of his chief contributions is the solution of a certain second order indeterminate equation which is of great significance in number theory? Or that he knew that both Earth and the universe are round? Or that he knew about gravitation force? Or that he was the first to make a sine table. This "or" sequence could actually go on for hours ... oh and yeah ... he also contributed a lot in the field of progressions. He has contributed so much that it makes me wonder if he had any Grad students working under him.

Under the Gurukul system which was prevalent then, it is very much possible. But unfortunately all his books just state the results and does not give the proof. Infact it would have been impossible for him to give the proof for every theorem that he put forward. That was because books were to be written only in

To give a glimpse of how difficult it was for him, let me quote a few lines from his books.

Diminish by the middle [number] the square-root of the rupas multiplied by four times the square and increased by the square of the middle [number]; divide the remainder by twice the square. [The result is] the middle [number].

Guessed what that was all about? Stop forcing your already-exploited brain, the above verse was about the solution to a quadratic equation. Or get a load of this: The sines: The Progenitors, twins; Ursa Major, twins, the Vedas; the gods, fires, six; flavors, dice, the gods; the moon, five, the sky, the moon the moon, arrows, suns .....

That’s sine table for you. Yes, you guessed right. He used names of objects to represent the digits of place-value numerals. The only red mark on his report card is this definition of division of zero by zero: A positive divided by a positive or a negative divided by a negative is positive; a zero divided by a zero is zero; a positive divided by a negative is negative; a negative divided by a positive is negative.

Perhaps the greatest tribute to Brahmagupta's mathematical talents is that his book was used to introduce the basic ideas of algebra to Islamic mathematicians, who were later given credit for its invention. Brahmagupta died between 660 and 670. At the time of his death he was widely acknowledged as the greatest mathematician of this period of Indian history, and one of the greatest Indian mathematicians of any time.

-V.Kranti Kumar


Macgregor Masala, Upma (Nov 07)



(how to cook for hungry bachelor’s in ten minutes)

By Srinath Sathyamurthy

Upma

Upma (Malayalam, Tamil), also known as Uppindi in Telugu, Upeet in (Marathi) and Uppittu or Kharabath in Kannada, and "Roolong" in Konkani, is a wholesome Indian dish made of Wheat Rava

Ingredients Required

(quantity based on number of people and availability of resources)

Wheat Rava (Semolina)

Cooking oil

Mustard seeds

Cumin

Ginger

Green chillies

Chopped onions (1 med, chopped) (some people may omit this for cultural reasons)

Salt to taste

Vegetables of choice: Peas, carrots, eggplant, potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes

Grated coconut

Lemon juice

Method

Dry-roast rava until it just begins to turn brown, then keep aside.

In a large saucepan/wok, heat the cooking oil.

Add mustard seeds and wait for them to sputter. Then add cumin, ginger, green chillies and chopped onions and fry until onions caramelise.

Add vegetables, salt and 1.5 cups of water, and bring to boil.

Add the roasted rava, turn down the heat, and mix quickly to avoid lumps forming.

The upma is done when all the water is absorbed by the rava.

Garnish with grated coconut and lemon juice.

GANESH CHATHURTHI CELEBRATIONS (NOV 07)


F for FASHION By Barath Lakshmanan (Nov 07)



DISCLAIMER: This article WILL NOT improve your vocabulary or increase your penchant for the literature. It will not have words that can be used among the “hip” crowd to make you popular. This will just be an impromptu attempt to share whatever I know and also to beat my stress (Yeahhh Rrrite). Oops and more importantly, this is primarily because I am expected to contribute something to GISO, being the roommate of its president (read “Dada”).

SPL DISCLAIMER: Here F is only for Fashion and not for “....” for all you perverts reading this and this picture is not that shady as you think!!!

Just when you think assignments and exams are eating away your time, why would you even want to waste your time thinking about how you well you dress??. Uhhhh common! Then why on earth are you reading the third line of something you don’t even wanna know??? Yeahhh, so this is for all the non- hypocrites who believe in the adage that looking the part is very important. Naaaahh I am not talking about being a Jlo’s in“Love don’t cost a thing” or having the most talked about Shahrukh Rukh Khanistic 6 packs in “Om Shanti Om” but just someone who will not be mocked at.

With the summers heat just fading away and heaven’s gentle showers pouring (Damn!!!! Why am I not able to coin a proper season or a definite weather condition? CURSE TEXAS!!!), I will not be able to typecast with any set style.

Well anyway, being a desi doesn’t help, does it? We will not be able to wear our very own “desi styled clothes”. If you are dreaming about Kajol in a white mini in the rainy “Mere Khwabon mein jo ” in DDLJ (See the embedded video), GISO is condemning it! Why dint I agree to write about fashion in movies instead? I could have a lot more to write about like” Hrithik’s and Aamir’s “Dhoom 2” and “DCH” style, the doe eyed Shriya’s “Sivaji-The Boss” clothes or Surya’s “Ghajini” look, Nagarjuna’s awesome style sense in “Super” and so on. (Did you notice that I was diplomatic in catering to all the audiences of Hindi, Tamil and Telugu???). Why is that we always restrict ourselves with this regional divide??? Why can’t we all say “Chak De India” even we are not watching the 20-20 world cup??? Noooo I am digressing!


Ok, you must have been really disappointed with the fact that the first two paras were not productive in terms of the tips. Don’t worry; you will be fortunate enough to read all my articles in the coming issues.

F for GIRLS: It is always thought that you are relatively more creative than guys. The premier dogma is the willingness to experiment. Be creative and having a penchant to try something different. We are here in a country where the person sitting next to you gives a rat’s ass. So just be you and try out different things (not just clothes, even professionally). You may want to experiment with the magic of the most celebrated color of the blondes, yeah you guessed it right. It is indeed pink. Another color that is being termed as the next black for this season is the shine. The silverish shade is what I am talking about. But for obvious reasons, it is not plausible for the school use. For the serene women, try green. You may want to get “V” necked tops and complement it with some earthly colored tanks.

You might also want to experiment white with the green. It is fresh and gives a very pleasant look. Don’t worry about the brands here; you will not have snobs sniffing around you. But for the brand conscious few, you will definitely want to own a few of Abercrombie and Fitch (A&F), Guess, Prada, Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, DKNY and a lot more. Common dudes, they are ambitious and distant dreams for graduate students like us.

F for GUYS: We are relatively more creative than the girls though they are thought to be so. Hahaha( A wicked one!). So lets use some of our creativity and move ourselves forward. Since this is the early stages of the semester, most of you will tend to get interview calls. So for pete’s sake, dress up for the occasion. It will not be apt for you to go in your normal pair of denim with and an unkempt tee. Please make an attempt to look decent. You will know your strengths. So if can carry it off, you may want to wear a normal denim with a polo. Shoes are a must! It will look extremely unprofessional otherwise. How many of you guys see men who work in the school with sandals??? I haven’t seen that many. I will strongly recommend you against it. If you think formals are a better option, you are wise and playing it safe. Who knows you might just end up getting that job. (Obviously not because of your clothes). I will definitely write about the comfortable school wear later in the coming articles. Since a lot more girls seem to have gotten the GATF jobs, I just thought that this is an important issue now.

I sign off here. N yeah before I forget, be creative for Parichay. The Mr. and Ms. Parichay will be crowned. As I had mentioned, you don’t have to really look like models but you could just pull it off with élan with your dress sense and attitude.

- Barath Lakshmanan

Over a cup of Tea


Before you all read this article please take some time out to appreciate the newsletter team to have come up with this concept of Dautya! A lot goes into compiling such a wonderful issue. Please read and contribute whole heartedly. Your contribution is imperative for the success of Dautya! All the best Team Dautya!

~ Vikram V. Shete

Over a cup of Tea

On an evening when I sit on the patio with a cup of tea, gazing at the skies painted in the finest colors of nature, I simply cannot stop the chain of thoughts, which inevitably throw me back in the past. A past which I cherish and wish it was the future! Someone has wisely put “Memories always make you sad: For if those were good, it’s the sorrow of having lost those moments and if those were sad the thought itself makes you unhappy!” So true…

The chain of thoughts is as simple as “So beautiful is the sky.

I can see it as far as Galveston! In Mumbai I did not see the sky across the street. So many buildings…. My friends stay across the street! We played cricket and had wada-pav (bondas) at Mahesh thela (stall)” so and so forth it goes on. Then there is no stopping till the tea hits bottom! At the end, on the final note the fundamental question is posed, “Why did I come to USA?” A couple of years back the answer was simple, “Learn and Earn”! Now, there is a different dimension to the question and the answer as well. It’s more philosophical than practical. For me philosophy flows smoothly with a cup of tea! Even now as I write, most of the time

I am wandering on the streets of Mumbai, waiting for the auto, the odd bus 210, the 7.44 train from Borivali! The nostalgia is sweet even if it eats away two valuable hours!

Today the realization dawns, why “baba” (father) wanted me to have my clothes ready to be sent for ironing, why “aai” (mother) pleaded to keep food stored and refrigerated and not to mention the care, with which “aaji” (grandmother) made “batatychya kachrya” (spiced potato chips). All comes back when its late in the morning and I must squeeze in 5 minutes to get that darned shirt ironed, when the roaches attack, when hunger hits and there is no motivation whatsoever to cook or head to the kitchen!

Little did I know before applying for the program, that there is more to it than just studying and having fun in The US of A! The first semester demanded a heavy premium!! Everything that I had to do was a new venture, including banking, cooking, utensils, setting up electricity and on top of that, the Honesty Policy which turned out to be a nightmare (although that is one thing that I will cherish for long!). We have been used to making multiple copies from a couple of original versions.

I remember that, more than often the ratio of original to the last edited version was 10:4, a whopping 60 % reduction! The original copy would have 10 pages and the final version would be close to just 4! With that background, how could I solve a double integral of a partial differential of the Bessel function of the third order, all by myself!!

This was the least of all pains that I have endured so far. There were higher degree pains of funding, GATF, the graduate co-ordinator, the ever pushing boss, the course selection, finding a parking place.

I had to reach university before 9 am just to get a place near Cullen Engineering. How demanding can life be !! Oh how could I forget the apartment management and their weird

rules and regulations!! Gosh !! Life is that bad, is it ? I almost believed “Life is Beautiful”!

But I must agree and trust that the readers will also, that these are the experiences that go a long way in shaping us and making a strong character out of us! I strongly believe that the past 2 years have had a huge influence on my life. I have met some of the best people while working on projects, concerts, events and even team assignments! For the first time I witnessed the Indian diversity in its full blossom! Little did I know that there were more than one “South Indian” languages and that Oriya was as sweet as Bengali and there were distinctions in Punjabis, Sikhs and Sardars. The festivals, food habits, the slang, the mannerisms, so fine yet so distinct and unique! Please forgive if I have got it wrong! There is a lot more to it than what can be said or understood.

Most of my learning has come from the organizations that I have worked for and the people I have worked with. The prime ones being GISO and AID! Each having a purpose and a unique way to function! Houston has taught me a mantra, the mantra of Networking!


F.Y.I. The gurus of this course are right here in Houston, who are willing to help with it!! As a matter of fact a lot of my classmates from the 2005 batch have changed! Their outlook towards life, their ways of attacking a problem, not to mention the dressing, the accent as well! The k’s have changed to khey’s and p’s to phee’s !

Sometimes it is frustrating to be a graduate student and there is this urge, to tell all my miseries to someone! But, when the eyes roll around searching for someone to talk about it, every other person I see is trying to find someone for obvious reasons!

It’s sad that I can’t vent out my frustration but then, the very fact that this is a commonplace makes me feel better.

Everyone is facing it and dealing with it so why not me ?? It’s really amazing that we’ve learnt ways to deal with it without succumbing to the pressure. Some find solace in music, some enjoy wine n dine whilst some spend time with near and dear ones in person or telecommunication! This deserves a round of applause! Some have discovered latent qualities that they wish to pursue! Every individual I see is tomes of experience, a legend by itself. Each one of us has seen things in a different perspective and it would be wrong to compare each other. It’s like comparing oranges to limes on the premise that they have the same shape! Let’s not pit against each other, the victory may not be sweet! Beat your past, race against the “Me” within! Now that would be a triumph of the mind over matter. That’s got to be sweet!!

Well as my cup of tea is about to hit bottom, the thoughts of future seep in and that’s when I realize that it’s time to get back to the “Prima Meta”. There are many more cups of tea to be thought over, but I do realize that such fundamental discussion in such or higher depth is definitely not my cup of tea!

I rest my case………………

-Vikram Shete


HARRY N ME By Ankur Shukla (Nov 07)

When I look back, it seems not long ago when I graduated. It was the year 2005. The year when the dream of a peaceful and cheerful student life came to an end. Well not exactly end, but sure a changeover. 2005: there are so many things that are associated with the year. Friends, good friends, best friends, parting friends. 2005 was the year when I stepped out from the shadows of my protective family. It happens to be the year when I stepped in my first professional shoes. 2005 was the year when a slowly fading animosity ultimately blossomed to a great and cherished friendship.

It was the year when I got my first ever salary. It happens to be the year when after a long and dreadful time I felt so good. 2005 also happens to be the year when Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (HBP) was released.

Now don’t jump to conclusions!! This write-up is not a review of the great epic and cult which I follow and revere. Writing about Harry Potter will take pages from my side. I remember when my graduation was nearing, how I felt. There was a feeling of anxiety and trepidation around. I had chosen to stay in India for an eon of experience in spite of some really good academic offerings from USA. Some of my friends were going abroad and I often felt weather I made the correct decision? It was during that time I started reading Harry Potter. The amazing story of the boy wizard held me captivated. I remember 16th July 2005 very clearly. I woke up early in the morning (having already graduated, sleep was much extended and a great alternative to kill time those days until I join for my job). I dressed in anxiety and took half breakfast. I just rushed to the book store to get my hands on the first day copy of HBP. I was thrilled to have it. It took just three days to finish the 750 page novel. I used to read it all day long very meticulously as if I was a part of the plot and was trying hard to solve the well woven mystery. Harry has been part of my life since that time and my ultimate refuge from the mundane world (of muggles!!). The book ended at a cusp. I just couldn’t wait for the next book. I still remember that I made a pledge to my friend that I will read the next book in USA. He laughed at it and so did I.

It was then I decided that I will apply again in the US University. Well I cannot say that Harry is the sole reason I decide to come to US (I wanted it since long) but definitely a big turnover in decision making.

As the midnight approached this July 20th, I got ready and went to the book store. I was there enjoying a Harry Potter party. After all it was the release of the Last book (next after HBP) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I am here in Houston and when I bought the book roughly after 27 mins of its worldwide release (0001Hrs 21st July 2007), I felt the goose bumps and it reminded me the pledge and a smile ran across my cheeks. Well I am in USA ( and so is my friend). As I fulfilled my pledge, so did Harry in giving me an amazing story and a beautiful ending to the epic series. It took my about 2 days to finish off the book (780 Pages). Well I m not being pompous but J K Rowling actually thanked “me” in the opening credits of the book. Seriously you can see it for yourself!! It does make me feel good. I know that Harry is not coming back again but these 7 books have changed things around me magically. Thanks for sticking by Harry!!!

- Ankur Shukla

INDIAN SPORTS – WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS







September, as Wikipedia informs me, is not a special month. No country got its independence in this month. No big events took place except for the infamous 911 which changed everyone’s world. But as they say life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. And we had our mouths full this month. At the point of our life (as a grad student) where all the interest in sports we love becomes the last priority, we had to stop whatever we were doing, create time out of thin air and spend it on refreshing certain websites that report on Indian sport.

Indian sports? You must be thinking I am talking ONLY about what happened in T20 World Cup. No. September fortunately has been great for all the major sport events that India participates in. The month started off with much optimism in the air. We had just won the Nehru cup in soccer where we had beaten a much higher ranked Syria in a high-voltage final in New Delhi. The whole nation was shouted “Chak De India” when we easily won the Asia Cup where we overwhelmed Korea in finals. South Korea actually is the World cup runners up. So lifting Asia Cup was no small matter.

Then out of no where Indian cricket, as if sensing that it was lagging behind in performing at world events, lifted the inaugural Twenty 20 World Cup! Damn it, the Indian crickets choose the worst moment. Mid-term exams almost spilled water on the fun. But knowing desis mentality, I am sure no one missed anything. Worst of all were those who were participating in Parichay. But now that we have won it who is complaining?

As a grad student, I thought I have seen enough thrills and frills in my life. But I was wrong as each and every T20 match passed a high frequency sine wave through everyone’s hearts.

I have already started to cherish a few moments that will probably bring a smile on my lips forever. The fear that a “Chak De” type situation had come up for Pakistan during the Bowl-out against us. The time when I was sitting in my Lab in COT and refreshing cricinfo and watching in disbelief when Yuvraj was hitting those historical 6 Sixes. Priceless. And to go back home and find that this video was the day’s most popular video in Youtube? Priceless. And when Rohit Sharma flung himself to run-out Boucher in the crucial match against RSA. Priceless. And how about Sreesanth’s reaction when he took the wicket of Hayden? Priceless. Priceless. Priceless.

But the best moment that I cherish probably was when Mishab-ul-haq skied the ball in the last over just after he had hit Joginder for a six. That was the perfect moment when God for fun could have slowed the time for everyone. Wait ... I think he actually did that. What followed that can’t be described in words. Chak De had suddenly become Chak Diya ! We had won the World Cup !! All the effort we put in by watching those matches finally paid off.


-V.Kranti Kumar


THE USUAL, FORMAL, MUNDANE OBLIGATORY ARTICLE (November Issue)

I start this article by requesting all of you to forget the title of this article. That's the result of a marketing tactic that I am trying to implement to attract attention. If you are still reading it, it means that it worked. If you are thinking of stopping to read this article, read on for some very insightful thoughts that will help you in the long run. Parichay has always been the informal traditional welcome that we in GISO give to our new members. No matter how easy and casual it seems, there is a lot of time and effort put into it. I take this opportunity to thank all those hardworking souls who really wanted a smooth show to go through. Well, now that I have seen through the formal first few lines, let me brief all the dear readers as to what really went on behind the scenes.

We had to see to it that the least number of students were busy and finalize a date based on that. Then we realized that we are all grad students (and typically grad students make there generally free times look busy, which made us realize that the date was irrespective! After long discussions, we came up with September 22nd (actually we did not have a long discussion, Houston room was available on that date).

We had a tough time in assigning roles and responsibilities to everyone as everyone was interested in taking responsibility for food. Especially when they came to know that Udipi was providing the food. ?“ Just kidding!! Girish was assigned the lovely task of listening to people sing!! Kranti and Raashi were responsible for the 2 dance performances. Mihir and I were really busy with the sponsorship part and selling of food coupons. We therefore were in the oblivion when it came to the actual show (well…that does not matter as I have full faith in my team…and
they proved my faith right with the lovely performances that they displayed on such a short practice duration. Credit especially goes to Kranti who kept people motivated and to make them dance all night. He for a change burnt the midnight oil for something non-academic and was also helping out people who were preparing for the skit (unfortunately that did not work out due to lack of time). Mihir and I were meeting people, inviting students who were not aware of the time and date. It was great to see Mr.Ramesh Anand being with us on such a short notice and sharing a few words. I need to thank him (and Satish Rao of Udipi) a lot for making sure that Udipi gave us great food for a really good deal. I was extremely pleased to see such active participation and involvement from the new students, which makes me believe that I will be handing over responsibilities of GISO to a really deserving team next year. Such an event has given the team further encouragement to conduct lots of interesting events that were not there previously. Once such testimony is the presence of this very newsletter. I am happy to see so many articles and requests from people (many of which we were not able to provide in this issue). I know that I have not thanked many people who deserve it, but try to adhere to the famous saying ..."There were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit, try to be in the first group; there is much less competition there" Now that you have read the whole article, I can happily say that I fooled you when I said that I would be giving some very insightful thoughts that will help you in the long run. That is another marketing strategy that has worked!!! Actually, you can try this marketing strategy somewhere in the near future, but not on me!!!!

-Srinath Sathyamurthy

Quotable Quotes

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to him. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.
- George Bernard Shaw

Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal
-Anonymous

Ancient Indian greats Series - Aryabhata (August 15th, 2007)



Most of you all are probably the 1st generation in your family to come to US for higher studies. Most of you all are probably the 2nd generation in your family to dwell deep into the field of
Science. But ironically and unknowingly we are just yet another generation in this field because we have been preceded by mathematicians and scientists from thousands of years. Right from the invention of Zero to the development of Calculus our ancestors have preceded everyone in the world to discover the magic behind numbers and nature. Sadly we were not exposed
to this in our history textbooks. And "Dautya" has taken it as a challenge to bring out information on the endeavors of the great Indian Mathematicians which would make you proud of the linage you are representing.

Aryabhata- the first Astronomer
The classical age of Indian mathematics and is probably the best known. His most famous work, Aryabhatiya, was the most referred book in Indian mathematical circles. The importance of Aryabhata in India's identity as a science superpower can be gauged by the fact that it’s first ever satellite was named after him.

Before we proceed to discuss the various discoveries and theories of Aryabhata, let us first try to understand the epoch to which he belonged. He was born in 476 A.D. , a period which is seen as the golden period of Indian history as a whole. The Indian civilization was nearing its peak. There were tremendous improvement in all field of life be it in music or economic prosperity of the country as such. He studied in Nalanda University, the best university of the world at that time. Conditions were ripe for someone like Aryabhata to enter uncharted waters in the field of his choice. His contributions to mathematics and astronomy are staggering.
- He laid the foundations for the development of the decimal system. He did develop a place value system but it had a base of 100 not 10.
- He gave the value of pi correct to five digits and also knew that it was irrational. Irrationality of pi was proved in Europe only in 1761 by Lambert.
- He is one of the first to develop an algorithm for solving Diophantine Equations.
- His defined and made sine and cosine tables thus paving the development of a new field of mathematics i.e. Trigonometry.
- He appears to have believed that the earth is round and rotates about its axis. Infact he calculated the circumference of earth with an error of just 0.2%.
- His calculation of the length of a year is only 3 minutes 20 seconds longer than the true value. Here it is important to note that he believed in geocentric model i.e. Sun revolving around Earth they have been referred to by later mathematicians. Imagine yourself trying to find out all that he has You would surely want some good accurate measurements to help you.

But take a look at what Aryabhata used for all his discoveries : the gnomon (shanku-yantra), a shadow instrument (chhAyA-yantra), possibly angle-measuring devices, semi-circle and circle shaped (dhanur-yantra / chakra-yantra), a cylindrical stick yasti-yantra, an umbrella-shaped device called chhatra-yantra, and water clocks of at least two types, bow-shaped and cylindrical! And just imagine how he would react to the scientific advances that have taken place in the past 3 centuries. He would be surprised surely but he would also be the most satisfied. After all mankind has not stopped thinking about thinks that intrigued him.

Source : Google and Wikipedia.

New Committee takes over (August 15th, 2007)



GISO Committee July 2007 to July 2008 : from left to right, Anil Avadhanulla, Ankur Rawat,Mihir Surve, Rajakumar Koduru, Srinath S Iyer and Raashi Chawla

Committee Members are as follows:


Executive Committee

Srinath Sathyamurthy, President
Mihir Surve, VP- Finance
Raja Kumar Koduru- VP- Public Relations
Ankur Rawat, VP-Logistics
Raashi Chawla- Secretary
Ankur Shukla- Publicity and Promotion
Anil Avadhanula- Sports secretary
V Kranti Kumar – Newsletter Editor

Web Team
Girish Nandagudi
Vishal Naik
Sravan Manogna Joshi Vinjamuri

Pick Up Committee
Vijay Jaina
Anup J P
Akshay Swamisetty
Saravanan Srinivasan
Prashanth Vishwanath

FRESHER PICK UP AND TEMP STAY, August 15th, 2007

A Humorous anecdote by Kranti Kumar
Come fall and students enter UH in thousands. Nothing changed in that statistic even this year. But this time students from India decided to enter UH in hunderds.160 to be exact. Not impressed? Considering the fact that last year the total of 75 itself was a record high and that GISO provides free pick up from the airport and also free accommodation to almost anyone who has the common sense of filling out a simple pick-up request form on GISO's website. Or don’t consider my consideration .Go and meet Vijay Jaina and Anup. Poor guys who probably have stared more into the Excel sheets ,containing the pick-up list, than the developers of MS Office ever did.( How Vijay Jaina and Anup got sucked into this is not entirely known. But before they were assigned the job, the president was seen roaming around looking for members who have experience working on MS Excel, for a simple task.)

Jokes apart, the whole pick-up event has literally drained all the energy out of everyone who have been involved right from the Excel sheet managers to the pick-up men (couldn’t find a better word ) and to those who accommodated the newbies in their apartments. Everyone did their bit by pushing themselves to their limits. At one point of time, many member's apartments
were "filled" with at least 3 temps. But strangely, not all wanted to let go of the temps. Because that would only mean new temps would just barge in. GISO was grateful to its alumni, for the alumni played its part in picking up the newcomers from the airport. The same cant be said about the present members who participated in the pick-ups. Because rumors were rife that some of them were actually practicing driving on the freeway by making the newcomers’ bakras. But one thing did not change. Even this year the pick-ups were full of drama, action and emotion. Right from the pick-up man who was afraid that more parts of his brand new 2nd hand car would "fall down" during the pickups to the scene in one of the apartments went all the temps went to bath by pulling the curtain out of the bath-tub (which almostflooded the restroom ).But the worst of all was that of the loudly announced and celebrated "Last pick up of Fall 2007" which proved to be a dud as that student didn’t actually belong to our school but to UH, Clear Lake. A small lapse by the Excel sheet managers left the pick-up man stranded in the airport for more than 3 hours. He apparently ran from pillar to post at the airport trying to unearth the elusive Mr.Lastpickup. So what would be the situation next year? I think it would have been a simpler task this year itself if Mr. President would have listened to loud noises from some quarter of the GISO members. Rent a bus, make everyone come on the same date to Houston. Install a tent out side the International arrivals where the Excel sheet guys would be sitting and confirming the arrival of everyone. Surely this would have made the pick-ups a picture event

And this article would have made it to
The Houston Chronicle instead of only "Dautya". Is the next would be president noting down this point ?

Macgregor Masala, TOMATO RICE August 15th, 2007

(how to cook for hungry bachelor’s in ten minutes) By Barath Lakshmanan
Ingredients Required
(quantity based on number of people and availability of resources)
Tomatoes medium size
Rice
Onion
Ginger
Salt Acc To Taste
Chilli Powder
Garam Masla Powder
Mustard seeds
Method:
Cook the Rice & let it Cool.
Heat the Oil in the Pan & add mustard seeds.
When it starts spluttering add Onions , fry till translucent.
Add ginger ,tomatoes , salt,tumeric & keep stirring.
When Everything is mixed together add all the dry masala powders.
Let it cook; keep stirring frequently. When the tomatoes are cooked add the Rice & combine.
Eat it before all the hungry bachelors of macgregor invade your kitchen.

Sivaji Film Review, August 15th, 2007

(Telugu version) By Kranti Kumar
What would motivate 5 students to drive 144 miles all the way from Lake Charles to watch a dubbed telugu film on the first day of its release? It is because of Superstar Rajnikanth's charisma? Or is it the theme of Shankar’s stories? Or is it the captivating music of AR Rahman ? Or is it really the hype that has been surrounding this film? Whatever it was, it forced them to drive for more than 2 and half hours just to watch a 3 hour 20 mins cinema. The look on the
audience’s faces told it all. They were ready to get impressed. They were here to get entertained (read watch Rajnikanth) and get inspired to do something good (read Shankar's story). And the movie started , in a rather amusing way , by showing a masked handcuffed Rajni been taken away by the police to a jail. It was rather a let down because all the fans were desperate to explode when they see Rajni's face on the 70 mm screen. After 3 mins or so into the film, Rajni finally shows his face and from there on it was a treat for both Rajni fans and non-Rajni fans.

Sivaji ( Rajni ) is a software professional and returns from US
with Rs 250 crores with an ambition of starting a hospitalcum- medical college for providing free education and medical help to the poor people in India. His ambition is foiled by a local kingpin Adikesava Reddy(Suman). Sivaji gets questioned by the authorities and dragged onto the street because of the ruthless political system.Adikesava Reddy taunts Sivaji by giving him a rupee coin and advices him to beg on the road. Sivaji ,with that very 1 rupee coin, robs the black money from rich people and converts it into white money via hawala transactions and sets up a parallel "private" government in the state.

The rest of the story is all about how he evades the cops, eliminates the kingpin and continues serving the society. But out and out, this is Rajnikanth's film. Whether he is romancing Shreya in the first half or he is devising plans to rob the black money in the 2nd half, he
virtually rules the film. The first half has all the general Rajni commercial elements such as comedy. He teams up with Vivek to do some memorable stomachcrunching scenes. Vivek is as sarcastic as ever in his role and complements Rajni throughout the film.Shreya surely made everyone’s jaws drop. She sizzled in the songs and does well as the female lead. AR Rahman's songs are already chartbusters but as usual he follows it up with great background music. The rap number during the introduction of "gundu" boss is just mind-boggling.( I wont tell who gundu" boss is , " you have to watch the film for that).
Choreography is good. Especially the Style and Adharani song would leave anyone spellbound. On the whole Sivaji is not as gripping as other Shankar's previous film like Oke Okkadu ( Nayak in Hindi ) and Bharateeyudu.First half doesnt contribute much to the main story.

The main concept is compressed tightly in the second half and doesnt make you sit on the edge of the seat like films like Oke Okkadu orAparichitudu.Fight scenes are long
and tend to become meaningless.Shankar somehow loose the grip on the screenplay and fails to blow you away with his revolutionary ideas. But is this because we were too impressed by Rajnikanth that we failed to register the message of the film ?This question is tempting me to watch the movie for the second time ! Thank God I stay in Houston and not in Lake Charles.

Verdict :
A treat for Rajni fans.

Things to watch out for :
- Rajni's style.
- Comedy sequence ( especially in the one where Shreya says she will not marry him because of his color )
- Vivek's sarcastic one-liners.
- AR Rahman's songs and good choreography.

Interesting Snippets :

-Director S. Shankar teaming up with Rajnikanth for the first time.
-Costliest India film ever to be made with a budget of Rs.80 crores.
-Released worldwide in 27 countries on same day.
-The films release was delayed , when A. R. Rahman , claimed he was disappointed of his background score and planned to re-do it.

Independence Day Poem, August 15th , 2007

The smell of earth remains in our minds,
The chirping of the birds flitters around our heads,
Of morning prayers and aged soldiers walking brisk,
The pay respect without a flinch,
Dogs, cows and goats sniff the air,
Our land is home for these to bear,
Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati sparkle thou abode of our Gods.
Our fathers fought bringing us liberty,
This mother of ours remains unconditional to our love,
Our love must grant we to thee,
Stopped by none must be we,
Hold our heads up high and salute,
For none other will give us retreat.

Bless our Kashmir for its courage,
Bow before our waters,
Raise our heads in respect for the Taj,
Spread our wings and fly like the Himalayas,
Stand undefeated like the earth.

Its bountiful states, languages and cultures,
They hold together teeming with billions,
We still stay strong with best of all worlds,
Maintaining our identity stronger than most,
From food to music, there's not one that can surpass.

I wish you on your 60th,
Go on forever and crumble all obstacles,
Combine the ways of our fathers fight,
To help our children live in peace,
Maintain your elegance with no chagrin.
God bless you mother and by none be humbled.

Jai Hind

Message from the editor, August 15th , 2007

Why does GISO need a newsletter? It’s because GISO as an organization has successfully planted itself as an umbrella for all Indian students in UH. Because now a platform was needed where an Indian Graduate student could share his American experience with everyone. Because its is high time every GISO member stays in sync with the activities that are taking place
under GISO. Due to these compelling reasons, the newly elected GISO committee ,under the leadership of Srinath Iyer, has decide to throw the hat into the ring and come up with " Dautya " in such short notice. And no better day to launch it than India's 60th Independence day. A day which instills a profound feeling of love towards India because we , here in US , miss it more than anyone else even though Houston and especially UH has become our home away from home.

"Dautya" is going to be a monthly edition so that we grad students will be able to squeeze out some time and come up with some interesting articles for our readers. As an editor, I am going to cajole all members of GISO to contribute and I am not ruling out harassment to get the job done. The newsletter would include articles which are of importance to all Graduate students in UH. From general GISO news to interesting articles like "Ancient Indian Mathematicians" and to more usable fashion and cooking tips, "Dautya" would soon surely gain acceptance from GISO members and would actually help in making GISO more active and responsible.

The first ever copy of "Dautya" is a paper print-out but further editions would be in a much friendlier PDF format. So guys, buckle up and watch out for this space !
-V.Kranti Kumar

Message from the GISO President, AUGUST 15th , 2007

Namaskar,

GISO is turning a new leaf, organization is getting bigger. I feel this is the right time for GISO as an organization
to have its own mouthpiece for interaction, information and most of all fun. Dautya in Sanskrit means the “messenger” and
hence we felt this title is apt for our newsletter. As this is going to be a monthly issue, there will not be page limit for issues.
We plan to integrate local news and news from India, for-sale column and other useful columns as this newsletter grows. So
join us in this endeavor by emailing your articles, thought, suggestions and comments at uh_giso@yahoo.com.

P.S: This will be a highly casual platform for communication.

So the latest gossips most welcome!!!

-Srinath