Laila O' Laila

The recent cyclone got much accolades for her fancy name than the havoc wreaked. Digging into the matter as how this ceremonial baptism takes place, I was taken aback by the findings. M sure the process must be action packed to christen the cyclones. Our neighbouring nation halted at 'Laila'. Oh wait! The guy who suggested 'Why Laila, why not Shakira' must have been subdued.

If you thought, honouring the 33% reservation and exulting the women power, the cyclone got the feminine name, you are in a big fallacy(Link). The team is just too smart to evoke any gender based riots (They were not smart enough before 1979 as the list was populated by only female names). Glad, they realised it soon. Yes Smartie, the next cyclone will be a dedication to the male community. Infact, its already been maned as 'Bandu'(Did you say Ridiculous!!?). Surely, its not as enticing as Laila or Katrina, but its a clever move. Come to think of it, we are not only far ahead in predicting the next cyclone, we are playing safe by implying 'You better behave properly, we have a friendly name for you'.If the intellectual in you mocked saying 'Why all this exercise? Why not go with W1, W2, W3..?', I would say it lacks all the flamboyance. The human nature does not go with 'Whats in the name?' ideology. We relate, remember, reminisce a lot by the very names. Hey there, Shall I suggest the next name??!! :-)

What if..??

A Papaya had fallen on Newton other than APPLE? He would have started cursing his fate may be. What about a Watermelon? He would not have been conscious enough to sit there and come up with a law, which covers most part of our text books and courses. The law which most of us have learnt by rote or by heart. Every science student can almost boast of reciting the law without missing a single word. It truly has gravity in it. The idea struck me when I read in the Guardian newspaper that they want to carry the original piece of the famous apple tree into the space and conduct experiments. (Don’t ask me how they found the tree :-) ). Newton would have loved to see it NOT falling on his head this time (He already has the law to his credit). Ofcourse he should not be spacesick n al !! This is part of the Royal Society’s 350th anniversary.
APPLE will be beaming with pride for the new found status. But then, it was not any less before. It forms the name of the most famous company and products. The first image that comes to the mind is the Apple logo with a bite taken off. Alas, Steve Jobs was so biased. May be he used to meet the doctor everyday !! :-). The fruit also has its part in the garden of Eden of Adam and Eve story. Even though there is no clue about the fruit they ate, the surmise is most likely an Apple. Even though I find the fruit insipid, it sure has its class, undisputed! M sure the younger generation will never know the word by its species, genus etc. Oops! A little birdie told me it’s a fruit after searching through the dictionary of the APPLE product.

Atop the high Mast

A tense atmosphere bubbling with excitement, curious of the results, gathered to experience the history gets stiffened by the clear cut numbers. T minus 5, T minus 4, T minus 3, T minus 2, T minus 1 and then...The countdown stirs up any sleeping soul. Few seconds worth aeons of accomplishments and toiling, more like a cameo. A rare privilege to see the marvelous , one of the best engineering wonders, the vehicle with magnanimity,the ROCKET soar up into the sky. Up, up and above.The roar, upheaval and the applause deafens the senses. The rich trail of fumes resemble a skillful painter drawing a line against the tranquil blue background of the sky. Tracing the line, the eyes are lit up until it strains to see the huge structure becoming a dot and you are very much convinced that it reached the abode of god. A poignant situation and the feet is freezed. Heart racing and the brain is still contemplating the experience. Gleaming with pride accompanied by the tears of joy, you come back to the earthly place.

Things are going fine. But fate had its hand impinged to lead the destination to the road of perdition. The mission failed to do what it was meant for. The sadness is inexplicable. The doom spreads. For some, its the failure of decade long efforts and for the others its the loss of resources. Its like seeing your baby being washed away into the turbulent water and you stand there helpless and hopeless.

Trying to digest the loss, when you start thinking, some truth prevails to help you deal with it. With the failure comes the challenges. Those who think it was just a prodigal effort, can never comprehend the prudent decisions, activities and the sweat of the folks who have worked on it. Only time can come up with an answer. Success is good, but failure is not bad. It makes you more strong to retort and strike back. It reveals the things which were overlooked and the theories that were taken for granted. You always learn a bit more with failure. Still we always crave for the coveted throne and so continues our journey to reach for it. If not anything, for me, it was nothing less than what they call a TRYST.