Tag Archives: technology

Sunita Williams missing

Posted on by
3

I stayed at JNU for two days with a Muslim friend, whose brother and cousin are also students here. They told me a surprising story from their time at Aligarh Muslim University. A few years ago, all students were gathered for a lecture by a mullah (an Islamic religious leader). The students were initially unsure what to expect, but the lecture turned out to be a tirade against America rather than a discussion on Islam. The mullah spoke about Sunita Williams, an astronaut of Indian origin who flew to space under NASA’s program in 2006.

He claimed that while she was in space, looking down at Earth, she saw the entire planet in darkness except for two places—Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam. According to him, these cities shone brightly, like stars, while the rest of the Earth remained dark. This, he argued, was a miracle from Allah, demonstrating that Allah is supreme and that Islam is the only true religion. The mullah asserted that after witnessing this “miracle,” Sunita, along with six other astronauts she was working with in space, became deeply devoted to Islam.

When they returned to Earth, they converted to Islam. The mullah claimed that the American government disapproved of their conversion and took action against them, leading to the disappearance of Sunita and the other six astronauts. While the mullah did not provide details about what happened to them, it was implied that their disappearance was a result of their conversion to Islam and the American government’s disapproval. My friend said the mullahs were extremely agitated and loud while sharing this story.

The mullah claimed that Sunita was frequently featured on Indian TV before and shortly after her space mission. However, he asserted that she disappeared from the media shortly after her return. The mullah questioned the students about Sunita’s whereabouts and suggested that her disappearance was due to her discovery that Mecca and Medina were the most radiant cities on Earth and her subsequent conversion to Islam. He implied that the American government was responsible for her and the other astronauts’ disappearance because of their conversion.

This claim infuriated many students, and even my friend, who is pursuing a PhD, believed the mullah’s story. I was taken aback that someone so educated could accept such a fantastical tale. I knew the story was false, so I decided to show him some information online. I already knew that Las Vegas is famously known as one of the most brightly lit cities on the planet, and I shared that with him. While he pretended to reject the mullah’s story after reading the Wikipedia article on Las Vegas, it was clear that he still leaned towards believing the mullah’s narrative.

I recall that my friend once told me it was his dream to witness the complete destruction of America before he dies. When I asked him why, he recounted several grievances related to America’s actions in Israel, Afghanistan, and Iraq. I don’t understand why some religious leaders engage in such behavior. What drives them to spread false information and involve themselves in politics? They should recognize that these actions contribute to the decline in religious participation.

Religion itself isn’t inherently problematic, but it becomes problematic when it is led by individuals who exploit it for their own agendas. For instance, some of my Christian friends mentioned that, historically, churches in the West used to issue certificates of forgiveness for sins in exchange for money. Practices like these erode people’s faith and lead them to question the authenticity of religious institutions. Religious leaders need to understand that their actions have significant consequences, and such practices can undermine the credibility of their faith and institutions.

They should realize that their actions are not beneficial to religion; rather, they will have a profoundly negative impact in the future. With the rapid spread of information and the increasing accessibility of the internet, their misleading practices will come under scrutiny. As people gain more knowledge and question these actions, these leaders will find themselves without valid answers. They should see this as a warning sign and recognize the potential dangers of continuing down this path.

Airtel mobile phone scam

Posted on by
Reply

I use an Airtel SIM card, which is one of the largest service providers in India. A few months ago, I received a call from them about choosing a caller tune for my mobile. The automated system played a few songs and instructed me to press 3 if I wanted to select a song as my caller tune. It also mentioned that pressing 3 would subscribe me to the service for a week at a charge of Rs. 10. I intended to hang up but mistakenly pressed 3 instead of the red button located just above it, thereby subscribing to the service.

Initially, I didn’t mind as I knew the subscription was only for a week. However, the following week, I received a message saying my subscription had been renewed, which I did not want. I tried to contact customer care but was unable to, due to my lifetime validity plan. I visited their office, only to be told that lifetime plan customers could not access customer care services. It seemed that customers with lifetime plans were being treated unfairly, perhaps because they paid less.

The situation continued for three months, during which I noticed a consistent loss of balance without understanding where it was going. I thought someone else might be using my mobile, causing a negative balance. Whenever I recharged, it seemed to cover previous deductions. After a few months, I switched to a monthly billing system to receive a detailed bill. I was shocked to discover that my first month’s bill included a charge of Rs. 68 for the caller tune.

If I had subscribed to the caller tune on a monthly basis, it would have cost Rs. 30 per month. Instead, due to the weekly subscription, I was charged Rs. 68. This included Rs. 10 per week for the caller tune and an additional Rs. 7 per week for an automatic SMS that renewed the service. I never sent that SMS, yet I was charged for it. Although Rs. 68 wasn’t a huge amount, I was frustrated by what felt like deceitful billing practices.

I visited their office to unsubscribe from the service, but the representative directed me to call a specific number. I asked if she could unsubscribe me using her office computer, but she insisted that only a call could handle this. When I called the number, I faced another issue. Initially, the automated system had spoken to me in Hindi, but when I tried to unsubscribe, it was only available in English, with no language option.

The automated system used a strong American accent, which was difficult to understand, even though I am familiar with American accents. The speech was fast and unclear. After listening multiple times, I managed to unsubscribe from the caller tune service. However, I wonder how people who don’t speak English or struggle with foreign accents cope with such situations. Are they left paying Rs. 68 per month without realizing it? It’s frustrating how corporations seem to exploit every opportunity to increase their profits.

India-America nuclear deal

Posted on by
Reply

The India-U.S. nuclear deal is big news here. While I don’t fully understand the details of the deal, it’s frequently covered in the media. I wanted to learn more about how nuclear power works, and I had the perfect opportunity to do so with Stephan, a Swiss electrical engineer who was staying at my guest house. He explained that Switzerland has nuclear power stations, but they produce significant amounts of waste, and there’s no complete solution for disposal. Switzerland either buries the waste in mountains or dumps it in the ocean, which seems problematic.

The Indian government is working hard to secure uranium from the U.S. to build nuclear power stations in India. They faced major challenges when proposing this deal. Their supporting parties withdrew their backing, putting the government at risk of falling. The government had to demonstrate its majority in Parliament again. Ultimately, they succeeded, but if this deal primarily leads to environmental harm, it might not be worth pursuing. While additional power is certainly needed, there are alternative ways to generate electricity. We have already significantly impacted our rivers, forests, wildlife, and other natural resources, and now it seems the oceans and mountains might be at risk.

The supporting parties withdrew their support because they wanted more information about the deal, but Congress was reluctant to provide full details. As a result, much about the deal remains obscured, with very little information available online. I’ve heard that the deal involves obtaining uranium from the U.S. and possibly allowing them some influence over our nuclear programs, but I’m not sure. It’s unclear what the government’s exact intentions are.

Music classes in Varanasi

Posted on by
Reply

I hosted a tenant from Montreal for a month at my guest house. His name was Will Eizlini, but my family gave him the Indian name “Willu.” His friend Bijay had reached out to me through a Lonely Planet Forum post where someone had recommended my name. Although I still don’t know who made the recommendation, I was delighted to have a long-term tenant. Willu was interested in learning Tabla while he was in Varanasi but had no leads on a teacher, so I suggested Pandit Shivnath Mishra’s school. Although the school is renowned for its Sitar instruction, they also offer Tabla classes.

Willu works as a web developer and can work from anywhere with an Internet connection. When he asked if I had Internet access, I realized that while I had Internet in my room, it wasn’t available in the guest rooms. I had always wanted to extend Internet access throughout the house, and Willu’s arrival presented the perfect opportunity. Initially, I considered buying a Wi-Fi modem, but my service provider advised that Wi-Fi wasn’t reliable in India. Instead, I purchased a router and ran cables to all the rooms. I’m grateful to Willu for prompting me to enhance the Internet setup in my home.

Willu was pleased to be able to work remotely for his Canadian company from my guest house. It was impressive to see him earning over CAD $30 per hour while traveling. His job seemed ideal for a traveler. Willu attended Tabla classes at Shivnath Mishra’s school for three days but was dissatisfied because his Tabla teacher didn’t speak English. While his teacher didn’t need to be fluent in English, Willu hoped for someone who could effectively communicate the lessons.

During this time, there was a live performance featuring Pandit Shivnath Mishra, his son Pandit Deobrat Mishra, and Fazal Qureshi (the brother of Zakir Hussain) at Diamond Hotel, Varanasi. I was invited by Pandit Deobrat Mishra, but Willu had to pay Rs. 500 to attend. The show was spectacular, and I was particularly impressed by Fazal Qureshi’s extraordinary speed on the Tabla. Although the Sitar performance didn’t captivate me, the Tabla was mesmerizing; I had never seen anyone play with such speed before.

At the event, Willu met several Canadians who were also studying Tabla in Varanasi. They recommended Mr. Pravin Uddhav, a professor of Indian classical music at BHU (Benares Hindu University). Following their advice, we visited Mr. Uddhav’s residence on the BHU campus the next day. When Willu returned home, he was thrilled to have finally found a suitable teacher. He praised Pravin Uddhav as an excellent Tabla player with good English skills that facilitated understanding.

Willu decided to discontinue his classes with Pandit Deobrat Mishra and studied with Pravin Uddhav for the remainder of his stay. After a month in Varanasi, Willu flew to Chennai to attend a live performance by another instrument teacher (whose name I don’t recall). Despite wanting to stay longer in Varanasi, he left to catch this performance.