About Me

My photo
Gurgaon, Haryana, India
I look at life with detachment and distance, like a window shopper. Not only I study the window but also my own reflections in it.

Scripting Music

Friday, October 09, 2009 Labels: , 1 comments

Labour of Love is a Waste of Time

I am fond of Hindi film songs of 1950 to 1970's. I have been collecting Mp3 songs of this period, for last 9 years. The collection has now grown to 7,000 songs.
(A photo taken by me: "Seven Thousand Noses""- Like my Music Collection)

Many like minded friends have shared their archives with me. Because of diverse sources, the songs were not having consistent or uniform "Tagging". It was a daunting task to clean tags of 7,000 songs. I have now completed that. Let me share with you the pains and pleasures of this labour of love.

MP3 is a compression protocol for crunching up a song file so that it takes up a smaller space on the computer with a minor loss of fidelity. In addition it carries lots of information embedded in it about the song. This information could be: Title; Artist; Album; Composer; Year; Lyricist; Genre; Album art; Lyrics; etc. This information is stored in "Tags” at the beginning of the song file. Music Programs like Windows Media Player use these tags and build up a database of your Library of song files.
Since I got my songs from diverse sources, the tagging information was not consistent. Moreover there is mo standard tag to put name of the film of the song. I put it in Album. The songs I had, the titles were erratically crammed with film name, artist, Composer, year with all sorts of brackets/ dashes/ underscores/ equal signs etc.
One way was to edit each song by song for all the 7,000 songs - obviously an impossible task – but still a must for a few songs. I therefore used program scripts. Although I am no longer that ace a programmer I once was, yet I still retain the unerring nose for debugging a program - it’s almost instinctive. I can also fill in the gaps in my knowledge of new current programming languages by intelligent guesswork based on my past knowledge.
One interesting script was to transfer film name written in brackets in the Title to Album tag without the brackets and delete it from the Title.
Other was a script for Titles having film name and title separated by dash or equal sign.
One was for removing song numbers from the Titles.
And many others similar oddities.
I use "Media Monkey" software for managing my music collection and "The Godfather" (TGF)software for batch conversion of tags.
Finally I used Media Monkey to clean up multiple entries of same film names or same artist names due to different spellings or different capitalisation.
Now I am ready to weed out duplicate files of same song by using the "Find Duplicates"facilitiy of TGF software. I finds out duplicate even if there is mis-spelling etc.
I was at it hammer and tongs many hours each day for last one month – to the utter depression of my better half. You can well imagine the efforts I had make to keep her in good humour by other means.

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Recognising Faces

Friday, October 02, 2009 Labels: , 5 comments

Software That Sends Chill Down The Spine

Recognising faces is such an amazing God-given gift that we fail to realize the complexities of the process. Only when we try to build machines to do this, that we realize the near impossobility of the task.

(On the left, is me @ 13 Yrs of age, 1963, a school group photo. Notice the determination in the eyes. I love this boy!)

Picasa, the photo software from Google has added face recognition in its recent version 3.5. I tried it on my 5,000 odd photo collection. Let me give a rewiew of Picasa's face recognition abilities.

I am computer world's senior citizen. I wrote my first computer program in 1969 on a 2nd generation machine which filled a big hall in our college. Since then I have kept pace with various fast paced changes in the technology. During the course of these 40 years, I have put all my music (7,000 songs) and photos (5,000) on the PC. The photos represent a vertable history of my life and my times. Oldest photo is of 1954 - when I was a 4 year old toddler. It has been a herculian task to maintain this treasure, specially due to transfers and changes of computers and software.

I downloaded and upgraded Picasa 3.5. On opening it started the task of recognising the faces in my stock of albums.
It asks you to name the faces it recognises and asks your confirmation wherever it has any doubt.
The accuracy is amazing. It not only recognized 'me' with or without beard - that I keep growing and shaving from time to time, but it could recognize my son's childhood photos and linked these to his adulthood face. A normal person who has not seen my son grow would not be able to do that!
Rather than successes what sent a shiver down my spine was its errors. It confused between my son and faces of myself, his mother and sister. That means that it can discern genetic signatures. DNA tests may become redundant.
I thought that the software appeared to be "God's hand". But such horrorific ideas vanished when it also made silly mistakes like confusing between a female face and a face of a bearded policeman. I felt relieved and granted myself a smile. The software doesn't have "God's hand" but is all too human. Even that is a disturbing achievement!!!

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What For Am I Here?

Thursday, September 17, 2009 Labels: , 0 comments

The Purpose of Our Existence

One of the quest for which this blog is written is "What for am I here?". In seeking lifelong quests, we should not restrict ourselves to hand-me-down answers not even from this blog. Such answers are however definitly helpful to draw your own answers.
Some people do feel that there is no grand purpose in our existence. We are here just for existence merely? To get born, live and die? At best leaving progeny to carry our genes ahead.
I feel that this is only partially true, but what we do to pass time on this planet is also important.
"Geeta" says we all have come to this earth for a specific purpose - which it terms as "Swadharma" - our unique individual duty! This "Swadharma"also changes with time. As you grow old this swadharma also unfolds into something new. Its not static.
But How do We know our "Swadharma". I have found that there is no easy answers. But its not difficult. Be alert and be introspective. Be vigilant of your own feelings.
"Swadharma"is easily idenfied as that work that gives you most pleasure and fulfilment. The one you want to do again and again.
But it cannot be physical pleasures - eating etc. It will mostly be connected with people directly or indirectly.
It could be creation of physical assets for some? Like buildings, bridges etc. But indirectly its because of Humans that will benefit by it.
Even Big tycoons who earn money for themselves - actually serve humanity by creation of wealth for others by trickle down effects.
So what is your Swadharma? Have you fealt that glow of satisfaction after doing somework other than physical pleasures?

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Reconciliation Not Retribution

Saturday, August 01, 2009 Labels: 0 comments


Young Generation Can Make India A Peoples' Democracy

Most of us are unhappy with what is happening in the society and the country. There is extreme poverty. There is corruption. There is communal intolerance. The Administration acts more like an Occupation Force than Public Servants. We are unhappy with almost all spheres of public life - Healthcare/ Education/ Governance/ Media/ Law and Order/ Status of Women. Most of the time people think that punishing the guilty will solve all the problems. (Isko hang karo, usko umar kaid do). Naxalites think that revolution is the only answers (Uda-do sabko). The philosophical essence of my experience of 37 years in Public Life - is that reconciliation rather than retribution or revolution can mitigate all the ills of the society. I will flesh out my ideas later, (perhaps in a separate blog with the Heading from subtitle above). But gist of the basis of my conclusion is given here.


I will state only the conclusions here and will give reasons and logic later. All the problems that our society faces are due to the way one group of people treats and behaves with other groups. How we perceive other groups and individuals? All the problems are arising out of interpersonal dynamics of the society. The problems are not due to imperfect laws. The problems are not due to imperfections in Political structure or bureaucracy. There has to a change in this interpersonal group relations for things to change. This change cannot come about by violent means. This change cannot be brought about by the Govt. or politicians. There has to be reconciliation through intense interaction between the groups. This can come about by a social movement. This will need that type of energy - that was there at the time of independence struggle. To an extent such energies are seen in youth movements - say JP Movement during emergency. Only a countrywide motivation of young generation can acieve it. It needs kick-starting. But once started no body will be able to control it - nobody can stand in way of youth power.

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Railway Genes

Saturday, July 25, 2009 Labels: , , 1 comments


A Hereditary Trap
Indian society had and still has insidious stratification based on caste groups. Originally these caste groups started out as work-guilds. A group of carpenters - for example interacted and lived together for professional reasons. Opportunities and mobility being restricted, generations after generations took up jobs of their ancestors. Thus the work-guilds crystallized into water-tight caste groups. A child was condemned (or blessed - in the case of upper castes) to follow family calling. Even modern day professions had their own entrapment for children. I, even in 20th century was destined to become a Railwayman - almost as a karma of birth in a Railway Family....

My grand-father in early 20th century was a clerk in a station in Metre Gauge section of what is now called North-eastern Railway. It’s not known whether my great grand father was also in Railway - it would be a fair guess that he too must have been a Railwayman. Jobs in Railways at that time used to be gifted to children of loyal Railwaymen. It was difficult for outsider to enter the profession - unless the person was highly qualified. Thus our family tree is entwined with Railways for over a century, not much later than the inception of Railway in India in mid 19th century. Nobody from the family worked outside Railway (except my father). Nobody married outside a Railway Family (except me). Thus all my relatives - uncles and cousins were Guards, Drivers, Station Masters or Union Leaders. My father escaped the entrapment into Railway, due to untimely death of my grand-father in mid 1920s.He was sent to work in Haridwar Station as a replacement to the locals, who had succumbed to Cholera epidemic. My grand-father also fell to cholera within a month. Although this meant pauperization of the family, my father ultimately did much better than he would have done in Railway. He escaped the Karma of Railway-birth (not berth).
I remember most of my holidays in childhood were spent with Railway Relatives. We played in Railway Yards. We sneaked into forbidden areas like Station Master's room or Signalling Huts. We also played in equipment storage areas - where we played about with signal levers and trolleys etc. Many times we were chased away by the chowkidars. Informally we learnt a lot about Railway operations during playing. In the evening my uncles used to clarify any doubts we had, during our informal coaching in Railway. The discussions over dinner were mostly about Railways. This knowledge and experience fleshed out the bland training I received later during induction into Railway. The Railway entered my Genes by osmosis.
Although I passed out among top quartile of class from IIT-Delhi and most of my class-mates managed to get a career in USA, yet I got trapped to join Railway, due to family persuasions. Firstly, I was persuaded to just enter the competitive Exams For Railway (After all even if you get selected, you can always back-off). Later having succeeded - a whole congregation of relatives emotionally blackmailed me to join. Railway-birth leads to a berth in Railway.
I spent over 37 years in Railways and rose to become CEO of a Zonal Railway.
But it was galling that I could not rise further, because people with no roots in Railway, questioned the depth of my groundings in Railway Operations. Ultimately I resigned.
None of my children joined Railway despite my prodding and escaped the hereditary profession. They were able to break the Railway voodoo. I wish I could have too!!

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Holding Back Tears

Saturday, July 18, 2009 Labels: , 1 comments

A Journey to after Worlds
As I wrote in an earlier post, I took voluntary retirement from my Job as a CEO (General Manager) of a Railway Zone of Indian Railways. I had anticipated the emotional turmoil and the insecurities of a work-less future, but the events were much more heart wrenching than I had anticipated. I could barely manage to not to cry openly in Public. In retrospect I feel I should have let the tears flow..
Let me start with the defining moment of my last day in office.
The build-up upto that day had left me physically and emotionally tired. A month of leave-taking farewell parties had already taken its toll on my digestive system. A big deficit of sleep had accumulated over a few weeks. It has been a tenet of self-discipline with me, that I should always retain enough physical and mental reserves, needed for any unexpected emergencies like - accidents and other mishaps that are the professional hazards of the job.
But that day (3rd July 2009) I was not in such a condition. I could not sleep despite a pill. (A Hindi film dialogue says: "Sleep, my dear, is not a daily affair"). Before leaving for office, my wife and I stood in the temple at home and prayed to God and our Parents. I told her that, what we are leaving behind was never ours. We were tenants here and it’s the attachment that had developed - which is causing us the pain. Let’s move-on and not look back over the shoulders.
Office was as hectic as any normal day. There was backlog of paperwork that I could not leave for my successor. Then suddenly people started trooping into my office room at 5pm. It was the last farewell. There were even 5 divisional heads and their teams on video-conference. Suddenly, all too soon, the formalities were over and I was ushered out of my room. Used to giving orders in that room, that day I complied to the dictates like a child. From the beginning of the scene I had become emotionally numb.
I had imagined that when I leave office, I will try to look back from the door at the scene of last two and half years of cheers and tears. I will try to burn an image good enough for rest of life. But it was not to be. Like a person in trance, I was moved out by a tidal wave of crowd that had gathered. Events had gathered a momentum of their own. A part of me rebelled and wrestled with the flow of events. It did not want to go. I realized my full persona was not united in my decision to leave my Job prematurely – it was more an intellectual decision.
The scene in the lobby below was much more sombre. People were lined in large crowds to bid farewell in traditional way - with garlands and handshakes. There was also a band playing cacophonic film songs. Soon I was lead into my usual seat in the car. But it was very unusual. By now tears were welling up in my eyes. I controlled them with all my strength. There were people all over office complex. On all balconies and even on the roof. I had truly loved all Railwaymen who worked with me and had developed deep emotional bonds, but I had not known its reciprocation. Soon the car gathered speed and I realized that it’s all over. I will never get a chance to look back. I should have allowed my emotions the cathartic luxury of sobbing at the end of one world and entry into after-world.
It was not unlike real death and soul's journey beyond. I could experience, how my soul will get tortured on my death by the attachments. Even there, part of me will never like to go. But there I will be able to sob without anybody noticing or hearing.

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Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity

Saturday, April 25, 2009 Labels: , , 0 comments


One post from this blog was quoted in BBC correspondent Sam Miller's book on walking tours of Delhi named above. I was under an assumption that quoting from a blog would need prior permission or intimation at least from/to the blog-owner. I not only don't mind that but rather feel elated. Thank you Sam! One of my class-mate from school (out of touch since 43 years) noticed it first and followed the footnote mentioning my blog and contacted me. It was a pleasant surprise?
The post quoted is a passing reference to history of my school's building "Ludlow Castle".

The author makes well-planned walking trips in Delhi, covering all the hidden nooks, corners and oddities. He has a questioning and overly inquisitive mind, which remains unfazed by bizarre situations. During his perambulations, many circumstances tested his mental poise, but that was equally matched by his recessionary physical equilibrium. He had propensity to suddenly become horizontal during his vertical ambulations. He measured the floor length of a Metro coach by sprawling over it, he paralleled the act of a "Sashtang Pranam" devotee; he also measured the depth of a manhole by falling into it(Vertically). He was also floored by assorted pigs and pie-dogs. No wonder he discovers Delhi, like nobody has done it before, with this down to earth, ear to the ground approach.
He has a knack of turning the turd over to look at the hot and steaming universe underneath, peopled by voice-less power-less strata. As a child, I enjoyed doing that to real cow-dung with a twig. What disturbs you more is his post-mortem doctor's non-judgemental factual observations. Really pithy are his social comments on the abject poverty and shadowy world of people left behind by India Shining. Delhi is like a shiny over-polished apple which has worms inside. Cut it open at your own peril!! But Sam has gone ahead and done it, and has left it for all to see.
No, No, It's not a dark look at Delhi only a 'Gestalt' view.

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A Velcro Detachment

Thursday, April 23, 2009 Labels: 0 comments

Readying for a new life
 
Retirement age in my organisation is 60 years, and I would have retired in March next year. But for over an year, since Jan'2008, I have been looking at opting out of my Job. I had then terminated the tenancy in my flat - where I am to finally settle down. I have now put in papers seeking voluntry Retirement.  This gives me time till June end to pack-up. Having spent 36+ years in an organisation, getting up and going away is like detaching a velcro strap - there is ear jarring sound. Its like a necessary but painful surgery. Its more like dying in one universe and getting rebirth in another.

Working for the same organisation for all your working life, means that your personality and your job get so hopelessly entwined, that its not possible to untangle them.  But the charm of retirement is to get the excitement and thrill of a totally new life. Society has laid down elaborate rituals for similar situations like marriage and death.  That eases the emotional switch involved in such changes.  There is none for retirement. Turning one's back determinedly and pulling back the emotional attachments is the only way, how so ever painful. Perhaps focussing on selfish future than on the future of the organisation is the key. This however makes the three month period as too long to bear.
So, help me GOD!!

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