Long time no see.

It has been a long time since i have posted. Several things have happened. The baby is awesome. We had a naming ceremony in eary Jan. I bought a car. Tata Indigo Marina VS; white color. Very basic to look at, but very nice on the road. I like it that way.

I have had two tickets. :) Both times, it has been for a no-entry offence. The traffic police has a black berry on which he enters your licence plate number, and he immidiately gets all your history. Then you pay the fine and you get a receipt. I have seen traffic policemen stand around with cameras - No, they are not taking family pictures. They take photos of licence plates, and send you a fine by mail. The system could be misused, and I have had colleagues tell me that it is misused. I do not yet know the veracity and extent of misuse though.

The fine system has been made very functional, but the traffic signs and training is pretty bad. The no-entry sign has a Blue background, Black arrow, and Red color mark on the arrow. Blue-Black-Red... Great contrast I must say, especially on streets where hajaar other useless things mess with every half-useful sign.

Attended a talk at Navadarshanam. It was started by a group of IITans in the early 90s. To cite from the group's mission:

* people all over the world today are caught in the dangerous, swirling, currents of the materialistic, urban industrial way of life.
* alienation of the individual from self, nature, and the Creative Power is going hand in hand with societal disintegration and ecological destruction.