Crossbreed- this was the topic given to me for the creative writing event of Riviera'12

The term is self-explanatory. It literally means ‘a living entity which is a cross between two different breeds.’ As I am a student of biotechnology, it is easy to give an elaborate description of the term. A crossbreed can be interspecific, such as Durum wheat. The process involved is interspecific hybridization to give rise to an improved variant, as different traits are combined and expressed. It is easier to manipulate plants rather than animals, as their genomes are less complex. Hence, most of the applications of crossbreeding are confined to agriculture.

Healthy plant variants could be selected based on natural genetic engineering, which was done with partial human interference of choosing and crossing different breeds. The foundation was laid for the development of modern biotechnology involving highly mechanized manipulation of plants at the genetic level.  Crossbreeding wasn’t just confined to breeds between different species but between different genera as well. For instance, the ‘pomato’ is an intergeneric cross between the potato and the tomato, combining the best traits of each.

However, crossbreeding hasn’t been successful in the case of animals. Certain defects are probably formed during crossing over of genetic material. This leads to organ rejection, malfunctioning of systems and ultimately death. Humans may have 98% genetic similarity with chimpanzees, but merely that will not ensure the formation of a crossbreeds called ‘chimpumans’ or ‘humanzees’! After all, who’d like to have progeny who’re neither humans nor chimpanzees? Hardly a few, who are crazy, wacky enough to experiment with no regard for their personal ethics. It’s a waste of time and money into this research which is futile, rather than investing on more immediate issues of the global economy and the environment. Millions of people don’t get two square meals a day to consume and this is more pronounced in today’s era of fiscal recession. The globe is confronted with environmental issues such as global warming and the rapid depletion of exhaustible resources too. Therefore, in a nutshell, let nature take its own course for genetic engineering and the evolution of organisms due to variation in traits. Human beings need not play God. Nature has given us plenty to meet our needs. Our greed may not have a so-called panacea by the name of biotechnology. In a nutshell, the idea of human beings trying to create hybrids of animals seems fine for science fiction books such as Frankenstein or mythological stories depicting a chimera or a unicorn, but not in real life.     

(February 4, 2012)   

Green over red

This is the fast-paced era of worry and haste,

Playing God shouldn’t interfere with taste,

And nutritional value, of dire need during the period of recession;

As there’s disparity, which makes it difficult to realize a vision,

Of happiness, which is a relative concept;

It takes a lot of effort to satisfy the needy,

And the same, if not more, for the few who are greedy;

Therefore we ought to provide something for the generations to come,

And not usurp exhaustible resources mindlessly without leaving behind some;

Sustainable development is the only probable panacea,

For giving back what we owe our descendants so that they can see;

For combating unusual seasonal variations, which can also result due to pollution,

Knowing about the solution is easy, but it’s not so for the execution;

 It begins from within, a deep desire to change for the better,

Even a small step taken by each of the seven billion inhabitants of this planet,

Towards recognizing the wonders of Mother Nature, whose requirements man hasn’t met.

At his own cost, ignoring the five elements that have sustained him in the past,
But whom he has to sustain in return, if they don’t last. 

Trip to the Lion City-November 2010

October 31, 2010: I was happy to leave Vellore (at last-after 3 and a half months!). Departed from Katpadi (Vellore’s railway station) by 2609 Bangalore Express at 15:55. Reached Bangalore City at 20:06. My parents had reached safely from Ahmedabad with my grandmother. I was glad to meet them after ages. We discussed about the forthcoming trip to Singapore! Stayed at home for two nights-October 31 and November 1.

November 2, 2010: D-Day! Passports and visas were ready! My parents and I were all set to leave!

We left home at 06:45 pm in a Maruti Suzuki Swift. Reached Bangalore’s Devanahalli International Airport at 08:35 pm. After immigration and security check, we were free (at 09:45 pm).

Boarded a Singapore Airlines aircraft at 10:45 pm. It took off at 11:10 pm.

Had dinner-an Asian vegetarian meal was served. It comprised rotis, paneer curry, pulao and yogurt. Also had fruit punch. Pity I couldn’t consume an alcoholic beverage (Cocktails like Bloody Mary and Screwdriver, apart from J.B’s Black Label and Smirnoff’s Vodka were available onboard.)

My window seat (Economy class) was comfortable, but I didn’t sleep well. I didn’t watch any of the movies on board, which included Inception, Salt, Avatar, 3 Idiots, I Hate Luv Stories, My Name is Khan, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Sex and the City 2, Toy Story 3, Knight and Day, The Dark Knight, Terminator Salvation apart from some Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French and Tamil flicks. TV Shows onboard included an episode each of F.R.I.E.N.D.S, The Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons, Gossip Girl and Doctor Who. Instead of watching them, I chose to keep myself occupied with the flight path. I was updated with geographical information, as the aircraft flew over Tamil Nadu, The Bay of Bengal, The Nicobar Islands, The Straits of Malacca, and the Malayan peninsula before ultimately landing in Singapore.

November 3, 2010: Reached Singapore at 6 am. Cleared immigration and retrieved baggage.  Singapore’s Changi Airport gave an excellent first impression of the city-it was well maintained compared to many airports in India. We left at 08:30 am. A person called Guna had come to receive us. We left in an air-conditioned Toyota van.

The streets of Singapore were spotlessly clean. It felt like Paradise being there-so Utopian that you couldn’t imagine in any Indian city. The tarmac or asphalt roads were smooth, devoid of potholes and sand (typical of Bangalore and Ahmedabad.)

We zipped past at a good speed, not exceeding the speed limit though!

Another difference between Singapore and India (in terms of transportation) was the absence of noisy three-wheelers and annoying tractors on streets. Moreover, just a few two-wheelers were seen. Most of the cars were of Oriental origin (most of them Japanese Toyotas, Hondas and Suzukis, apart from Korean Hyundais and Kias.) Most of the taxis were either Hyundai Sonatas (new) or Toyota Crowns (old). A few, presumably the affluent, owned European models like the Bentley Arnage, the Audi A4 and the occasional Lamborghini Gallardo. No Fords or Cadillacs and certainly no Maruti 800s, Omni vans, Gypsys or Ambassadors (Indian cars) were seen. A few motorbikes were seen-2-stroke Yamaha RX-series bikes, along with Hondas and Suzukis. A few Bajaj Pulsars were spotted as well! Scooters were few in number, mostly Vespas of Italian origin. There were no Kinetic Hondas, Activas or Bajaj Chetaks, but mopeds were in plenty.

We reached Little India and checked into the Grand Chancellor. It was recently built and the rooms were comfortable.  After refreshing ourselves, we visited Singapore Zoo and went for the Night Safari. It was nice to see a well maintained zoo which was more like a national park, instead.

November 4, 2010: Went for the city tour in the morning. Saw Raffles Hotel from outside, but the building was not impressive compared to many skyscrapers in the city centre. We saw the Singapore Flyer, but did not go for a ride.

We went to the riverfront where the Merlion and the statue of Raffles were located. We also went to a Chinese temple and prayed for good luck. In the afternoon, we visited Sentosa Island. This was the most enjoyable part of the trip. The Underwater World was more than just an aquarium-the experience was as good as scuba diving! It was worth viewing many exotic aquatic species there.  We went up the Singapore Tower and had a bird’s eye view of the city. Later, there was a dolphin show, where acrobatic feats were performed by a porpoise. Just after sunset, we went for an entertaining show- “The Songs of the Sea”, with spectacular audio-visual effects, held on the shore of Siloso beach.

November 5, 2010: Visited Jurong Bird Park in the morning. A mind-boggling variety of avian species could be seen. There were bird shows too. Came back to the hotel room and relaxed for a while. We went for shopping in Little India in the evening. Mustafa Centre was just awesome-there were more goods for sale than in any Indian supermarket. The stores on Serangoon Street were really well-decorated for the festive occasion of Deepavali. We went to purchase souvenirs at ‘3 for $10’ shops.

November 6, 2010: Visited Veerakaliamman temple, Little India in the morning. It was like any temple in Tamil Nadu, with a gopuram and red stripes on walls. In the afternoon, we got ready for the journey back home. We returned to Bangalore at night by a Singapore Airlines flight.

It was an unforgettable trip. I feel like visiting the city again, probably for work in the near future. I was very impressed with the city’s infrastructure and the perfect amalgamation of tradition and modernity. It was a perfect pot-pourri of the West (industrialization and efficiency in implementation of laws) and the East (the Orient-for culture and family values.) Rudyard Kipling would have sung a different tune if he had visited Singapore (His quote “OH, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet” is not applicable!). It is evident that Singapore is a fine city, because there are fines for everything (this is a T-shirt quote)!

     

                                          

Let there be light

Jealousy is an emotion that can kill,

Many a time, it occurs as a result of making a mountain of a molehill;

It can choke, when with or without a gill,

A fish out of water feels and nothing can fill,

The void of regrets, not having fulfilled one’s dreams,

When, in danger zone, traumatic effects are seen and life seems to be bursting at its seams,

Comrades don’t listen; they condemn one in anguish who screams,

Aloud to make one’s voice heard, as anything is worse than what it seems,

Judgment Day seems to have come before expected, one feels like giving up in despair;

Jealousy is like Kryptonite, sapping one of positive feelings, making one think life’s really unfair,

Or like a Dementor, whose name is enough to scare,

And presence difficult to bear;

In this materialistic world of gold-diggers, few seem to care,

For a noble cause and for those, to confront their fears, really dare;

Life’s like a race, it zooms ahead like a hare,

An individual who’s happy with limited resources is rare;

However, there’s light at the end of the tunnel,

So there’s another opportunity for one’s ideas to sell,

Another story to tell,

Life on Earth is not really like Hell;

Dark days are over,

Even by thinking, “Never say never”;

One is not too small to make a difference,

Even a lit incense stick can trigger a bonanza of luminosity, which makes sense.

The luminosity of success

For the average person, success may seem elusive,
Sans hard work and persistence, who can live?
Not even the crème de la crème, who have to slog day and night,
At least for the bread to be consumed by the family, which they have to give;
The struggle for existence is like a battle, where one must prove oneself competent to fight;


Success and failure are optional;
In this noisy, competitive world, one shouldn't remain in the lull,
Of ignorance and mediocrity, as each one of us has traits which are unique;
One ought to follow one's heart, even if one is meek,
Lest one should miss out on opportunities one can seek;
In life, one ought to have fixed goals,
They ought to remain a challenge, not a piece of cake, such as a trip to the Poles;
One ought to decide, whether to stay at home and enjoy with one's family,
Or whether to dare to move outside one's comfort zone and experience the big, bad world that's there to see;
Being within one's cocoon is hard to resist,
Unless, to go afar, one wishes to persist;
Even if it is to keep up with the Joneses,
To the individual who is passionate about her/his endeavors, success will be hers or his.


Success is manifested as different things for different people;
For many, it is money and fame;
For a few, it is having listened to the inner voice and having trodden a different path without regrets,
Ensuring that unlike others, they aren't the same;
As the secret of success lies behind the endless toil,
Which is done with love, with a positive feeling that plans won't foil.


Legend has it that a prince was forced to leave his kith and kin for fourteen years;
Confined in exile in the woods,
He confronted his fears,
And proved himself a righteous individual;
Upon returning home, he was proclaimed a hero,
Because he was not afraid to take risks for a selfless act,
Which can be established as a fact,
That success shouldn't blind us;
We should celebrate the triumph of truth, awareness over oblivion and good over evil, without any fuss.


Manifested as visible radiation and waves of sound,
The luminosity and decibels of the occasion will ensure that the Lord of Darkness will be found.

You know you're a Tam-Brahm if....

1.You wake up to M.S. Subbulakshmi's dulcet tones that resonate from your cassette or CD (nowadays MP3?) player- "Kausalya Supraja Rama" of Shri Venkateshwara Suprabatham.

2.You consume 'Madras filter coffee' of the finest decoction and go through snippets of the morning newspaper.

   The Hindu(pronounced 'Hind-do' [as in 'do' it well], not 'Hinthoo') is your favourite newspaper.

3.You own a TVS 50/XL Super,Suvega(affectionately 'Sevika'),Luna,Bajaj M80,Hero Puch or Enfield Mofa which is used for commuting, even you're a priest(sastrigal) going for a 'homam' from one household to another.

  You may own a bicycle or an ancient Ambassador(affectionately Ambi's Amby!) car.

4.You condemn 'mixture',namkeen and farsaan as 'sundry items', yet have them for lunch along with your thali.

5.'Stamping not allowed' would be more appropriate than 'Parking not allowed' as you care for your kolam.

6.You can't wait to rush back home after office hours as you don't want to miss the latest episode of Metti Oli, Kolangal, Chithi, Selvi, Manaivi, Comedy Time or Kondattam on Sun TV(or Raj TV,Kalaignar TV,Jaya TV,Aadithya TV,Star Vijay).

 If you're a westernized yuppie,you'll feel the same for Two and a Half Men,How I Met Your Mother,Family Guy and the Simpsons (on Star World),apart from Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah (on SAB TV).

7.You've grown up drinking Ovaltine('Oval'),Viva,Horlicks and Maltova (nowadays Milo, Boost and Bournvita).

   You've offered Crush,Oval, juice concentrate or syrup,apart from tea and coffee to guests.

8.You've visited least one of these restaurants- Mylai Karpagambal Mess in Mylapore,Woodlands, Palmgrove (in Madras),Dasaprakash (in Madras,Mysore,Ooty,Ahmedabad,Jaipur,Delhi,Agra and Lucknow),Chalukya,MTR,Vidyarthi Bhawan,CTR,Janatha,New Krishna Bhawan (in Bangalore).

9.You love shopping at Pothys,Nalli,Naidu Hall,RMKV (in Madras) or Rangachari Textiles (in Bangalore) despite the proliferation of malls with branches of Westside,Pantaloons,Wrangler,Nike,Reebok,Adidas,Big Bazaar and Vishal Mega Mart in your city.

   A visit to 8th cross,Malleshwaram or Sampige Road (in Bangalore),Ranganathan Street or Panagal Park (in T Nagar,Madras) is a must rather than a visit to Commercial Street or MG Road (in Bangalore),CG Road,Ashram Road or SG Highway (in Ahmedabad).

10.You don't play cards as there's no 'green' card, which every holder [an Ambi Mama,Athimber or Chitappa of yours in California/Texas/Michigan/Illinois :) ] uses to return to India every December for the Margazhi music festival in Mylapore Kutcheri Sabhas. There are Carnatic music concerts held elsewhere too-at the Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleshwaram (in Bangalore) and the Shanmukhananda Hall,in Matunga (Bombay). The Tiruvaiyuru Thyagaraja Aradhanai,held in the month of January,is famous too.

11.You stay in localities like Mylapore,Triplicane,Adyar,Besant Nagar,Saligramam,Vadapalani and Nanganallur (in Madras),

    Malleshwaram,Basavangudi,Banashankari and Jayanagar (in Bangalore),

    Vastrapur,Memnagar,Satellite and Bodakdev (in Ahmedabad),

    Matunga and Ghatkopar (in Bombay),

    RK Puram and Munirka (in Delhi)

12. Your long, tongue-twisting name is truncated to your initials. For example:  Melattur Sundaram Rajagopalaiyer is known as M.S.R. to all.

(October 14, 2011)

The Rising Force in the Eastern Hemisphere-September 10,2011

An era had begun in the new millennium,imparting in the developing half of the globe,a feeling of vigour and ecstasy,

To challenge the invincible,with the collapse of the West's economic supremacy;

Plagued by terrorism,which promoted the adoption of stringent safety measures that were meant,

To lead to outsourcing of jobs to the Orient;

The American dream was not worth hankering after,

When equally good and more fulfilling opportunities lay ahead at home,rather;

Where the heart truly wanted to be,

With more for oneself to feel and see;

For the home-bound expatriate,having migrated yonder,

Absence from home made the heart grow fonder.

The upheaval in the Dark Continent was against tyranny,

And the extermination of the world's most undesirable in a British colony;

Amidst political instability in a gerontocracy,that led to vulnerability,

To terrorism,nepotism and corruption,apart from hi-tech scams that amounted to felony;

A crusader had emerged to combat,with the support of many a citizen,

Whose abstinence from food and drink led to the Gandhian change we wished to see in our countrymen;

For progress,prosperity,security and equality in society,

And freedom from the clutches of tainted politicians and from bureaucracy.