Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

(Apple Computer Company founder Steve Jobs Speech to the Graduates of Stanford University)

"I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course."

My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college. And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition.

After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting. It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5c deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography.

If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky - I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got
fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him.

So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating. I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it.

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith.

I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If
you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"

And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept: No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Everything else is secondary. When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much."

Lance: Never lose focus NO MATTER WHAT

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Lance: Coming into Paris

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Lance enjoying with his kids

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Lance wins 7 consecutive Tour de France

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Lance with trophy

1

Puneri Marathi Jargon

Here is some of the lingo that was used in Pune when I was there (about 5 years ago). Additions are welcome

a bokya
calling a guy. like meeting a guy and saying "kai re bokya kasa ahes tu"

keshav
"yethe sagLe keshav lok rahaataat" : keshav mhanje nakaasamor chalNaare va thoDese white collarwaale

Jhamya
Used often to indicate someone who was just responsible for some dumb action. Also 'maaTh'

varacha class
varacha class mhanje layee khass

killer
Another of "BADHIR" types

sahi
Uchchaa

"yaa"
Mhanje bharpoooor ! e.g Yaa paoos padalaa
Add 'ya' girish becomes girya , sameer becomes samya , mandar becomes mandya, saurabh becomes saurya

Takuya
"Chaha Takuya" (to ask for a cup of tea) "Picture Takuya" (to ask for a movie) and so on

kevaL
Of the highest class, eg: to picture kewaL hota.

khaDki
khadki mhanje akdam Tukaar

LBW
lai bill waDhla - khup aikla
"lambun bari watate" as in tee mulgi lbw

jhakaas
It means "just too good"

kaashi
kaashi ghaalNe; kinvaa kaashi hoNe-- "kaashi" is used for "gochi" or "gaDbaD"

ashakkkkya
"ashakkkya"-- literally means impossible-- used if something is too good to be true (beyond possibility!)

kachaakach
just like it sounds; used for something "cool"-- stress to be added on the "cha" sound-- kaccchaaakaccccch!

shaLa zhali
Used when you find something very difficult

laee veLa
Q:kaay re picture la yenaar aahes ka?
A:laee veLa!

Chhapari
it is used to indicate something as a useless thing or unimportant.

game padaNe
Against the plans, mana sarakhe nahi hone canteen madhe basela Prof ne pahele ani game padele.


eh wallya
To call a random dude's attention near Vaishali's

saaheb
Big boss man, in a sarcastic way. moThe saaheb tumhi

kay rao, baaska ?
Can be used anywhere just like Hey, what's this?

masta re kambLe
When something awsome has been done by someone.
masta ga kamLay (female version)

paDeek
hanging around joblessly at some hang-out joint or `kaTTa'

chalu
pakka in all aspects

popat zala
fajeeti zalee

maeena zali
(female version)

hattee
khoop moTha popaT

aekhadyacha dattu
chamcha, ho la ho milavnara. jase

baburao
means a creamroll which is usually available at amrutulya

ek spDp aNi ek mD
spDp is the famous shev potato dahi puri and mD is of course masasla dosa . this is the most common order belted out when a person visits vaishali

sustaDla ka / sustaDli ka?
jast zoap kinwa susti ali ka?

rashtrageet vajNe
sampne, band padne

kalla
something like 'superb' as in 'ti porgi nusti kalla aahe' or 'lonche ekdam kalla lagte'.

maaramaree
amrutatulya madhe milanare chaha+coffi che uchcha mishran

khambaa
khambaa : 1 liter bottle of rum whiskey vodka etc. use: kay ratri khambaa takaycha ka !

pavtya
absolutely jhaamya

khaDki dapoDi / country
means tukar and thirdclass

vaDaar / vaDri
full too khaDki-dapoDi category: master lai vaDaar aahay or picture lai vaDri hota

maal ahe
really gorgeous chick

TinpaaT
absolutely useless

paytaaD
khup daru

waqar
mhaNje khoop daaru peoon okne

havet goLibaar
bouncer. incomprehensible concept let loose by a professor

shutter down karNe
to end something

sopaan
gawanDhaL maNus

circuit (pronounced sir-kit)
crazy, nuts, weird, as in: "circuit"ach aahe

gondyaa alaa re
usually used to alert friends of the appearance, on the horizon, of any authoritative figure

tiLak warsha
to fail and not be atkt. as in yandaa aamche tiLak warsha, bara kaa

atkt
allowed to keep terms. equivalent of "jaem taem": "mi atkt-ne paas zalo"

teertha
daru

potyaane
bharpoor. aaj potyaane kaam kele. a lot!

saaNDNe / utoo jaaNe
"are saaNDsheel, haLu!" used to as an alias for falling

binDok
'dokyat kande va batate asalela'

dhissh..qyaaaon..
mhaNje atishay varchya level-var "fekafek"! kinva "goLibaar"! kinva sadhya shabdat jara na samajaNyasarkhe (Dokyavarun jaNare ) paN purNapaNe khoTe!

kallya..vaDaryaa..
to call someone in disrespect, "aaee..kallya...vadaryaa..".

ttmm
(go dutch)
tujhe tu majhe mi, jenva hotelat jal va tumhala bill separate bharayche aste tenva mahanaychi term.

jivat jiv aala / poTat goLa aala
to be pregnant

de Dheel / tu happas..mi gunDaLto/ lao aTTyaa
other person is telling is a lie but still its interesting so go on..i'm enjoying it!

paaTya TakNe
rojche kaam

zaasha
"vait zasha dila" mhanje total ganDdavale. promised to do something but never did.

bmw
basics mein waanda

bhendi gawar
a vegetable name which u can utter at any time when u want to curse someone in front of everybody. this can be done bindhaast without any fear. bhendi gawar, me toola pahoon ghein.

bhaagwat
parasite - dusrya chya jivavar bhagavnara

keLa milale ka
prem bhanga hoNe

vaDeel
great or uchha

baLach, baLachkar
ubiquitous use. you can put it in as a filler, anywhere, anytime. e.g. tyane mala balachkar teen taas tangavoon thevale.

chhatrapatee !
used to address a pretentious person who tries to act (walk/talk)too smart

koparyat gheNe
mhanaje ekhadyla laee dhoon kadhne (powder koothalihee wapara surf / ariel etc). film madhye badaDoon kadhataat tase marayache jar koni jast aawaj karat asel tar "koparyat ghe re tyala ."

chamya
bailya mulga, mhanje thodasa "ardh-nari-nateshwar"

vaish
vailshali hotel

sidey
riff-raff... or chhapree

baapaachaa maal
hakka nasalelya goshtivar adhikaar sanganaryanchi ashi sambhaavana keli jaate

chhaTali jaaNe
hajaampaTTi hoNe

keLyaa
goof

appa
lai uchcha (as in "appa picture hota")

phanas laavane
nako tyaa shankaa-kushankaa kadhun kaaryaalaa naT laavane

ABCD
aga bai chaDDi distay
a term for low waist jeans....

raaDaa karin!
maaraamaarichi (pokaL) dhamaki detana vaaparanyache nehamiche udgar

lota-parade
praatarvidhisathi bhalyaa pahaatepaasoon laagnaari punyatalya chaalimadhali, wadyaanmadhali raang!

benyaa
laee pohochleaa , haramkhor maanoos. haa mannos bahoodha toomcha mitra asato. to toomachya maage khoop labaadi karato. kivna master lai bena (read: bain-uh) hayay

ekhadyachi lawane
ekhadyala phasawane, kinwa ekhadya goshtit jaanoon boojoon adakawane. kaahi wela guruchi vidya gurula dene. bene lok ( ref - benya)

maaj
arrogance, use: ey maaj , kaay challay

chaiila
'man !' , e.g. man this is hot = chaiila kasala garam aahe

peTla
to become angry. to lai peTla

l.o.
lai oLakh....when "lai oLakh"

basayacha ka?
should we have a drink tonight?

huklela / bhanjaLalela / arbaLalela
confused: to lai huklela praNi aahay.

kiDa
a person who is an authority in a field, used to describe a very abnormal action

sp college
sp = sundar porinche (??) = shembadya poranche (!!) = sadashiv pethinche (!!!)

wadia
we are daring in our acts

gtm
ghaT-turned-mod

gttm
ghaT-trying-to-turn-mod

bhaskan moD
ghaati girl wearing golden shoes and silver top

sspms
shree shivaji preparatory military school
sir sir poragaa mutalaa sir

usa
urmila sanDasaat aDakli

rsp
road safety patrol /rastya varchi shemadi pora

jhaTaaakk
generally used to describe someone's loud and gaudy appearance

Tukaar
3rd class

daanDi yaatra
when you generally bunk college and aimlessly roam around with friends on a bikes

tirtha -prasad gheNe
daroo piNay

chepNe
potbhar khaEe. e.g. lagnache jevan chepun aalo.

kalla
freaking out. "kaal khup kalla kela"

maati zali
plans got destroyed

chaman/chammya
same as badhir

waieeT gheNe
gaNDavaNe

ja Tokawar
go to hell!

sadashiv pethi
sadashiv pethi is term used for kanjus mhanje kai sadashiv pethet rahato ka if a person tries to act like a kanjoos

bungaaT!
atee wegat. aaj gaaDi lai bungaaT haNli... (rode the bike fast today)

aaiish
khoop maja karane

bhusnaLya
jyaalaa ekhadya kamabaddal khoopach aatmavishwas aahe pan tehi tyaala jamat nahi kinva ekhadyala ekhade saadhe kaam sudhhaa karta yet naahi to

shampoo
shaskiya abhiyantriki mahavidyalay pune

a arey garrrreeb
used when someone cracks a garrreeb (pj) joke

bajirao / javaan
rastyat achanak samor yenar vahan-chalak (cycle vale richshaw wale)..tyanna hak maratana .. a bajirao / a jawaan !

rikshaw karNa / bbc karNe / all india radio
ekhadi batmi phukat gaobhar sangane

raaDa karNe
make a mess like " kay rada karaycha ka bol"

Takaa-Tak
nice => say aaila! kay taka-tak ahe

vaaeeT
"vaaeeT" is many a times used as "good". e.g."prof la vaaeet anubhav aahey."

chabuk
extremely delicious...as in meal. kay "chabuk" swayampak zala ahe

chalaa aaj basuya
daru pyala jayache ka

a phukNya
akkal shunya manus

bhadkhau
phukat khaNara

khadoo
khayalo mein dooba

bhapo
bhavna pohochalya

TBMLA
tuzhya bhavana mazhya lakshyaat aalya

mangesh public
advance version of pakya character in rangeela thodkyat khadki-dapodi-killer type

bhannaT
bharat natya mandir

chaiTu
faltu

Taaki
bevDa

game-aaD
one who is always trying to take advantage of others

otsp
on the spot popat

kacharyani
khup, lai kacharyani bhuk lagli

bhukkad
mhanaje sarakhi bhuk laganara manun kiva bai. kahi khayache pahile ki jyala bhuk lagate to.

chiknya
used to pull another guy's leg - pretending to be friendly to him while actually being critical

tubelight
mhanje khoopach "mandaar" ekhaadi goshta lakshaat yaaila jyala vel laagato asa.

ratalya
veda ani badhir category cha

zhang-pang
ekdam zhaTaak (usually used whenever a person wears weird clothes)

daabun
to do something in excess. mee dabun jevalo.

dhaTTing
shahan-pana karane. mhanaje jara 'jast'ach karane.

bhanjaLNe /arbaLNe
get totally confused, purte gondhalun jane!

suTa aata.. banglyawar bheTa
demanding too much

Top 100 Formula - 1 Drivers of all time

Voted on in 2000 by the following F1 insiders: Ron Dennis, Ken Tyrrell, Eddie Jordan, Peter Sauber, Giancarlo Minardi, Harvey Postlethwaite, Gordon Murray, Jochen Neerpasch, Jody Scheckter, Stirling Moss, Marc Surer, Murray Walker, Simon Taylor, Tony Jardine, James Allen, Louise Goodman, Jabby Crombac, Heinz Prueller, Nigel Roebuck, Maurice Hamilton, Alan Henry, David Tremayne, Christopher Hilton, Gerald Donaldson, Richard Williams, Mike Doodson, Elmar Brummer, Tony Dodgins, Peter Windsor, Matt Bishop, Ian Bond, Caroline O'Connor, Nick Bagot, Tom Clarkson, Darren Heath, Paul-Henri Cahier, Rainer Schlegelmilch, Martyn Elford, Jeff Bloxham, Katja Heim, Willi Weber, Ortwin Podlech, Chris Rea.

Top 100 Formula 1 Drivers of all times (2000)

1 Ayrton Senna
2 Juan Manuel Fangio
3 Jim Clark
4 Alain Prost
5 Michael Schumacher
6 Jackie Stewart
7 Stirling Moss
8 Niki Lauda
9 Nelson Piquet
10 Nigel Mansel
11 Gilles Villeneuve
12 Alberto Ascari
13 Ronnie Peterson
14 Emerson Fittipaldi
15 Jack Brabham
16 Jochen Rindt
17 Graham Hill
18 Mario Andretti
19 James Hunt
20 Damon Hill
21 John Surtees
22 Dan Gurney
23 Keke Rosberg
24 Alan Jones
25 Tony Brooks
26 Carlos Reutemann
27 Jody Scheckter
28 Mike Hawthorn
29 Jacques Villeneuve
30 Jacky Ickx
31 Stefan Bellof
32 Chris Amon
33 Clay Regazzoni
34 Gerhard Berger
35 Giuseppe Farina
36 Denny Hulme
37 Bruce McLaren
38 Elio de Angelis
39 Peter Collin
40 Francois Cevert
41 Jean Alesi
42 Didier Pironi
43 Patrick Depailler
44 Jacques Laffite
45 Jo Siffert
46 Wolfgang von Trips
47 Jean Behra
48 Pedro Rodriguez
49 Phil Hill
50 Riccardo Patrese
51 Carlos Pace
52 Innes Ireland
53 Rene Arnoux
54 Piers Courage
55 Peter Revson
56 Michele Alboreto
57 David Coulthard
58 Mika Hakkinen
59 Tom Pryce
60 Jose Froilan Gonzalez
61 John Watson
62 Mike Spence
63 Jean-Pierre Jarier
64 Mike Hailwood
65 Tony Brise
66 Heinz-Harald Frentzen
67 Olivier Panis
68 Peter Arundell
69 Gunnar Nilson
70 Martin Brundle
71 Patrick Tambay
72 Lorenzo Bandini
73 Richie Ginther
74 Mika Salo
75 Thierry Boutsen
76 Maurice Trintignant
77 Ricardo Rodriguez
78 Hans-Joachim Stuck
79 Roger Williamson
80 Harry Schell
81 Eddie Cheever
82 Jo Bonnier
83 Giancarlo Baghetti
84 Gianni Morbidelli
85 Luigi Musso
86 Johnny Servoz-Gavin
87 Alessandro Nannini
88 Luigi Scarfiotti
89 Eddie Irvine
90 Vittorio Brambilla
91 Jean-Pierre Beltoise
92 Peter Gethin
93 Johnny Herbert
94 Jean-Pierre Jabouille
95 Trevor Taylor
96 Stefan Johannson
97 Ivan Capelli
98 Bruno Giacomelli
99 Jochen Mass
100 Derek Warwick

Sharpen the axe!

Once upon a time, there was a very strong Woodcutter. He asked for a job from a timber merchant and he got it.

The pay was really good and so were the work conditions. For that reason the woodcutter was determined to do his best.


His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work.

The first day, the woodcutter brought down 18 trees.The Boss was very much impressed and said, "Congratulations keep it up!"

Very motivated by the words of the boss, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he only could bring down 15 trees.

The third day he tried even harder, but he only could bring down 10 trees.

Day after day he was bringing down less and less trees. "I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter thought to himself.

He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

"When was the last time you sharpened your Axe?" the boss asked

"Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my Axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees.

The moral of the story:

Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don't take time to sharpen the axe. In today's world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever.


Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp?

There is nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like our personal life, taking time to care for others, taking time to read, etc.


We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to send mails, to learn and grow.


If we don't take time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.

So start from today, think about the ways by which we could do our job more effectively and add a lot of value to it.

You are Everything To Somebody

Right now at this very minute.....

someone
is very proud of you

someone
is thinking of you

someone
cares about you

someone
misses you

someone
wants to talk to you

someone
wants to be with you

someone
hopes you aren't in trouble

someone
is thankful for the support you have provided

someone
wants to hold your hand

someone
hopes everything turns out all right

someone
wants you to be happy

someone
wants you to find them

someone
is celebrating your successes

someone
wants to give you a gift

someone
thinks you ARE a gift

someone
hopes you are not too cold, or too hot

someone
wants to hug you

someone
loves you

someone
wants to lavish you with small gifts

someone
admires your strength

someone
is thinking of you and smiling

someone
wants to be your shoulder to cry on

someone
wants to go out with you and have a lot of fun

someone
thinks the world of you

someone
wants to protect you

someone
would do anything for you

someone
wants to be forgiven

someone
is grateful for your forgiveness

someone
wants to laugh with you about old times

someone
remembers you and wishes you were there

someone
is praising God for you

someone
needs to know that your love is unconditional

somebody
values your advice

someone
wants to tell you how much they care

someone
wants to stay up watching old movies with you

someone
wants to share their dreams with you

someone
wants to hold you in their arms

someone
wants YOU to hold them in your arms

someone
treasures your spirit

someone
wishes they could STOP time because of you

someone
praises God for your friendship and love

someone
can't wait to see you

someone
wishes that things didn't have to change

someone
loves you for who you are

someone
loves the way you make them feel

someone
wants to be with you

someone
is hoping they can grow old with you

someone
hears a song that reminds them of you

someone
wants you to know they are there for you

someone
is glad that you're their friend

someone
wants to be your friend

someone
stayed up all night thinking about you

someone
is alive because of you

someone
is remorseful after losing your friendship

someone
is wishing that you would notice them

someone
wants to get to know you better

someone
believes that you are their soul mate

someone
wants to be near you

someone
misses your guidance and advice

someone
values your guidance and advice

someone
has faith in you

someone
trusts you

someone
needs your support

someone
needs you to have faith in them

someone
needs you to let them be your friend

Broadband eyes a quantum leap

Internet access 50 times faster than current speeds could arrive via TV cables as early as '06.
July 20, 2005: 7:48 AM EDT


HELSINKI (Reuters) - Broadband Internet access via TV cables will be able to hit 100 megabits per second as early as next year, 50 times faster than the average broadband speeds now offered to cable TV homes, a Finnish firm said Wednesday.

Similar data transmission speeds are possible over fiber networks, but these cost much more for the operators to build.

"This is a cost-efficient technology as we use the cable TV networks which are already in place," Jukka Rinnevaara, chief executive of small-cap Finnish broadband equipment manufacturer Teleste, told Reuters.

Teleste, whose rivals include big U.S. firms Scientific Atlanta (up $1.11 to $38.31, Research) and Cisco Systems Inc. (up $0.52 to $20.17, Research), said it would early next year bring to the market its ethernet-to-home product, which will give consumers access to 100Mb/s speed.

The sector is closely followed by big technology firms. Last month Sweden's Ericsson (up $0.04 to $34.07, Research) offered $51 million to buy Norwegian firm AXXESSIT, which makes broadband ethernet access equipment for telecom operators. To accelerate the transmission speed Teleste fits ethernet -- a cheap and standard transport method for Internet data over broadband networks -- into cable television networks.

It said it expects first rival technology to be on the market at the earliest in the second quarter of 2007.

Teleste is running a field-trial with cable TV service provider Essent in Netherlands, but not yet at the top speeds it expects most homes will need within a few years.

"Based on our research, 30 megabits per second is the absolute minimum in future homes. Just one TV program would take 10-20 megabits per second of this alone. So, very fast we would reach a need for 30 megabits, and also for 50 megabits per second," Pekka Rissanen, a Teleste executive told a news conference.

Rissanen said the cost of connecting a home with the new ethernet-to-the-home technology can vary between 50 ($60.28) and 200 ($241).

CEO Rinnevaara declined to say how much the new technology could boost Teleste's sales or profits in the next 12 months.

Internet access may also hit your power outlets.

Internet may come to your power outlet

CenterPoint, IBM team up to test technologies for high-speed access over electrical powerlines.
July 11, 2005: 6:22 AM EDT


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Utility operator CenterPoint Energy Inc. and IBM will team up to test new technologies for delivering high-speed Internet access over electrical powerlines, the companies said Monday.

CenterPoint (up $0.19 to $13.49, Research) has opened a technology center at one of its facilities in Houston, with design help from IBM (up $1.92 to $79.30, Research), and has also launched a trial of broadband over powerline (BPL) to a 220-home area in Houston, they said.

CenterPoint said its BPL pilot will run through this August, after which it will evaluate consumer response and the merits of a larger deployment.

Last week Current Communications Group, which develops BPL services, raised a reported $100 million in financing from a diverse group of investors including Google Inc. (up $0.69 to $296.23, Research) and Goldman Sachs to fund the deployment of its technology.

Broadband services over electrical lines are seen as an attractive alternative for rural areas where traditional broadband delivery mediums like cable and telephone lines do not or can not reach.

How does BPL work?

Internet in your electrical outlet?
Now that it's good enough for Trump Tower residents, BPL may come to your home, too.
January 25, 2005: 11:41 AM EST
by Katie Benner, CNN/Money staff writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Web surfers unable to hook up to limited high-speed connections have quietly suffered the pains of clunky, slow Internet service because they had no choice; and they had to stay connected.

But thanks to broadband over powerline (BPL) technology, high-speed connections may soon be available to anyone with electricity.

For example, the prestigious Trump Place in New York City has hired Telkonet (up $0.22 to $6.02, Research), a company that provides broadband access via electrical wiring, and Microwave Satellite Technologies to provide its residents with Internet access that's as easy to use as plugging in a toaster.


Once the BPL system is installed, it "will enable (the delivery of) high-speed data services, Internet gaming and Internet telephony VoIP," said Microwave Satellite Technologies president Frank Matarazzo.

"We are excited about Telkonet's breakthrough technology because we can broadband-enable an entire building within a few days and without new wiring. (And residents) can enjoy broadband access from every electrical outlet in their apartment," Matarazzo added.

The MST/Telkonet system will also be installed in other apartments and in an assisted living facility in the New York area, picking up the trend set in a handful of small cities nationwide.

BPL feeds low-power radio signals over power lines. A BPL modem plugs into a regular electrical outlet, receives the radio signals from power lines and converts them into a digital Internet connection.

"Watching someone plug in their modem and see their computer come up with hi-speed Internet access is very rewarding," said Allen Todd, director of the Manassas Utilities Department. Manassas, Va. was the first U.S. locale to offer BPL services citywide, beginning its pilot program in early 2003.

Manassas utilities workers have installed nearly 1,000 BPL modems in both commercial and residential locations, while the city's partner, privately-held COMtek Communications Technology, takes care of service, customer relations and billing.

While there are still bugs to be worked out, BPL quietly marches on with city pilot programs opening in Detroit, Cincinnati and Sault St. Marie, Ontario; and businesses like the Sandman Hotel chain in Canada installing Internet access customers can plug-in to.

Small cost, far reach
The costs of rolling out the service should be relatively small, since the electrical grid is widespread and the potential returns are high, the Federal Communications Commission said in a statement late last year after changing its rules to encourage the development of BPL.

"This new technology holds great promise as a low-cost broadband competitor. The pervasiveness of the utility grid means that almost every home in America can be accessed by this type of service," FCC Chairman Michael Powell and Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy said in a statement.

And the service may prove less expensive than some other Internet service options. For example, Manassas resident pay $28.99 a month for BPL, while residential hi-speed cable modem from Comcast costs $42.99 a month. Moreover, most homes and businesses are on the grid, but do not have a pre-existing cable modem infrastructure.

While no major players have surfaced as leaders in the new technology, 50 companies have joined together to form the HomePlug Powerline Alliance, established to create the standard products for BPL home networking.

This consortium includes Comcast (up $0.33 to $33.33, Research), Conexant (up $0.02 to $1.55, Research), EarthLink (up $0.12 to $10.19, Research), RadioShack (up $0.02 to $32.19, Research) and Sharp, as well as utilities companies

Con Edison (up $0.02 to $43.60, Research) has also thrown its hat in the BPL ring as the majority shareholder of Ambient Corp., a development stage company that designs, develops and markets technologies that use electric networks to deliver broadband services.

Radio operators worry
Short wave radio operators have opposed the technology, saying it can interfere with radio waves. They also have said that when certain short wave frequencies are used it can interfere with Internet access in nearby homes.

In order to address these concerns, the new FCC rules establish excluded frequency bands that BPL must avoid to protect aeronautical and aircraft communications. Exclusion zones were also established in locations close to sensitive operations like coast guard stations.

Manassas has also dealt with problems posed to hobbyists by "notching" or removing the frequencies used by short wave radio users.

"The SEC announcement is a win-win for radio operators, since it puts enough restrictions and controls to make sure radio hobbyists are protected. But it's not so restrictive that BPL can't provide high-speed Internet access to customers," said Manassas Utilities Department director Allen Todd.

Earlier in the month, HomePlug addressed this problem, unveiling its standard BPL networking technology that allows enough bandwidth to provide efficient BPL operations, but does not interfere with ham radio operators.

The Art of Letting Go

Sooner or later, everyone you know will disappoint you in some way. They'll say something or fail to say something that will hurt you. And they'll do something or fail to do something that will anger you. It's inevitable.

Unfortunately, you make things worse when you stew over someone's words and deeds. When you dwell on a rude remark or an insensitive action made by another person, you're headed for deeper problems.

In fact, the more you dwell on these things, the more bitter you'll get.

You'll find your joy, peace and happiness slipping away. And you'll find your productivity slowing down as you spend more and more time thinking about the slight or telling others about it. Eventually, if you don't stop doing it, you'll even get sick.

So what should you do the next time someone betrays you? TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FEELINGS. Even though the other person may be at fault, even though the other person wronged you, you are still responsible for your own feelings.

In other words, other people do not "cause" your feelings. You choose them.

For example, two different people could be told that their suggestions made at the staff meeting were "stupid and idiotic." One person may "choose" to feel so hurt that he never speaks up at any other meeting again. The other person may "choose" to feel sorry for the critic, sorry that the critic couldn't see the wisdom and necessity of her suggestions.

As long as you blame other people for your feelings, as long as you believe other people caused your feelings, you're stuck. You're a helpless victim.

But if you recognize the fact that you choose your feelings and you are responsible for your feelings, there's hope. You can take some time to think about your feelings. And you can decide what is the best thing to say or do.

Then, you've got to learn to WALK AWAY FROM DISAPPOINTMENT. It's difficult to do, but it's possible. The famous 19th century Scottish historian, Thomas Carlyle, proved that.

After working on his multi-volume set of books on "The French Revolution" for six years, Carlyle completed the manuscript and took volume one to his friend John Stuart Mill. He asked Mill to read it.

Five days later, Mill's maid accidentally threw the manuscript into the fire. In agony, Mill went to Carlyle's house to tell him that his work had been destroyed.

Carlyle did not flinch. With a smile, he said, "That's all right, Mill.

These things happen. It is a part of life. I will start over. I can remember most of it, I am sure. Don't worry. It's all here in my mind. Go,my friend! Do not feel bad."

As Mill left, Carlyle watched him from the window. Carlyle turned to his wife and said, "I did not want him to see how crushed I am by this misfortune." And with a heavy sigh, he added, "Well the manuscript is gone, so I had better start writing again."

Carlyle finally completed the work, which ranks as one of the great classics of all time. He had learned to walk away from his disappointment.

After all, what could Carlyle have done about his burnt manuscript?

Nothing. Nothing would have resurrected the manuscript. All Carlyle could do was to get bitter or get started. And what can you do about anything once it is over? Not much. You can try to correct it if it is possible, or you can walk away from it if it isn't. Those are your only two choices.

Sometimes you've just got to shake it off and step up. It's like the farmer who had an old mule who fell into a deep dry well. As he assessed the situation, he knew it would be difficult, if not impossible, to lift the heavy mule out of the deep well.

So the farmer decided to bury the mule in the well.

After all, the mule was old and the well was dry, so he could solve two problems at once. He could put the old mule out of his misery and have his well filled.

The farmer asked his neighbours to help him with the shovelling. To work they went. As they threw shovel-full of dirt after shovel-full of dirt on the mule's back, the mule became frightened.

Then all of a sudden an idea came to the mule. Each time they would throw a shovel-full of dirt on his back, he would shake it off and step up.

Shovel-full after shovel-full, the mule would shake it off and step up. In not too long a time, the exhausted and dirty mule stepped over the top of the well and through the crowd.

That's the same approach we all need to take. We need to shake it off and step up.

Finally, you need to FORGIVE. It's difficult, especially when the other person doesn't deserve your forgiveness or doesn't even seek it. It's difficult when the other person is clearly in the wrong.

Part of the difficulty comes from a common misunderstanding of forgiveness.

Forgiveness doesn't mean that the other person's behaviour is okay. And forgiveness doesn't mean that the other person is off the hook. He's still responsible for his misbehaviour.

Forgiveness is about letting yourself off the emotional hook. It's about releasing your negative emotions, attitudes, and behaviours. It's about letting go of the past so you can go forward to the future.

Everyone in your life, everyone on and off the job is going to disappoint you. If you know how to respond to those situations, you'll be way ahead of most people. You'll be able to live above and beyond your circumstances.

Action:

Identify two people that have disappointed, hurt, or angered you. If possible, select two people towards whom you still have some bitterness.

Then ask yourself, "How does my bitterness serve me?

Am I happier holding on to it?

Do I sleep better?

Is my life richer, fuller, and better because of my bitterness?"

If you find that your bitterness is hurting you, make a decision.

Actually decide to let it go.

Walk away from the disappointment -- which means you no longer dwell on it or talk about it. Period!

The sense of things

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. "How does it taste?" the Master asked. "Awful," spat the apprentice.

The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked, "How does it taste?" "Good!" remarked the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the Master. "No," said the young man.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said, "The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things ..... Stop being a glass. Become a lake!"

Stupendous Headlines: Thief strips man of underwear

http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2005/july/114226.htm

Thief strips man of underwear, cash
By: Resha Desai
July 18, 2005

Rakesh Jha (30, name changed on request) lost more than just his luggage and money on the Madgaon-Mumbai Express on July 15.

The thief even made off with his underwear in which were Rs 23,000, credit cards and his driver’s license.

Police believe the thief sedated Jha and then stole his valuables. An enraged Jha now plans to visit Union minister for Railways, Lalu Prasad Yadav, to seek redressal of his problems.

Here, try some juice

Jha, a medical rep from Andheri, took the Madgaon Express from Vasco for Mumbai at around 9 am on Friday.

“A tall man in my compartment struck up a conversation and even offered me some tea, which I refused,” says Jha. After a meal of chicken biryani, Jha dozed off.

“At around 1 pm, the train had just reached Kankavli station when the man put a tetra pack of fruit juice in my hands. I was half asleep but when I saw a few passengers drinking the same juice, I drank mine and went to sleep. I remember thinking that perhaps the train had provided it free or the man was just being generous,” said Jha.

Wake up

Jha awoke only when a ticket collector roused him at CST at around 11 pm. To his horror, Jha realised his bags were stolen (contained photographs of his wedding, marriage certificate and clothes).

Sharma, still drowsy, gave his family’s contact number to the collector who informed the police.

Sharma was taken to St George Hospital, CST. The doctors at the hospital realised that though Sharma was fully clothed his underwear was missing.

Jha was discharged after a day during which he was kept under observation. It is believed that a strong sedative was mixed in the juice that was given to him.

What: Valuables robbed from man’s underwear
Where: Madgaon-Mumbai train
How: Co-passenger befriends him, offers sedative-laced fruit juice
Then: Strips him, steals valuables hidden in underwear

Moral of the Story

DO NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING FROM UNKNOWN PEOPLE WHILE TRAVELLING

Put the glass down!

A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see & asked the students,' How much do you think this glass weighs?'

'50gms!' .... '100gms!' ......'125gms' ......the students answered.

'I really don't know unless I weigh it,' said the professor, 'but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?'

'Nothing' the students said.

'Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.

'Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the students.

'You're right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?'

'Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to hospital for sure!' ventured another student & all the students laughed.

'Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?'asked the professor.

'No'

'Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle stress?' The students were puzzled.

'Put the glass down!' said one of the students.

'Exactly!' said the professor.' Life's problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK. Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache. Hold it even longer & they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.

It's important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life, but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT to 'put them down' at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh & strong & can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!'

So, as it becomes time for you to leave for home today, remember to 'PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY!

'PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY!

I Capricorn

This is one of my favorite songs:

From the album, "I Capricorn" by the Welsh diva, Dame Shirley Bassey

"I Capricorn" – Shirley Bassey

I Capricorn
Child of morning
Climber of rainbows
Rider of clouds
And I have summer days to squander
Seven lives to live
All the fires of winter
All my love to give

I Capricorn
Born of the sunrise
Keeper of seashells
Reaper of wind
And I have happiness to scatter
Dreams for coming true
Love to last for always
And it’s all for you
All for you
All for you
All for you
All for you
All for you

I Capricorn
Worker of wonders
Mover of mountains
Lover of you
All for you
All for you
All for you
All for you
All for you

I Capricorn
Worker of wonders
Mover of mountains
Lover of you


There is a reduced quality and reduced length song on this site. You will need real player. (http://carlinamerica.com/titles/sf/I,%20CAPRICORN-2.rm)

Livin Da Virar Local

Livin Da Virar Local
(to be sung to the tune of Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca)

He's in a Virar Local,
Destination Goregaon.
Right hand's holding Mid-Day,
With left he's hanging on...

Pushed in at Dadar station,
Got a few blows on his mouth.
Crushed beyond recognition,
Wallet's been taken out...

They'll stand on your lil pinkies,
When you get into the train.
They squeeze your breath from both of your lungs,
Until they make you scream in pain.

And all your settings gone in vain, C' MON

CHORUS:
Upside, inside out
Livin' the Virar local.
They'll push and pull you out,
Livin' the Virar local.
And who's gonna tell them no?
You try and they'll make your kheema
Livin' the Virar local.
Hey...
Liv'in' the Virar local.

Wake up... in Borivli,
Oh shit, missed Goregaon.
And now, he's feeling silly,
Because, he's in Naigoan...

They took all his clothes off
And had him dancing in the train,
They made him sing a bhajan
until they drove the man insane.

Livin' the Virar local.
Hey...
Livin' the Virar local.
Hey...
Livin' the Virar local.

Top 250 User rated movies of all time

Rank Title
1 The Godfather (1972)
2 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
4 The Godfather: Part II (1974)
5 Shichinin no samurai (1954)
6 Schindler's List (1993)
7 Casablanca (1942)
8 Star Wars (1977)
9 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
10 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
11 Pulp Fiction (1994)
12 Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
13 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
14 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
15 Citizen Kane (1941)
16 Rear Window (1954)
17 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
18 The Usual Suspects (1995)
19 Cidade de Deus (2002)
20 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
21 Memento (2000)
22 12 Angry Men (1957)
23 C'era una volta il West (1968)
24 North by Northwest (1959)
25 Psycho (1960)
26 Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001)
27 It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
28 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
29 Goodfellas (1990)
30 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
31 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
32 Sunset Blvd. (1950)
33 American Beauty (1999)
34 The Matrix (1999)
35 Fight Club (1999)
36 Apocalypse Now (1979)
37 Vertigo (1958)
38 The Pianist (2002)
39 Paths of Glory (1957)
40 To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
41 Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
42 The Third Man (1949)
43 Taxi Driver (1976)
44 Se7en (1995)
45 Boot, Das (1981)
46 Double Indemnity (1944)
47 M (1931)
48 Singin' in the Rain (1952)
49 Requiem for a Dream (2000)
50 Léon (1994)
51 Chinatown (1974)
52 Some Like It Hot (1959)
53 Rashômon (1950)
54 All About Eve (1950)
55 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
56 L.A. Confidential (1997)
57 The Maltese Falcon (1941)
58 The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
59 American History X (1998)
60 Modern Times (1936)
61 Hotel Rwanda (2004)
62 Raging Bull (1980)
63 Saving Private Ryan (1998)
64 Alien (1979)
65 Vita è bella, La (1997)
66 A Clockwork Orange (1971)
67 Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
68 The Sting (1973)
69 Reservoir Dogs (1992)
70 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
71 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
72 The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
73 Amadeus (1984)
74 Million Dollar Baby (2004)
75 On the Waterfront (1954)
76 City Lights (1931)
77 Ran (1985)
78 The Apartment (1960)
79 The Wizard of Oz (1939)
80 The Great Escape (1963)
81 The Shining (1980)
82 The Incredibles (2004)
83 Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957)
84 Aliens (1986)
85 Untergang, Der (2004)
86 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
87 Touch of Evil (1958)
88 Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
89 Metropolis (1927)
90 The Great Dictator (1940)
91 Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1989)
92 Braveheart (1995)
93 Jaws (1975)
94 Donnie Darko (2001)
95 Strangers on a Train (1951)
96 High Noon (1952)
97 Oldboy (2003)
98 Finding Nemo (2003)
99 Annie Hall (1977)
100 Fargo (1996)
101 Mononoke-hime (1997)
102 Crash (2004)
103 Sin City (2005)
104 Wo hu cang long (2000)
105 The General (1927)
106 Blade Runner (1982)
107 Forrest Gump (1994)
108 Yojimbo (1961)
109 Ladri di biciclette (1948)
110 Full Metal Jacket (1987)
111 Before Sunset (2004)
112 Rebecca (1940)
113 Batman Begins (2005)
114 The Sixth Sense (1999)
115 The Princess Bride (1987)
116 The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
117 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
118 The Big Sleep (1946)
119 It Happened One Night (1934)
120 Notorious (1946)
121 Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
122 Duck Soup (1933)
123 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
124 Smultronstället (1957)
125 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
126 The Graduate (1967)
127 Patton (1970)
128 Cool Hand Luke (1967)
129 Lola rennt (1998)
130 The Elephant Man (1980)
131 Unforgiven (1992)
132 The Deer Hunter (1978)
133 The Philadelphia Story (1940)
134 Amores perros (2000)
135 The Green Mile (1999)
136 Back to the Future (1985)
137 Glory (1989)
138 Ying xiong (2002)
139 Toy Story 2 (1999)
140 Ben-Hur (1959)
141 The Gold Rush (1925)
142 Manhattan (1979)
143 Bringing Up Baby (1938)
144 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
145 Finding Neverland (2004)
146 Stalag 17 (1953)
147 Platoon (1986)
148 A Christmas Story (1983)
149 The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
150 The Wild Bunch (1969)
151 Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
152 The Searchers (1956)
153 Life of Brian (1979)
154 The African Queen (1951)
155 Hable con ella (2002)
156 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
157 Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, La (1928)
158 Quatre cents coups, Les (1959)
159 Gone with the Wind (1939)
160 The Hustler (1961)
161 Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
162 Mystic River (2003)
163 Big Fish (2003)
164 The Straight Story (1999)
165 Die Hard (1988)
166 The Night of the Hunter (1955)
167 Ikiru (1952)
168 Shrek (2001)
169 Roman Holiday (1953)
170 Hotaru no haka (1988)
171 Festen (1998)
172 Grande illusion, La (1937)
173 His Girl Friday (1940)
174 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
175 Young Frankenstein (1974)
176 Gladiator (2000)
177 The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
178 Bronenosets Potyomkin (1925)
179 The Killing (1956)
180 Charade (1963)
181 Magnolia (1999)
182 Monsters, Inc. (2001)
183 Ed Wood (1994)
184 Trois couleurs: Rouge (1994)
185 Strada, La (1954)
186 The Conversation (1974)
187 8½ (1963)
188 Sling Blade (1996)
189 Sideways (2004)
190 A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
191 Harvey (1950)
192 A Night at the Opera (1935)
193 Mar adentro (2004/I)
194 Spartacus (1960)
195 The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
196 Groundhog Day (1993)
197 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
198 Gandhi (1982)
199 Brazil (1985)
200 Trainspotting (1996)
201 All the President's Men (1976)
202 Twelve Monkeys (1995)
203 In America (2002)
204 Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
205 Stand by Me (1986)
206 Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
207 Lost in Translation (2003)
208 Laura (1944)
209 Toy Story (1995)
210 Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)
211 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
212 Almost Famous (2000)
213 Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
214 To Be or Not to Be (1942)
215 The Insider (1999)
216 The Lion in Winter (1968)
217 Persona (1966)
218 Garden State (2004)
219 The Big Lebowski (1998)
220 Fanny och Alexander (1982)
221 Mulholland Dr. (2001)
222 The Station Agent (2003)
223 Snatch. (2000)
224 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
225 This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
226 The Exorcist (1973)
227 Network (1976)
228 Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
229 The Terminator (1984)
230 Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
231 Dogville (2003)
232 21 Grams (2003)
233 Spider-Man 2 (2004)
234 Miller's Crossing (1990)
235 Rain Man (1988)
236 Being There (1979)
237 Heat (1995)
238 Battaglia di Algeri, La (1965)
239 Being John Malkovich (1999)
240 Meglio gioventù, La (2003)
241 Barry Lyndon (1975)
242 Diarios de motocicleta (2004)
243 Tonari no Totoro (1988)
244 The Thin Man (1934)
245 Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
246 The 39 Steps (1935)
247 Fa yeung nin wa (2000)
248 Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo (2004)
249 Midnight Cowboy (1969)
250 The Right Stuff (1983)

On Love (Richard Bach)

(Got this as a 'forward' and normally dont believe everything a 'forward' claims. I am not certain that this is indeed Richard Bach's work but since I have not read all his works, I will give the benefit of doubt to the forward)

I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me. Once when we were sitting at the edge of a swimming pool, she filled her palm with water, held it before me and said "You see this water carefully contained in my hand? It symbolizes Love."

I thought about this for a long time and this is how I saw it:

As long as you keep your hand open and allow the water to remain there, it will always be there. However, if you attempt to close your fingers round the water, it will spill through the first cracks it finds.

This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet love. They try to posses it, they demand, they expect and just like the water spilling out of the palm, love will run away from you. Love is meant to be free and you cannot change its nature. If there are people you love, allow them to be free beings.

If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they're yours; if they don't they never were.

Give and don't expect.
Advise, but don't order.
Ask, but never demand.

It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a lifetime to truly practice. It is the secret to true love. To truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love, and yet an unconditional caring."

Mumbai: A perspective

History of Mumbai

Fisherwomen and Stone goddesses
Although the archipelago which developed into the modern city of Mumbai was inhabited whenever history chanced on it, we are forced to imagine the lives of these early Mumbaikars, because the islands lay outside of the sweep of history and beyond the marches of armies for millennia. Stone age implements have been found at several sites in these islands. Later, around the third century BC, the coastal regions, and presumably the islands, were part of the Magadhan empire ruled by the emperor Ashok. The empire ebbed, leaving behind some Buddhist monks and the deep-sea fishermen called Kolis, whose stone goddess, Mumbadevi, gave her name to the modern metropolis.

Between the 9th and 13th centuries, the Indian ocean, and especially the Arabian Sea, was the world's center of commerce. Deep sea crafts made of wood tied together with ropes transported merchandise between Aden, Calicut, Cambay and cities on the West coast of Africa. Marco Polo, Ibn Batuta and other travelers passed by without ever making a landfall in these islands.

Bombay changed hands many times. The islands belonged to the Silhara dynasty till the middle of the 13th century. The oldest structures in the archipelago--- the caves at Elephanta, and part of the Walkeshwar temple complex probably date from this time. Modern sources identify a 13th century Raja Bhimdev who had his capital in Mahikawati-- present-day Mahim, and Prabhadevi. Presumably the first merchants and agriculturists settled in Mumbai at this time. In 1343 the island of Salsette, and eventually the whole archipelago, passed to the Sultan of Gujarat. The mosque in Mahim dates from this period.

The Slow Turn West
In 1508 Francis Almeida sailed into the deep natural harbour of the island his countrymen came to call Bom Bahia (the Good Bay). Bahadur Shah of Gujarat was forced to cede the main islands to the Portuguese in 1534, before he was murdered by the proselytizing invaders. The Portuguese built a fort in Bassein. They were not interested in the islands, although some fortifications and a few chapels were built for the converted fishermen. The St. Andrew's church in Bandra dates from this period.

For years, the Dutch and the British tried to get information on the sea route to India--- often by spying. Even the reports of such spies never bother to mention Bombay. Eventually, in 1661, Catherine of Braganza brought these islands to Charles II of England as part of her marriage dowry. The British East India Company received it from the crown in 1668, founded the modern city, and shortly thereafter moved their main holdings from Surat to Bombay. George Oxenden was the first governor of a Bombay whose place in history was finally secure.

The web of commerce which had supported the civilisation of the Indian Ocean littoral had died with the coming of the Europeans. The Mughal empire in Delhi was not interested in navies-- despising the Portuguese and the British as ``merchant princes''. The second governor of Bombay, Gerald Aungier, saw the opportunity to develop the islands into a centre of commerce to rival other ports still in the hands of local kingdoms. He offered various inducement to skilled workers and traders to move to this British holding. The opportunities for business attracted many Gujarati communities--- the Parsis, the Bohras, Jews and banias from Surat and Diu. The population of Bombay was estimated to have risen from 10,000 in 1661 to 60,000 in 1675.

Through the 18th century British power and influence grew slowly but at the expense of the local kingdoms. The migration of skilled workers and traders to the safe-haven of Bombay continued. The shipbuilding industry moved to Bombay from Surat with the coming of the Wadias. Artisans from Gujarat, such as goldsmiths, ironsmiths and weavers moved to the islands and coexisted with the slave trade from Madagascar. During this period the first land-use laws were set up in Bombay, segregating the British part of the islands from the black town.

With increasing prosperity and growing political power following the 1817 victory over the Marathas, the British embarked upon reclamations and large scale engineering works in Bombay. The sixty years between the completion of the vellard at Breach Candy (1784) and the construction of the Mahim Causeway (1845) are the heroic period in which the seven islands were merged into one landmass. These immense works, in turn, attracted construction workers, like the Kamathis from Andhra, who began to come to Bombay from 1757 on. A regular civil administration was put in place during this period. In 1853 a 35-km long railway line between Thana and Bombay was inaugurated-- the first in India. Four years later, in 1854, the first cotton mill was founded in Bombay. With the cotton mills came large scale migrations of Marathi workers, and the chawls which accommodated them. The city had found its shape.

Dreams of Power
Following the first war of Independence in 1857, the Company was accused of mismanagement, and Bombay reverted to the British crown. With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, exports, specially cotton, from Bombay became a major part of the colonial economy. The Great Indian Peninsular Railway facilitated travel within India. This network of commerce and communication led to an accumulation of wealth. This was channelled into building an Imperial Bombay by a succession of Governors. Many of Bombay's famous landmarks, the Flora Fountain and the Victoria Terminus, date from this time. The water works, including the Hanging Gardens and the lakes were also built at this time. The Bombay Municipal Corporation was founded in 1872. However, this facade of a progressive and well-governed city was belied by the plague epidemics of the 1890s. This dichotomy between the city's symbols of power and prosperity and the living conditions of the people who make it so continues even today.

The construction of Imperial Bombay continued well into the 20th century. Landmarks from this period are the Gateway of India, the General Post Office, the Town Hall (now the Asiatic Library) and the Prince of Wales Museum. Bombay expanded northwards into the first suburbs, before spreading its nightmare tentacles into the the northern suburbs. The nearly 2000 acres reclaimed by the Port Trust depressed the property market for a while, but the Backbay reclamation scandal of the '20s was a testament to the greed for land.

The freedom movement reached a high pitch of activity against this background of developing Indian wealth. Gandhi returned from South Africa and reached Bombay on January 12, 1915. Following many campaigns in the succeeding years, the end of the British imperial rule in India was clearly presaged by the Quit India declaration by the Indian National Congress on August 8, 1942, in Gowalia Tank Maidan, near Kemp's Corner. India became a free country on August 15, 1947. In the meanwhile, Greater Bombay had come into existence through an Act of the British parliament in 1945.

Millennial Mumbai
Already India's main port and commercial centre, the City of Gold lured the poverty stricken rural population and the expanding middle class equally. The population boom of the '50s and '60s was fuelled by the absence of opportunities in the rest of the country. The language riots, the reorganisation of Indian states and the see-saw politics of the country did not seem to affect the city. The glamour industry's flattering portrayal of Bombay seemed to be the reality. However, by the late '80s the other big Indian cities had choked in their own refuse and Bombay's road ahead seemed to be blighted. How this city, renamed Mumbai in the mid 90's copes with the challenge of controlling its political fragmentation, disastrous health problems and load of pollution by utilising its wealth of talent and manpower is a story to be told by future historians.



Location and history
Located on the west coast of India, the group of islands which has grown into the city of Mumbai, was probably first recorded as the home of fisherfolk where a group of Buddhist monks established an outpost late during the Magadhan empire. The islands were tossed from one king to another emperor for two millenia, until the maritime trade empire of the British decided to develop the natural harbour into a city. In the four hundred years since then, the city has grown by a series of land reclamations which now link the original islands into one mass.


By any other name
The city was called Bombay for much of the last four hundred years. The origin of the name is obscure, but is often said to come from the Portuguese phrase bom bahia meaning "good bay". The name Mumbai has been used in the main local languages for as long, and is ascribed to the local goddess, Mumba (ai means mother in Marathi). The name of the city was changed to Mumbai by an act of the parliament in 1997.



It's a big city
Estimated to hold about 15 million people (a census is on in the years 2000-2001), the city has grown dramatically in the last fifty years. The core area called the "Island City" has the most expensive real estate in all of India. As a result, the city has grown far into the mainland both to the north and the east. It is not unusual for people to commute more than an hour to work each day. Getting water, power and food into the city is a major task, which is handled reasonably by civic agencies planning bodies and people going about their business.


Yeh hai Bambai (Mumbai) meri jaan
Mumbai is called the financial capital of India: the stock exchange is the primary stock exchange of the country; most large business houses have their corporate offices in this city. It also the primary center for the arts and the entertainment industry. In India it is the city of gold, of dreams. Everyone comes here to make money, whether by selling chapatis on Chowpatti or stolen wallets and used dentures by the roadside. Whatever. Bombay does sleep at night, but usually rather late and very briefly.



The Ninth Century
From AD 810 to 1260, the island of Bombay was ruled by the Silhara dynasty. These kings built the original Walkeshwar temple on Malabar Hill. It was during this time that the caves at Elephanta were carved out. Although the coastal town of Kalyan was a busy port, the natural harbour of Bombay was not developed till the 17th century.


The Thirteenth Century
In the 13th century Raja Bhimdev set up his capital in Mahikawati-- present-day Mahim. A palace, court of justice and a temple were set up in Prabhadevi. Land was brought under cultivation, and fruit growing trees were planted on several islands. The Pathare Prabhus, Bhois, Agris, Vadvals and Brahmins came to Bombay at this time.


The Fourteenth Century
In 1343 the island of Salsette was invaded by the Muslim kings of Gujarat. In the ensuing wars, Mahim fell to the Gujarati kings. The Konkani people seem to have appeared around this time. The mosque in Mahim dates from this period.


The Sixteenth Century
The rule of the Sultans of Gujarat over the archipelago of Bombay came to an end with the arrival of the Portuguese. In 1508 the first Portuguese ship, captained by Francis Almeida sailed into Bombay harbour. The Portuguese were already at war all along the coast of India. In 1534, with just 21 ships, they managed to defeat the kingdom of Gujarat, and extracted, among many concessions, rights to the islands of Bombay.

India was not a priority for the Portuguese. Francis Almeida had been sent to the east to secure the spice trade for his country. The most lucrative part of this trade lay further east. Bombay and the Arabian sea was important only as a staging post to Malacca. Almeida's successor, Albuquerque, consolidated their position by taking control of Goa in 1510, Malacca in 1511 and Hormuz in 1515.

The northern parts of the Portuguese holdings in India, mainly on the coast of Gujarat, were defended out of their fort in Bassein, present day Vasai, on the mainland north of the islands, and stronghouses were built in Bandra, Mahim, and the harbour of Versova. Control over Bombay was exerted indirectly, through vazadors who rented the islands.

The vazador of Bombay was a certain Garcia da Orta. He built a manor house on the island in 1554. On his death in Goa, in 1570, the island was passed on to his sons. During this time Bombay's main trade was in coconuts and coir. The island of Salsette also exported rice.

The Portuguese encouraged intermarriage with the local population, and strongly supported the Catholic church; going to the extent of starting the Inquisition in India in the year 1560. The result was a growing mixed population which supported the Portuguese in times of strife. However, their intolerance of other religions, seen in the forcible conversion to Christianity of the local Koli population in Bombay, Mahim, Worli and Bassein, had the effect of alienating the local population.

Land in Bandra, Parel, Vadala and Sion was given to the Jesuits. Records speak of two churches built in Girgaum, a Jesuit church in Bandra in 1570 and a fort in Mahim. Of these, only St. Andrew's Church in Bandra can still be seen.

With the annexation of Portugal by Spain in 1580, and the defeat of the Spanish Armada by the British eight years later, the way was open for other European powers to follow the spice routes to India and further East. The Dutch arrived first, closely followed by the British. An account of the Portuguese towns in India, in the year 1583, has been left by a member of the first band of English merchants who tried to reach India.


The Seventeenth Century
The first important event recorded in the history of 17th century Bombay dates from 1640, during the Portuguese occupation of the islands. The first Parsi, a trader called Dorabji Nanabhai, is known to have settled in Bombay in this year.

In 1661, the islands of Bombay passed to the British Crown, when Charles II married Catherine of Braganza. However, the Portuguese garrison in Bassein refused to part with the islands of Salsette, Parel, Worli and Mazagaon. British soldiers captured these islands only in 1665, and a treaty was signed in the manor house on the island of Bombay.

The British East India Company received it from the crown in 1668 for the sum of 10 pounds a year, payable every September 30. Sir George Oxenden, then President of the factory in Surat, became the first Governor of Bombay. The Company immediately set about the task of opening up the islands by constructing a quay and warehouses. A customs house was also built. Fortifications were made around the manor house, now renamed Bombay Castle. A Judge-Advocate was appointed for the purpose of civil administration. Sir George died in 1669.

Gerald Aungier was appointed the President of the Surat factory and Governor of Bombay in 1672, and remained at this post till 1675. He offered various inducement to skilled workers and traders to set up business in the new township. As a result, a large number of Parsis, Armenian, Bohras, Jews, Gujarati banias from Surat and Diu and Brahmins from Salsette came to Bombay. The population of Bombay was estimated to have risen from 10,000 in 1661 to 60,000 in 1675.

Gerald Aungier established the first mint in Bombay. In 1670 the Parsi businessman Bhimjee Parikh imported the first printing press into Bombay. Aungier planned extensive fortifications from Dongri in the north to Mendham's Point (near present day Lion Gate) in the south. However, these walls were only built in the beginning of the 18th century. The harbour was also developed, with space for the berthing of 20 ships. In 1686, the Company shifted its main holdings from Surat to Bombay.

During the Portuguese occupation, Bombay exported only coir and coconuts. With the coming of many Indian and British merchants, Bombay's trade developed. Soon it was trading in salt, rice, ivory, cloth, lead and sword blades with many Indian ports as well as with Mecca and Basra.


The Eighteenth Century
Territorial Disputes
By the end of the 17th century, Bombay had developed into an important local port. In 1715 Charles Boone became the Governor of Bombay. He implemented Aungier's plans for the fortification of the island, and had walls built from Dongri in the north to Mendham's point in the south. He established a force of Marines and constructed St. Thomas' Church, within the fort.

Local Government
In 1728 a Mayor's court was established in the town. In the same year the first reclamation was started, a temporary work in Mahalaxmi, on the creek separating Bombay from Worli.

The Ship-building Industry
The shipbuilding industry started in Bombay in 1735. The master shipbuilder, Lowjee Nusserbanji, was induced to move from Surat to Bombay, where he built the first docks and took the name of Wadia. Bombay began to grow into a major trading town. By the middle of the century Bhandaris from Chaul, Vanjaras from the Ghats, slaves from Madagascar, Bhatias, Banias, Shenvi Brahmins, goldsmiths, ironsmiths and weavers from Gujarat migrated to the islands.

Exit the Portuguese
During this time the Marathas had become the paramount power in the Deccan and naturally came into conflict with the sea-faring Portuguese. A long dispute came to an outright war, the battles of Bassein, beginning in 1737. In a series of campaigns over the next two years, Baji Rao Peshwa's army pushed the Portuguese out of the island of Salsette and forced their captain to cede the fort of Bassein.

Consolidation of British Power
The British response to the Maratha victory was to clear big stretches of grounds around the fort walls to provide a clear field of fire. This pushed the Indian settlements further north, into what has now become the inner city. Under new building rules set up in 1748, many houses were demolished and the population was redistributed, partially on newly reclaimed land.

The Fort and its Gates
This century saw an intense rivalry between various powers, the British, the French and the Marathas, for the control of India. Much of British policy in Bombay during this uncertain period was directed to this power play. In the twenty years starting from 1746 the Fort was improved. Many batteries and bastions were added. The depredations of the British, perhaps more than the black basalt walls, gave rise to the name Kala Killa for the fort.

The fort walls had three main gates. One was the Apollo Gate, near the present day location of the St. Andrew's Church. The most well-known was Church Gate, named after St. Thomas', standing almost exactly on the spot that the Flora Fountain now occupies. The third was the Bazaar Gate, right opposite the present dome of the General Post Office, which lends its name to the area even now, long after the gate itself has disappeared.

In 1769 Fort George was built on the site of the Dongri Fort. In the next year the Mazagaon docks were built. In 1772 an order was promulgated to segregate Indian and English houses, both within and outside the Fort. A more important development came five years later, in 1777, when the first newspaper in Bombay was published.

The First Maratha War
Following the First Maratha War, between 1772 and 1775, Nana Fadnawis managed to cobble together a coalition of all the Maratha kingdoms along with Hyder Ali and the Nizam into a force against the British. Although the British, through diplomacy and bribery, broke this coalition, they were defeated in a series of battles. Through the treaty of Salbai, in 1782, they were forced to cede all the land they had won to the Marathas in exchange for Salsette, Elephanta, Karanja and Hog Island.

In 1795, the Maratha army defeated the Nizam. Following this, many artisans and construction workers from the Andhra migrated to Bombay and settled into the flats which were made livable by the construction of the Hornby Vellard. These workers where called Kamathis, and their enclave was called Kamathipura.

City-planning Begins
With British control of Bombay confirmed, city planning began. In the mid 80's roads began to be built at right angles to each other; restrictions were placed on the heights of buildings; segregation was enforced. In the Indian parts of the town, rule by panchayats was set up. Indians became more active in local politics, and in 1777 Bombay's first English newspaper, the Bombay Courier was printed by Rustomji Kashaspathi.

The first major work of reclamation was the Hornby vellard at Breach Candy. Completed in 1784 during the Governorship of William Hornby, it joined the main island of Bombay to Worli, and prevented the flat lands to the north of Bombay from being flooded at every high-tide. Reclamations at Worli and Mahalaxmi followed immediately.

In the beginning, the civil administration of Bombay was directly under the President of the East India Company and his Council. Beginning at the end of the 18th century, a regular civil administration was put in place. Apparently, this was thought to be necessary, since, in a count made in 1794, it was found that there were 1000 houses inside the fort walls and 6500 outside.


The Nineteenth Century
The Taming of the Sea
The modern city of Bombay took shape in the 19th century. The city was built by the joining together of many islands, a process that was more or less completed by the first half of the century. Reclamations were then started, a process that continues till today. During the latter half of this century, the importance of Bombay as a centre of cotton trade, specially during the American Civil War (1861-65), created a pool of wealth, not only among the British, but also among Indians. Much of this money was channelled into rebuilding the core of the town into a grand showpiece. The First Indian War of Independence, in 1857, makes a convenient watershed between these two streams of development. Before the War of Independence, India was governed by the East India Company; after the war it reverted to the Crown.

The Great Fire
A crowded town had grown up north of the walled fort and the eastern port district of the British town. In 1803 a fire raged through the Indian part of the town, razing many localities. The tragedy was to have a positive effect in that the town could be built anew, to a better plan. Already residents were paying taxes to the civil authorities for the upkeep and cleaning of streets. In 1812 an Ordinance was promulgated which, among other things, set out the possibility of demolition of encroachments.

The Hornby Vellard had already been built towards the end of the 18th Century. By joining together Bombay and Mahim, it began the process that was to be completed in this century. The next step was the completion of the Sion Causeway in 1803.

The Fall of the Marathas
The Maratha empire under the Peshwas fell to the machinations of the East India Company at the beginning of the century. The decisive battle was at Kirki in November 1817. Montstuart Elphinstone was then made Commissioner of the Deccan in 1818. With the opening of the Deccan to the British power, improved communications between Bombay and its hinterland was to become necessary. The existence of such communication, in turn, fed commerce through the port of Bombay.

Elphinstone was the Governor of Bombay between 1819 and 1827. He was the first person to build a bungalow for himself on Malabar Hill. This began the process of wealthy residents moving out of the central fort area.

The Causeways
This process accelerated with the completion of the Colaba Causeway in 1838. Even before the island was joined to Bombay, it was a cantonment area; it remains so even now. The Cotton Exchange was established in Colaba in 1844, establishing this newly opened up section as an important commercial area.

The Mahim Causeway was not built by the government. Avabai, Lady Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy donated the entire sum of money required to join Mahim to Sion by a causeway. This work was completed in 1845, but the development of Mahim and Bandra had to wait another half a century.

The Railways
The physical setting of the modern city was almost complete by now. A new development took place with the opening of railways in India. In 1849 the Great Indian Peninsular (GIP) Railways was incorporated by an Act of the British Parliament. It immediately entered into an agreement with the East India Company. Under this agreement, the first rails were laid for a 21 mile stretch between Thane and Bombay. The line was inaugurated on April 6, 1853.

The Governor of Bombay at this time was John, Lord Elphinstone. He was the first to realise that the Fort walls were now superfluous, since all the enemy powers were now subjugated. He suggested the removal of the fortifications. However, the population of Bombay was not yet psychologically prepared for this step. There was strong opposition to this move, and the walls were not removed.

The Lakes
Vihar water works.

The First War of Independence
1857 marks a watershed in Indian history. The first War of Independence broke out this year. Under the leadership of several Princes, the Sepoys in the Company militia revolted. The revolutionaries were brutally suppressed; but the Company was accused of mismanagement. India reverted to the British Crown. Bombay was hardly affected. By the time the newspapers had confirmed news of the war, it was over. The police commissioner, Charles Forjett arrested large numbers of Indians, and claimed to have uncovered a conspiracy to blow up the town during the festival of Diwali. Nothing happenned, but Forjett had the alleged ring-leaders blown from cannon on that day. A commemorative tablet in the gardens of the Afghan Church record about 30 British deaths, several from outside of the city.

Urbs Prima In Indis
The black soils of the mainland near Bombay were ideal for growing cotton. This had long been a mainstay of Bombay's commerce. From 1857, with the opening of Bombay's first cotton mill, it was to become an important part of the city's industry.

The Cotton Mills
When cotton exports from the USA were interrupted by the Civil War, Bombay gained paramount importance in the world cotton trade. There was a rapid increase in the number of mills. The labour force was constituted mainly of Marathi speaking migrants from the ghats, adding yet another flavour to Bombay's ethnic soup. However, this economic boom was at the base of one of the major problems of the developing city.

Most often, the mill workers were men whose families stayed back in their villages. To begin with, employers accommodated these workers in specially constructed chawls near the mills. Modelled after army barracks, each building had three floors. Every floor contained rooms, each given over to one person, and a common toilet. Sometimes, several such chawls would border a common enclosed space. Such a group of chawls was called a wadi. With the rapid increase in the number of mills, the rooms were often occupied by several people. Eventually, families of workers began to migrate to Bombay, and each room in a chawl would have to accommodate the whole family. Later, even this became impossible, and slums developed around the mills and the harbour.

The Walls Come Down
In the meanwhile, Sir Bartle Frere became the Governor of Bombay, and in 1864 had the walls of the fort removed. The old wall can now only be seen as part of the boundary wall of St. George Hospital, near the Victoria Terminus. This act allowed a rebuilding of the core area of the city with the money that the cotton boom was bringing in.

Constructions. VT, university, BMC, town hall, etc. Victorian Gothic revival. The Asiatic Society.

The Suburbs
The founding of the CIT and the new suburbs.


The Twentieth Century
The Remaking of Bombay
The last years of the 19th century ended with a textile manufacturing boom, and attracted huge numbers of workers to a city unprepared to give them healthy living quarters. Slums spread across the city and epidemics of plague added to the already high mortality rates. The 20th century began with a damage limitation exercise.

Migrations
The fashionable areas of Bombay in the 19th century were the inner suburbs on the east-- Parel, Sewri and Bycullah. The mills and their effluents began to push the British and the Parsi merchants out of these areas. The plague completed this process and transformed these areas along with Worli into working class areas. The upper classes moved into Malabar Hill. Other opportunities had to be developed for the middle classes.

Several city planning agencies were set up in the aftermath of the plague epidemics. The City Improvement Trust developed the suburbs of Dadar, Matunga, Wadala and Sion to house about 200,000 people. New roads connected the inner city to these suburbs. By 1925 electrified suburban trains were running in the city, and the distant northern suburbs were already being built.

In the first years of the century, the inner city was already as congested as the rest of Bombay became in the 1980's. The CIT sought to open up these areas by building wide roads through them to channel the westerly breezes from the sea. The decreasing mortality over the years was probably not due to this, but to other health schemes which were slowly put into place.

Modernising the Transport System
As the distances within the city grew, the transport system had to be modernised. In 1901, Jamsetji Tata was the first Indian to own a car. By 1911 motorised taxis were already plying in Bombay, and on July 15, 1926, the first motorised bus ran between Afghan church and Crawford market. Trains began running on the harbour line in February 1925. Electrification of the railways began at the same time.

The New Heritage
Meanwhile, the Fort area had already become a business district. The Gothic revival of the late 19th century gave way to the exuberant Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. The first building in this style was the General Post Office. A spate of Bombay's loveliest buildings followed-- the Prince of Wales Museum, the Gateway of India, the Institute of Science, the offices of the BB&CI Railways (now the Western Railways), and many others. This phase of British imperial confidence, culminating with George V's Delhi Durbar 1911 was to come to an end with the new political developments set into motion when the lawyer, Mohandas Gandhi, returned to India from South Africa in 1915.

A Midnight's Tryst
The early stalwarts of the Indian National Congress were mainly Parsis from Bombay. Even after the congress became a truly national movement, Bombay retained an important place in the struggle for independence from Britain. The very notion that the Congress was not merely fighting for rights but for independence, swaraj, was first enunciated from this city. Gandhi, already famous for his non-violent struggle for rights in South Africa, returned to India through the port of Bombay. The merchants of Bombay financed the independence movement. The famous August 1942 call for the British to Quit India was issued from the Gowalia Tank Maidan at the base of the Malabar Hills. India gained independence at midnight, becoming a free country from August 15, 1947.