July 29, 2005

3...2..1.0 Blast Off




On 26th July, Discovery and 7 astronauts zoomed into the universe on America's first manned space shot since the 2003 Columbia disaster. At stake were not only the lives of astronauts, but also America's pride in its technological prowess.
Latest news is that, instances of falling debris were found from the space shuttle- the same problem that destroyed Columbia in February 2003.
The splattering of rubber during shuttle launch is not unusual. NASA has recorded some 1500 instances of debris hit in 113 launches. But the fact that Columbia's meltdown was caused by a falling insulating tile hitting the left wing of shuttle and causing a gash means every incident has to be taken seriously.
The bottom line is that, the space community will spend these 11 days in immense tension till the vehicle returns home. Hope they succeed this time.

July 28, 2005

Mangal Pandey: Brave Martyr or Accidental Hero


Rudrangsu Mukherjee in his 109 page book "Mangal Pandey:Brave Martyr or Accidental Hero", claims that the man was an ordinary sepoy who, in a state of intoxication, committed a foolhardy act for which he was hanged. He had no notion of patriotism. Witnesses testified, and Pandey himself admitted during the trial that he had been under the influence of bhang.


As per my knowledge of History, it was the first revolt against the Britsh that took place in 1857 and the person who commenced this revolt was Mangal Pandey. It was the era when nobody dared to go against the British. May be he was under the influence of bhang but this does not means that he did not realize what he was doing. Still I feel that Mangal Pandey was the first Freedom Fighter of India.

July 27, 2005

It's raining cats and dogs


Since 2 days it is raining cats and dogs in Pune. It is heard that there is a flood like situation in Pune and surrounding (Hope so.. atleast we can get a leave). Road is full of water and therefore we have to drive carefully to escape the potholes (it feels adventurous biking in rainy days, doing stunts like X-games). It is one of the indelible moments in my life.