At home in India-Homa

Continuing my saga on the trip to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. For starters it was a pretty long (3.5 hours) drive through the prairie lands of North Texas and Southern Oklahoma. The drive was pretty boring except for the colorful spring blossoms that line the highways. There were blue, yellow, pink, and other colored flowers moving in the wind.

After what seemed like an eternity we finally pulled into the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and were greeted by a large American Bison grazing beside the road. We stopped to take a closer look and get some pictures of the giant beast that was grazing away oblivious of the attention it was getting.

Wild Bison grazing in Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

After spending some time at that site, we moved to the swank, and sprawling visitors center-cum-nature museum. Every wildlife sanctuary, national park I have visited be it in India, Nepal, Bhutan or US has an information center/ museum/ history center meant to provide information about the park's history, geography, wildlife, etc.

A giant mural at the visitor's center

The only difference is that in India the information centers are built with earthy materials like stucco, concrete, and brick and are mostly not air-conditioned. Here the building was built of wood, metal and drywall and of course it is centrally air-conditioned and heated. The natural history museum/ visitors center was one great documentation of the park's history, flora, and fauna. There were two huge stuffed wild bison's welcoming the visitors into the display area. There are numerous other stuffed creatures displayed in almost their natural settings. The museum is pretty interactive and simulated, the small theater showcases films on the night creatures of the park.

Stuffed animals on display

Stuffed animals on display

After spending about 45 minutes (short, we need at least 2.5 hours to see the museum thoroughly) we moved to do a short hike at the Lost Lake area. More tomorrow.

Hills, Rocks, and Boulders of India-Homa

The visitors Center

It has been several months... almost years since I touched a rock with an intention of climbing it. There are no rocks or hills in Dallas area, which is in the heart of the Panhandle Plains of Texas. Last Sunday I was lucky enough to visit a place known as Indiahoma in the neighboring state of Oklahoma. This small town is home to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.

The sprawl of Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, India-homa

As we drove on flat-as-a-Dosa landscape I was joking that Indiahoma and Oklahoma get their names because one of the ancient Hindu saints... Rishi Kapila traveled from Kapilaranya (California) with his cattle (Akalu in our language) and performed some sacred rituals to rid the land off its curses. Hence the state came to be known as Akalu-Homa and later became anglicized to Oklahoma. The place India-Home is the exact location of the sacred rituals and hence even today it is associated with India and Homa.

Anyway Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is quite different from Texas and I simply loved the rolling rocky hills that mark the area. This is a 59,020 acre refuge and is protected habitat for several native species that have managed to survive the Whiteman's Greed. When the first Europeans landed in this country, their sole intention was to plunder and destroy whatever they found here so they can become rich. It was only after several decades that they started settling down and forming this United States of America. Some of the commonly found species in this wildlife refuge include the American bison, (We saw many of these gentle giants) Rocky Mountain elk, white-tailed deer, Texas longhorn cattle (what are they doing in Oklahoma??? Oh! these were the ones brought in by Rishi Kapila to perform the Yanga, and they are protected because, here they are sacred). Apart from these notable creatures there are over 50 mammal, 240 bird, 64 reptile and amphibian, 36 fish, and 806 plant species thrive here.

Rocky Terrain

I will talk about the short hike we took in the refuge in my next post. For now I have to get ready and get to work... enjoy the pictures.

Poetic Picture

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I agree... but the blabbermouth I am... I was compelled to add a few words to the picture... wonder how it looks and whether it reads alright.

Hinduism Summit at Chicago

The Forum for Hindu Awakening is conducting a Hinduism Summit from April 24, 2010 at Chicago, IL. The aim of this summit according to the organizers is to "promote an understanding about the unique science behind Hinduism concepts and practices, and provide practical guidance on living Hinduism...."

One of the good results of living in a foreign country for Hinduism is that Hindus here are willing to come to a common platform forgetting their caste, region, heritage, guru, philosophy, etc and discuss the religion in general.

Unfortunately in India though a Hindu-majority nation, this kind of summits are rarely held and even when they are conducted they tend to be dismissed as some "RSS-type event" and touted as a "Hindu Fundamentalist event" by the mainstream left-inspired media. Caste based and narrow group based events are encouraged across the country.

Luckily in the US a new Hindu Awakening is possible and hopefully all Hindus will come together as one strong group rather than weak fragments. I will not be attending this event in person but will get updates on the web and keep myself informed.

Study online to Earn Prestigious Master of Arts in Teaching Degree

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

Higher Education is a sure shot gateway to better career, greater earnings, enhanced respect, broadening of intellectual horizons and of course a better quality of life. Unfortunately all of us have not been lucky enough to go to graduate school when we were young. Some of us had to start working early and had neither the means nor the time to go to the university. There are many among my friends who would like to go back to school, earn a masters degree, but are unable to do so due to clashing schedules.

It is also a reality that in today's ever changing jobs marketplace one needs to be constantly upgrading skills, acquiring new knowledge to have the competitive advantage. This is specially so for teachers and those that are contemplating becoming teachers. I recently came across a fantastic online masters degree program for current and aspiring teachers/ educators, from the USC Rossier School of Education.

The program aptly titled Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT@USC) is completely online and offered by none other than the University of Southern California, considered an elite research institution. As I read more about the program information I am totally impressed by its interactivity and fast pace that enables students to complete a Masters degree in just 12 months. The two features of the program that attracted me the most was the phenomenal tuition reimbursement program of the university and the rare chance to become member of the USC Trojan Family.

Though the program is completely online there are field work opportunities at the student's local area. The university will work with you to schedule field activities for you.

These advantages seem too good to be true or at least that is what I felt when I first read through them. On further research I came to know that USC is an internationally recognized school with over 100 years of history of educating teachers. USC was ranked #22 in the US and #9 among private universities by the US News and World Report. With such high credentials I would be glad to graduate from the USC.

Important Indian Events in Dallas

Dallas area has a fairly large Indian community... something or the other seems to be happening always. I try to keep abreast of different activities that take place in the area, if I don't attend it personally I end up reading about it on someone's blog or looking it up on a forwarded email and sometimes even on desi event sites. Couple of days ago I received this information about the Hasya Kavi Sammelan 2010. This is the third year in a row and according to the organizers the show has been sold out the past two years. I am quite sure this event will be enjoyed by Hindi speakers and listeners, I have viewed some programs on TV when I was in India. The Kavi Sammelan's are usually quite hilarious and also provide important lessons to society.

Details of the Dallas event are as follows:
Date: Friday, April 9th , 2010

Venue: DFW Hindu Temple, Irving

Ticket price: $25 at the gate but only $20 if purchased in advance. VIP tickets are $50

Presenter: International Hindi Association

And like most Indian events, first food and then show. The Kavi Sammelan is also serving Complimentary dinner for ticket holders and dinner is served from 5:45PM to 7:45 PM.

Show begins promptly at 8PM.

Hanuman Jayanthi Celebrations in Dallas

Since yesterday the Datta Yoga Center has been celebrating the Hanuman Jayanthi festival. The actual birthday of the Simian God is tomorrow March 29, 2010. Today was an attempt to chant the Hanuman Chalisa 1008 times. I could not be part of the chanting because of work schedules but did chant the Hanuman Chalisa once today.

I would say the Hanuman Temple at Frisco, TX in DFW Metro area is one of the grand Hindu shrines here. This is also perhaps the most dynamic shrine, with numerous activities to educate American-born children about Hindu culture, traditions, languages, scriptures, Sanskrit holy chants etc. Whenever I visit the temple I feel as if I am back in India for the few minutes I am in there.

The organizers did a great job in putting together this event.

Russian Tightrope Village

I watched a video about the universal pastime of a Russian Village on Bing. The video shows how a poor village has transformed itself into a prosperous model even though they don't have any land to cultivate or grow food crops. The village set amidst mountains has a secret formula. Its residents are tight rope walkers and that is how they make their living. At one time they were considered the best team in the whole of Soviet Union.

What interested me in the video particularly was the fact that this village though set in one of the developed nations and former super powers of the world, the infrastructure seems to be similar to villages in India. People don't seem to be as rich as one would expect. Probably this is because of socialistic economy. There are remote rural locales in India where people use frozen rivers (Zanskar, Lakakh), Burma Bridges, tight rope, etc, but these were are tools for survival. Unfortunately the people in Indian villages never thought of marketing their skills else I am pretty sure those villages could have developed too.... and once developed I am sure the skills that brought them the prosperity would have been forgotten.

Technology that converts watewater sludge into soil-enrichment products!!!

The biggest threat that is posing a great challenge to earth and the humanity inhabiting the planet is hazardous wastes that are produced as a result of human activities. With the evolution of human race our lifestyle, nutrition, and professional needs have spurred us to exploit earth's natural resources more and more. Over the years this exploitation has led to the depletion of vital resources such as fresh water, fertile soil, minerals, oxygen, etc.

Of course when humans can destroy, there are those who think of rejuvenation also. There are scientists and organizations in various parts of the world that are working towards researching and developing technologies that help minimize waste, convert hazardous wastes into productive material. One such entity is http://www.nviro.com, the home page of N-Vitro International Corporation. This research organization is involved in developing and licensing technologies that convert waste water sludge and other bio-organic wastes into bio-mineral agricultural and soil-enrichment products.



This technology is useful for municipalities and private companies. The processes use lime and mineral-rich combustion byproducts to treat, pasteurize, immobilize and convert the wastes into useful products. In a very short time since its promotion the company has attained a sales revenue of over $40 million. In October 1993, the company went public with underwriting by Robertson Stephens, Raymond James, Oppenheimer & Co., and Paine Webber.

Bureaucracy and Red Tape is same everywhere in the world!!!

When I was in India I would often be bewildered and frustrated by the way government functioned. The way center and states fought with each other and bureaucrats hindered the work. The end result would be to slow down the over progress of the nation. I was under the impression that this kind of tussling and infighting happened only in nations like India where there is enormous diversity in culture, language, religion, traditions, etc.

Boy, was I wrong... this seems to be the norm everywhere in the world, even in the supposedly most developed, richest, and powerful nation in the world - the US. Recently I heard a news item on KERA, a member station of National Public Radio that confirmed to me beyond doubt that bureaucracy and red tape most often hinder a nation's progress because of their obstinacy to follow rules by the letter.

Illegal immigration has been a problem of this continent since the first ship landed from Europe, bringing hordes of white people who massacred and decimated native populations to establish what is known today as the United States of America. This post is not about that historical illegal immigration, but about the recent issues since the modern democracies were established across the world post World War II. States of the US bordering Mexico, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California, have the largest influx of illegal immigrants historically.

The Federal government has been attempting to stem this influx by putting in place several measures that included installation of border fences, employing border patrols, deporting illegal immigrants, etc. At local government level one Texas city attempted to discourage illegal immigration by passing a law that prevented land lords from renting properties/ homes/ apartments to people who don't have legal standing to stay in this country. Logically speaking I would have expected the Federal government to applaud this measure and encourage other cities to pass similar laws.

Unfortunately this didn't happen, on the contrary a Dallas Federal Judge struck down this law on the grounds that controlling illegal immigration was the job of federal government alone. This sends out a serious message to the people in local governments and also to the illegal immigrants. The latter rejoice because now even if a local government official is aware of their status, he/ she can't do anything about it, only the federal government can take action.

Taking the judges logic to its extreme I wonder if common people should keep quiet if they see a crime taking place. Fighting the crime is the job of Police, so citizens should just report and watch quietly as the incident takes place. I would like to know other people's opinions on this.

Branson, Missouri: The best holiday destination for Spring Breakers!!!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

I moved to the United States in late 2007 and since then I have taken every opportunity to travel within the country. I have enjoyed touring cities, national parks, tourist destinations and watching shows. Places with an abundance of natural wealth, adventure activities, and recreational opportunities are among my favored destinations.

Branson, MO is one of my preferred holiday locations because the city offers unlimited opportunities for shopping, golf, and live shows. While in Branson, my preferred hotels are one of the Hiltons. Either the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing or at the Hilton Branson Convention Center. Why do I prefer to stay here, it is simply because both the hotels are located within easy reach of shopping areas, boutiques, classy restaurants, river walk, and other attractions.

Right now the Hilton hotels have some great offers. The one I would opt for would be the Golf Package being offered in collaboration with Payne Stewart Golf Club by the Hilton Promenade. With rates starting from $209 this package is definitely a wonderful bargain in my opinion. The best thing about this package is that, it is on until Feb 2011. Another package I am highly attracted towards is the Romance Package, I would probably go there for our anniversary and enjoy the "do not disturb" getaway.

The save with Visa Package will get you a discount of 25% the Best Available Rate. Now that is what I call great savings. Look up the website of Hilton to know about the packages and I bet you will immediately end up booking your holiday.

India's Bio Weapons

Biological weapons have been used by several nations in the past, most notably by late Saddam Hussein against his own people (Kurds). The weapons were toxic nerve gas that caused permanent tissue damage to those who inhaled it. There was never a bio weapon that is non-toxic. But now there is one such weapon... Thanks to India's innovative scientists. I read a news report on MSN that for once praises India's efforts in this direction.

Chilli powder has always been used as a weapon by women to fight off assailants, because it was easily available at home and of course easy to use. But to think of actually converting this into a weapon.. that too a small thumb sized gadget is simply great. Once again Indian scientists have proved their mettle by coming with an innovative gadget.

This move will hopefully give a boost to the economy in the North Eastern states of India where there are more terrorist organizations than anywhere else in the country. Hopefully terrorists will be flushed out and imprisoned and common people allowed to go about their lives peacefully.

US taking baby steps towards providing public healthcare...

Last year around this time there were numerous articles in the US newspapers about how Indian public healthcare system is in shambles and can't take care of its people and how Indian private healthcare facilities is being used by Americans who can't afford health insurance here. But a little later a few months later when newly elected president Obama started talking about healthcare reform the same journalists started criticizing it.

After much arguing and fighting between Democrat and Republican parties the healthcare reform bill was finally signed by President Obama. This will hopefully usher in a new era of affordable healthcare for everyone in the country. I am quite sure it will be slow and perhaps painful process but hopefully the progress will be steady and there will be a day when nobody in this country will have to run to some third world country like India or China to get their hearts operated upon because they can't afford to get it done in their own country.

Beautify your Trucks this summer!!!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of RealTruck.Com. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love trucks, though I am yet to own one. I have noticed that trucks, like motorcycles are enjoyed more during summer. Probably because people here love to spend more time outdoors during the sunny summer months. This is also the time when the trucks and cars start getting makeovers. Enthusiastic truck owners work on their trucks and enhance both the beauty as well as power of the vehicle. New paint jobs are commissioned, different truck accessories such as mufflers, lights, racks, etc are installed.

Showrooms and online stores refurbish their inventory of parts and accessories which will enable enthusiastic owners to customize their vehicles. Whether one owns one of the most popular pickups and cars from American manufacturers such as Ford, GM, Chrysler, Jeep, etc or imported cars such as Mazda, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi, or Toyota; they all make a beeline to online parts and accessories stores to get their preferred items to dress up, modify or upgrade their loved set of wheels.

Some people prefer to modify their vehicles under the hood and work on enhancing the engine performance, maybe install new exhaust systems and get the preferred sound. Others prefer to make their cars look better by installing custom front bumpers, grilles, hood, side windows, truck rack, truck beds, tailgates, seats, etc.

In this jungle of automobile accessories there are few top brands that enthusiasts look for. Brands such as Access, Weathertech, Westin, TruXedo and others are more popular than others.

The best incentive of online shopping is always the cheaper price. Stores such as RealTruck.com provide a low price guarantee.

America's budget deficit forcing it to tax hitherto untouched religious groups???

Recently I read an article online about the state of US Economy. This comes after a few years of economic decline. The federal budget deficit stood at $7.5 trillion at the end of 2009 and is projected to double by 2020. These are amazing figures indeed, but the world and particular creditor nations such as Japan, India, China, etc don't seem to be bothered... or perhaps they are keeping their fingers crossed waiting for the US economy to rise again.

In the meanwhile this particular writer Sam Hodges writing in the Dallas Morning News' religion blog chased the question of whether religious organizations and non-profits should be taxed. The responses from academics, researchers, pastors, and other religion intellectuals are quite revealing.

The unanimous opinion of the experts seem to suggest that these organizations should not be taxed. One expert says that taxing churches would be "disastrous both philosophically and practically;" another expert suggests: "religious groups should not be taxed as long as they obey the laws concerning nonprofits and religious organizations". There are numerous other opinions but in effect they all say that religious institutions must be left alone and even their employees such as pastors, priests, etc should not be taxed.

After reading the article I thought back about the state of Hindu temples in India. The money/ income from temples are taken away and funneled into renovation and development of Churches and Mosques. On the contrary Mosques and Churches enjoy total independence as far as their income and financing are concerned. When I think of these things I believe that there is absolutely no equality in India. I hope somebody in the government will have enough sense to bring the entire billion plus people under one common civil and criminal law.

Uniquely Flavorful and absolutely delicious pizza!!!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Tony's Pizza. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love pizza of all kinds, shapes, crusts, toppings etc, so long as it is vegetarian. So recently when I received coupons to sample the new Crispy Crust pizza from Tony's I just jumped at the offer. The moment I received coupons on mail I went straight to the grocery store and bought the Cheese pizza from Tony's. I wanted to make my family also share my experience with this new pizza and immediately set out to bake this wonderfully crispy pizza.

When the pizza came out of the oven my first reaction was "Wow, this looks real delicious,". Soon we were sitting and enjoying the scrumptious pizza and watching the latest movie. That evening we had two more pizzas and it became a better end of the day because of the pizza. Truly Tony's Pizza is one of the best frozen delights I have had thus far. It is cheesy, crispy, and tastes wonderful. More than that my family members who don't like pizza that much loved this particular one.

In my opinion if you are a pizza lover you must try Tony's pizza at least once. I am sure you will get hooked to it. I could make it even better, let me know if you are interested I could share one or two coupons with you. The coupons are valid year round and you could indulge in some free pizza.

Spring Forward

One of the annual rituals in the US that kinda makes life go slower or faster... at least for a day... is the daylight savings time. In fall the nation falls backward by one hour... all the clocks are reset one hour backward on on particular day (First Sunday of November). Then three months the clocks run an hour slower through the cold winter months only to get reset one hour ahead at the beginning of Spring (Second Sunday of March).

I really wonder why such a big deal is made about this daylight savings considering that the number of hours in a day does not change irrespective of the season. It only increases or decreases one hour on that particular day. This is the way the US has decided to handle daylight savings.... Till I came here I had not heard about this concept at all. I may have studied about it in my high-school geography... I don't remember any of it, anyway.

Egypt Aggressively Repossessioning Stolen Art Works

All ancient civilizations across the world have been subject to ruthless plundering by unscrupulous elements in the world. The greatest plunderers have been Europeans and Arabs. As I write this post the largest trove of emeralds lies in the treasury of Turkey, property of India, plundered by Nadir Shah during the 18th century. A visit to any of the world famous museums in London, Paris, Berlin, or any other European nation would reveal hundreds of artworks plundered by these nations when they were busy colonizing the rest of the world.

Anyway today I was listening to National Public Radio while driving home from work and this news caught my attention. There was a report that a 3000-year old stolen Sarcophagus - highly decorated wooden coffin - was seized by the US customs in Miami and Egypt government staked a claim. Following some back and forth communications the US has agreed to return the Stolen Sarcophagus to Egypt.

During the program one Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities was interviewed. The Egyptian authorities don't know anything about the Sarcophagus except the name of the person buried in it. They feel that it was stolen from Egypt in 1970 but there are no facts known. But still they pursued and pressed for its return. That is the true spirit of patriotism and national pride. According to Hawass over 30,000 artworks have been repossessed during the past few years. The Egyptian government continues to press for return of many other major artworks including those housed in Louvre, and other globally renowned museums.

I am quite impressed by the way Egyptian government is pursuing its heritage and pressing for its return. Even though the present Egyptian population and its government are Islamic they are interested in their non-Islamic past and want to preserve it as part of their national heritage.

I wish Indian government would set up a similar council to chase after the plunderers and repossess all the art, and wealth that was plundered from our country during the 1200 years of Islamic and Christian colonization of our country. It is time that the westerners who plundered India said sorry and returned the things they stole from us. They can't return the people whom they killed but at least they can return our art works!!!

Pictures in this post was sourced from NPR who sourced it from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Introducing Hero Stones

During the wintermester I took up a course in basic/ introduction to Humanities. The course was supposed to introduce students to humanistic traditions of art, architecture, music, etc from around the world. Unfortunately the textbook is written in such a way that the complete focus of the curriculum is on European, specifically post-renaissance culture. Every major culture/ tradition was represented in the textbook and the course barring Indian/ Hindu. As part of the course requirements I created a presentation to introduce the tradition of Hero Stones to the class. Here is the presentation for you all to look at and comment:

Hero Stone

View more presentations from srinidhilv.

When and How to Ask for a Raise

One of the biggest dilemmas of my career so far has been asking for a raise at work. First of all I have a big hesitation to ask for anything... even if something is rightfully mine, I find it difficult to ask for it. This hesitation has cost me heavily in terms of salary for my work. I have been trying to get rid of this hesitation. One of the resources I have used is reading articles by career experts on how and when to ask for raise.

One of the recent articles I read on this subject is one titled "Timing Important When Asking for a Raise". This is a pretty detailed treatise which details a few specific scenarios that are ideal while asking for a raise.



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