Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Stats is Math

In my past academic life I always boasted my Math aptitude. I excelled in Math tests and exams in school and university:
From solving quadratic algebraic equations to proving trigonometric equations; from finding tangent in Geometry to calculating derivative of differential equations in Calculus. I used to be proud of my Mathematical prowess.
I was also humble of my natural talent;  helped peers to grasp the obvious concepts which they found elusive. Alright I was not that humble lol.
Behold! There was another branch of Math which brought me to my knees: Statistics! In my undergrad, I shrugged off this weakness by dismissing Stats not really being pure Maths. When I encountered this subject again in my Masters program I had a different level of appreciation for this important pillar of Mathematics.
Statistics is the backbone of Economics and Maths. Stats interlinks Geeks and Business people. Stats can tell stories about data which would otherwise be nothing but heap of coal i.e. useless. Statistical Analysis harness the data to turn into diamond! 
From predicting forecasting models to finding correlations between customer behavior and store temperature - you need deep Statistics understanding to validate or discover any trends.
With data being the digital gold for corporates, many companies are mining data to run statistical analysis on the data. Companies are making key strategic decisions that are more analytic driven rather than relying on gut feeling.
From 'Minority Report' to 'Money Ball' Stats is the Hero

Ending from a quote by Bernard Shaw:

"It is the mark of a truly intelligent person to be moved by statistics"



Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Chaiyya Chaiyya

A meaningless song name but let that not fool you. The song came in 90s and it still instills the same euphoria, magic, madness and grip. The song ceases to decline in popularity.

The song has the heaviest Urdu poetry with sublime rhythm. Unsurprisingly, majority of the listeners did not understand the meaning of the song. The intricate nuances of poetry by Gulzar is adroitly weaved with AR Rahman's mystical music. Every stanza takes the description of love and lover to the next celestial level.

No other choreography would had done justice to the song. Troops dance on the top of a moving train! The train is moving through the dense forest. Must have been an uphill task to shoot the song !

The cast for the song was none other SRK, his cherubic innocence and infectious energy of SRK gripped the nation with his carefree dance moves and not to forget Malika Arora :)


Enjoy the Lyrics of the song below and till then Chaiyya Chaiyya!

Jinke sar ho ishq ki chaaon
Paaon ke neeche jaanat hogi
Chal chaiyya chaiyya chaiyya chaiyya
Those who walk in the shade of love
Must have Paradise under their feet
Keep walking in the shade of love
Sar ishq ki chhaaon chal chaiyya chaiyya
Pau janat chale chal chaiyya chaiyya
(Chal chaiyya chaiyya chaiyya chaiyya) 
In the shade of love, keep walking
Paradise under their feet, keep walking
Keep walking in the shade of love
Voh yaar hai jo khushboo ki tarah
Voh jiski zubaan urdu ki tarah
Meri shaam raat, meri kaayanat
Voh yaar mera sainya sainya
The companion who walks along like fragrance
Who whispers in a melodious tongue(Urdu)
Is my evening, night, my universe
My beloved, my love
Gulposh kabhi itraaye kahin
Mehke to nazar aa jaaye kahin
Taaveez banaake pehnoon usay
Aayat ki tarah mil jaaye kahin
(who) conceals herself in the flowers
And is revealed in the fragrance
Made into a charm, I would wear hear
If I ever find her like a miracle
Voh yaar hai jo imaam ki tarah
Mera nagma vohi mera qalma vohi
Mera nagma nagma mera qalma qalma
My companion, who is like a priest to me
She is my song, my declaration of faith
My song, my declaration of faith
Woh yaar misaale ous chale
Paaon ke tale firdous chale
Kabhi daal daal, kabhi paat paat
Main hawa pe dhoondhoon uske nishaan
My companion, who moves like the dew drops
With paradise under the feet
Sometimes on the branches, sometimes on the leaves
I search for her trail in the breeze
Main uske roop ka shehdaai
Vo dhoop chhanv se harjaai
Vo shokh hai rang badalta hai
Main rangroop ka saudaai
I am a lover of all her forms
Who flirts with light and shadow
She is mischievous, and changes colour
And I am a seeker of the colours and forms
Chal chaiyya chaiyya chaiyya chaiyyaKeep walking in the shade of love

Saturday, July 18, 2015

First ...

On my 30 something birthday on 4th April, I got a pleasant surprise from my son.
It was Saturday morning, I woke up early to renew my Health Card and Driver License and to get my zoom-zoom to the dealer for annual maintenance. 
My son grabbed me and took me to the basement where he had a note written for me. The gesture was extremely over whelming and I expected the least. I had a lump in my throat to swallow after reading it.
I will always treat such gestures as my first as building up expectations serves you no good. Having higher expectations leads to anxiety  and depression. Lower your expectations and just enjoy the ride while it lasts :)

Switch On/Off

So I've just finished reading Steve Job's 1500 pages autobiography; a roller coaster of a life, I was spell-bounded to say the least.  Living vicariously through his book my eyes got misty at the closing chapters when his cancer was taking a toll on his health.
There were many take away Management and Product Design lessons from the book. One that moved me was his realisation and acknowledement of presence of a Supreme Force. Being an Atheist all his life, he started questioning the hereafter during the end. He dismissed the idea of body being 'turned off' after one dies. Soul can't just simply shut off. All the experiences one goes through and the wisdom one accrue must have some relevance and weight in the next life. The soul never shuts off. That was also one of the reasons why Steve Jobs vehemently opposed having a switch on/off button on his Mac products.
Soul is fluid .. Soul is eternal..Soul never switches Off.