"Udta - ISRO"

                                 Another feather in the burgeoning cap of accomplishments of ISRO is the triumphant launch of navigation satellite IRNSS-1G on April 28,2016.The first satellite IRNSS-1A was launched in July 2013, the second IRNSS-1B in April 2014, the third on October 2014, the fourth in March 2015, and the fifth, sixth and seventh on January 20, March 10, and April 28 2016 thus concluding and operationalizing the system . After successfully establishing their mettle globally through Chandrayaan-1 (making India the fourth country to place its flag on the Moon) and Mangalyaan (fourth space agency to reach Mars and the first nation in the world to do so in its first attempt) the navigational satellite setup is truly an incredible masterpiece . With the successful seven-satellite constellation IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) , India joins a league of elite nations having their own navigation systems in place.

                            The navigational structure of seven satellites is given a new name by PM Modi as NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation). NAVIC is unique as its regional in nature thus have just seven satellites while other countries have placed more satellites as their system is global in outreach. Even SAARC countries can avail the benefit of NAVIC as it is designed to provide accurate position information to users within the country and 1500km around the Indian mainland thus has foreign policy relevance.

                        NAVIC would offer services like terrestrial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking, fleet management, navigation aide for hikers and travellers, and visual and voice navigation for drivers. NAVIC  will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Services (SPS) to all users, and Restricted Services (RS) to only authorised users. The system has multiple navigation application for defense purposes ranging from autonomous navigational capability to Indian soldiers, sailors and airmen to GPS tipped bombs and missiles.

                     The magnificent achievement of ISRO made India self reliant and catapulted country's image and wherewithal as second to none.

O Poet!

        O Poet!

           I write the first line, and strike it off!

           Fearing the King and his soldiers.                 

                      

          I write the second line and strike it off!

          Fearing guerrilla revolutionaries.

          Fearing for dear life, thus have I struck off thousands of my own lines!

          The souls of these perished lines hover around me and ask me,

      O Poet!

        Are you a poet or a murderer?

        Often have I heard, that lawmakers throttle justice,

        That religion is butchered by protectors of the faith,

         In our times,in fear, poets murder their poetry.

        This I hadn’t heard,And now I have.

      

                                                                               *Source- Unknown 

Mammoth Personalities

                                    In the face of odds we often witness people succumbing, but the ones who don't relent become torchbearers of humanity. These are the real heroes, hope for society whose selfless conduct change the course of history. Such people have broken old myths, orthodoxy customs and ushered in light of knowledge and bestowed honor and dignity to helpless through their courage and sacrifice . These heroes have transformed society and have inspired generations. Today, i have the privilege to write about two such stalwarts of history.

Rosa Parks :- 

                              Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (1913—2005) was an African American civil rights activist. Through a simple act of refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, city bus in 1955, helped initiate the civil rights movement in the United States. During those days, segregation was written into Montgomery law; the front of a Montgomery bus was reserved for white citizens, and the seats behind them for black citizens. Black residents of Montgomery often avoided municipal buses as much as possible  as they find it demeaning to travel by bus. On Thursday, December 1, 1955, the 42-year-old Rosa Parks was commuting home from a long day of work at the Montgomery Fair department store by bus.

                               Nonetheless, at one point on the route, a white man had no seat because all the seats in the designated “white” section were taken. So the driver told the riders in the four seats of the first row of the “colored” section to stand, in effect adding another row to the “white” section. The three others obeyed. Parks did not. Her refusal to vacate seat led to her arrest which sparked wave of civil disobedience movement. The leaders of the local black community organized a bus boycott that lasted  more than a year and ended only when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional.

                            In her autobiography, My Story she said:

                          "People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some people have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in"

                          Rosa Parks became a nationally recognized symbol of dignity and symbol of strength in the struggle to end entrenched racial segregation. The United States Congress called "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement".

Ruby Bridges :- 

                          A 6 year old girl in USA was chosen by destiny to radically transform society.  Ruby Bridges, who in 1960 as a 6-year-old became the first black child to attend an all-white school in New Orleans and thus helped end public school segregation in Louisiana during the New Orleans school desegregation crisis in 1960. The bravery of one small girl against all impediments led to integration in public schools.

                         Such was the innocence of the little girl that she she didn't realize at the time the role she was playing in helping end segregation. She mistook the loud crowds that gathered daily outside the school protesting her inclusion as were taking part in some sort of parade, such as Mardis Gras, and they didn't frighten her. The relentless refusal to be intimidated by violent loud mouth or some extreme bigots who promised to poison her food etc. she firmly held her ground without wilting. In one such instance woman at the school put a black baby doll in a wooden coffin and protested with it outside the school, a sight that Bridges Hall has said "scared me more than the nasty things people screamed at us." 

                               Abuses and racial slurs notwithstanding the two iron ladies above have displayed unmatched courage and determination to stand for the right. These iconic figures have helped in radically reshaping society for better. The rigid social customs were mental blocks that have subdued human race for long and few courageous people take it upon themselves to free society from tormentors and social evils.

Hunt For Kohinoor - Manreet Sodhi Someshwar

Blurb on the Book:-    A spine-chilling ninety-six hour hunt through the world’s most dangerous terrain where history collides with gunfire - will Mehrunisa Khosa get out of this one alive? One morning on her way to work, Mehrunisa gets a call that will change her life forever. The truth about her missing father is at her fingertips - but it will take her on the most desperate chase of her lifetime.A chase that will pit her against hardened Jihadis plotting the deadliest terror attack on India, that will test her mettle against history’s deep secrets, that will teach her that the price of love can mean bloodied hands.

Review

                                   I admit i am not a big fan of fantasy novels but i am glad i got the opportunity to read 'The Hunt for Kohinoor' by Manreet Sodhi Someshwar. The second book in the Mehrunisa trilogy (I need to read the first one and third one ) has been an fascinating. Reader gets on to a journey, a completely uncharted territory with protagonist Mehrunisa, an absolutely enthralling journey that keeps you captivated till the end.

                                  The author has worked nicely on creating the characters who looked real and intricate details of the landscapes, characters, their background, cultural and political histories is exemplary. The chapters are nice, short and crisp using simple, decent language. The plot is beautifully woven and ingeniously executed. I strongly recommend this book to people with penchant for thriller and look forward to read more from the author .