Final Transit

Themes
You can now view this website by applying 4 distinct themes- Agni, Jal, Aakash, Prithvi. These alterations in color schemes are experimental at the moment

How to Stop Feeling Bad About Using Tables for Layout and Start Enjoying Your Markup
I think stumbling on this page was a perfect timing. I put too much emphasis on CSS and it was frustrating when I could not get the desired cross-browser compatibility while working with layers.

You must be really living out in the sticks if you haven’t heard by now that using HTML tables for layout is bad. Markup is for content, CSS is for presentation, we learned.
You must be living in the land of magic mushrooms if you haven’t realized by now that making CSS do exactly what you want is easier said than done.
See, in the ideal, happy-go-lucky world, everything is just right. The content, custom-tailored by suave professional markup writers, fits perfectly into the widths and proportions of your template. The browsers support standards at exactly the same level and in exactly the same way….

Definitely a good read. And plenty of mental satisfaction too !

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Sitar on Sunday
As on any other Sunday, I woke up late today. I was disappointed for ‘wasting’ a precious Saturday in office, when I should have been out on a hike to Sahyadris. Sunday was going to be no different, I thought.

After lying idle for days, I finally dusted my Sitar and watched it spring back to life as I tuned its numerous strings. Rainy season had pumped lot of moisture into the wooden knobs and I was skeptical whether I would be able to tune it without breaking the strings. After a lot of creaks, and just the right amount of tension, it started singing nicely. I used a piece of emery paper and gently cleansed the the strings of the fine moisture deposit.

So there was I- Fingers of left hand lubricated, mizrab worn in right index finger, my electronic accompanists- Taanpura and Taalmaala plugged in, dark clouds, heavy rains and a gentle breeze.

What more could one possibly ask for!

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Video Coach: (n); Gents First class compartment attached to the Ladies First class compartment and separated by low partition in the suburban local trains of Mumbai. The number of these coaches maybe two or three, depending on size of the local.

Typical Characteristics:
- It is the hottest place in the train
- You stay in touch with the latest fashion
- Your source of entertainment- gossip, fights, arguments etc.
- I have heard stories of people falling in love and getting married
- Regardless of which direction the train is moving, guys are always facing only in one direction.

I wouldnt be surprised if ‘outsiders’ do not understand what I just described, but a Mumbaikar will surely nod!

PS: Difficuilt to concentrate when travelling in Video coach

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Ok, ok,… Don’t get excited, I’m not talking about any person here, but about my sudden attraction towards Konkani language and Goan culture in general. Here is something I know:

Konkani and Marathi are thought as sisters, but on first introduction, it sounded way different to me. (My mother tongue is Marathi, btw). Konkani uses Devnagri script. It is spoken along the entire west coast of India- from Mumbai to Kerala. On the way it gets influenced by flatter Marathi words in Maharashtra, and as you move south, it has abundant usage of Kannada words. Konkani of Kerala is drenched in Malayalam. Goans however are known to use Portuguese words liberally and stretch words with sharper accents, so that no outsider can understand!

Historical evidence suggests that this language was brought by the Aryans, who were initially settled on the banks of the mythological river Saraswati (hence called Saraswat Brahmins).

I’ll learn it soon….

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Woke up today morning at 4am. It had just stopped raining and the earth was emitting the peculiar fragrance. Imagine the tiny drops of rain coming down from the dark clouds, only to be absorbed eagerly by the dry soil devoid of any moisture for months.

Its the arrival of the rainy season, and “I’m loving it!”

What else does it mean? hmm…
- I have to go to station by AutoRik otherwise my clothes will be sprayed with muddy water splashed by passing vehicles
- I will have to wear gumboots and keep the formal shoes confined to office area
- I’ll have to carry a raincoat, then hang it properly making sure it gets dried, otherwise it stinks
- Go to the station everyday, and pray that the trains arrive on time
- Get into the crowded trains (which are usually overcrowded during rains, no idea why) and pray that they reach destination on time
… and many more things !

And at the same time,..
- Trek to Sahyadri, in the heart of nature almost every weekend
- Photography, I’m already excited.
- Sun covered by clouds and a pleasant climate overall
So in short, I love the rainy season.

bolo Varun dev ki.. jai!

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