Nathu La (border trade)

As soon after the leaders of China and India reopened the boarder trade through the Nathu La pass on July 6, the Chinese Army officers shake hands, hugged and posing for photographs with Indian soldiers, most of them infantrymen form the Black Cat Division raised way back in 1941 to guard the Sino-Indian boarder along Sikkim. After all, 2006 is nothing like 1967, when there was an artillery duel on the 14,400 feet high pass. Border trade was halted long before that in the wake of the 1962 India-China war. These are different time, Last September; our soldiers play volleyball right in Nathu La with Chinese army men. Indian-Chinese soldiers make eye-to-eye talk with each other everyday, that one day the two Asian giants will reopen the trade, and are always on maximum alert. Because of the soldiers Hope in boarder, the Nathu La has reopened.

At the 2 degree C, a drizzle anything, hundreds of guests on the Indian side shiver, but the warmth of the occasion was palpable and trade were eager to take the fabled Silk Route used by merchants in the 19th century. What about the trade itself? The people in Sikkim were amazed that India, and China two powerhouses are hoping to boost business by trading in things like Yak tail & Hair. Most of the things we can import form China are yak tail, yak hair, goatskin, sheepskin, horse, goat, sheep common salt and china clay. India’s export list includes, blankets, bicycle, tea, coffee, liquor, herbs and hardware. There was a long queue of some 80 Indian traders awaiting the nod to be driven over to the China. Many like to import Electronic goods. India-China trade rose to 18.7 billion $. This year it expected to reach 22-23 billion $. Nathu La, the third boarder trading point to be opened, is the most important because it controlled almost 80% of trade in the pre-war era. India likes to have a friendly relationship with neighbor countries, hope this trade must give us some.

India's Young Scientist

An Old man is happy that he sparked the genius in his grand son. The Old man from Chhattisgar (India), was suffered a paralytic stroke six months ago and his physical incapacity made his 16 year old grandson Apurv Mishra to think of an invention to help the disable. The device, Glabenator, was adjudged the world's third best engineering project at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) at Indianapolis, US, from May 7 to 13.

ISEF, the world's largest pre-college scientific research-based competition, had 1,500 participants from 47 countries this year. Apurv, a class 12 student of DAV School, Bhubaneswar, was among eight teenage scientists who represented India. “Glabenator” (from glabella, which means the smooth part of the forehead above and between the eyebrows) is a device for the immobilised to operate a mini computer. Originally in the shape of a helmet, Glabenator has gone through many improvisations. The present model, the fifth, can be fitted like a pair of spectacles. A twitch of a muscle is all it takes to operate it. A sensor and a transmitter are connected to it. If the disabled person wants to communicate that he needs water, he has to move the eyebrows to get the toolbar on the message menu on the screen. The person can then scroll up or down to select the water option and a voice in the computer will say I need water. Apurv has tested his invention on 83 patients. He is now exploring other possible uses of Glabenator such as switching on fans and lights, and operating switch panels on planes or during military combats. The young inventor is looking for sponsorship to get a patent for his device, which, will cost only Rs 1,300.

Apurv, who started using a computer when was in class 5, invented a device four years later that won him recognition of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Finding that students who shared bottles ran the risk of infection, he invented an attachment that could be fitted to the bottle to drink water without one's lips touching the mouth of the bottle. His next concept is water computer or computation using water flow. Apurv Explains that Paul Sermon of MIT is working on fluids for computation. On that basis, now in am working on how water can be manipulated to use for computation. It is yet to be completed. I have to balance study and research. He has his goal set, to be a scientist to develop new technology aimed at a deeper interface between man and machine. He has no fascination for IITs, which he says merely make students employable. Apurv wants to go abroad for higher studies. The boy keeps in touch with international scientists via email. Steve Mann of the University of Toronto, known as the father of wearable computers and the first cyborg in the world, guides Apurv to some extent. He considers Steve and Dean Kamen, a famous inventor in the US, his role models.

Little Happy

Last day, a day I have laugh for some times, after a long time. I forget to tell about a new person who has been with me everyday for at least an hour. It was my new physiotherapist Sumithra. It was very nice to sociable with her; I like to talk with her while doing exercise, some times it will be enjoyable, her exercises will be like playing. Very understandable person, if I feel difficult to do some exercises, she use some play techniques to make it easy.

We discuss some issues and news what’s happening in the world, and she asks my thoughts on that, and she tells, what she thinks about that. She encourages me to continue my news writing. Last evening she did a new exercise, its catch and throw, I feel happy to throw and catch, I enjoyed it a lot. After my caliper was broken, I can’t even take 1 step with my bare foot, but today tried my best to walk form bedroom to hall, really feel happy like got some strength. For the last 2 days I was enjoying my old favorite songs in my new DVD player (because now only I got a remote for that), with high volume, by getting sweet scold form mom (for putting volume high).

Cute Ammu

This is Ammu (click the photo to see big)

This is ammu, my neighbor kid. I have see many kids cry when they play, but I never saw this kid cry, always have a beautiful smile on her face. I love this child when she walks, it’s like robot walk:) It has been a week I saw this kid playing, (because my caliper have been broken last week, so till I get a new one, I cant watch this kid). When I was waking everyday outside my house, this kid used to play with other kids. Is their anything-happiest movement in this world with out see the kids plying? Everyday I will be waiting for the evening to see this kid and her friends.

Took this when she was walking

Blast in Mumbai ( flash news)

At least 100 innocents have killed and hundreds have injured in a horrible Bomb blast in Mumbai this evening (6.pm ISD). Blast took place in 8 different railway stations through out the city. Police confirmed that 60 bodies have been counted. All trains had been suspended in Mumbai, and asked the public to stay away from the train stations of the city of 16 million, India's financial and commercial center and principal port on the Arabian Sea. The first explosion hit the train at a railway station in the northwestern suburb of Khar. A red alert has been sounded in the Maharashtra. Now its raining in mumbai, so the helps have been disturbed. I think our security system is weak, they have to Strengthen it. If the government leave this matter as silly, we have to face more incidents like this in future. we cant even imagine when the blast help people jump form the train to save their life.