ABOUT THIS PAGE...

This is my first attempt at making html documents to serve as my web page. I intend to use this page basically for posting stuff i find interesting, and hope that friends would find it a useful resource for whatever i put on here. I dont expect anyone to reach these pages who doesnt know me personally. Consequently, i dont really have to say much, we can discuss it via e-mail or on the phone, but for any stray 'hits' this page might get, heres some info abt me.

ABOUT MYSELF.

I am presently at LSU in the US. I recently appeared for my qualifying exam for the PhD program, and though i havent done as well as i would've liked to, i'll settle for it. My Interests range from physics to sports, especially soccer, football, cricket and chess, and any other sport that India or Indians are allegedly good at. I am also interested in current affairs, reading non fiction books and classic novels. And about what am i upto these days... look here.

PICS.

As part of the Computational physics course i took, i got an oppurtunity to go to Delft University at the Netherlands. I grabbed this chance with both hands and set my itenerary such as to visit a few towns and cities in europe. So i flew into Paris, then travelled to Rotterdam by euro-rail, and then to delft. In my free time, i found my way to Rotterdam and Amsterdam. On my way back, i flew out of Brussels, where i spent 24 hours.
  • Here are some pics from my europe trip...

    STUFF.

    This is some of the stuff that i've gathered through the years, and am consciously trying to improve upon. Moreover, i've reached a stage i think, where sharing this knowledge with friends would help me in this cause, and is the main motivation for this webpage. Here are some comments, observations, analysis of several things that i've pondered abt at some point in life... Obviously, its based on my experiences and reading, and is consequently biased. I do hope that in spite of this severe restraint, it isnt naive.
  • Indo-Pak
  • Middle-East
  • USA
  • Europe
  • Atheism
  • Netaji's Azad Hind Radio speeches
  • The history of the Maratha Confederacy
  • Nationalism
  • The Bhagwad Gita
  • The Prophet -- Khalil Gibran
  • "I am more religious than you are"


    • Now, before you begin to wonder if i ever do any physics, heres some of the stuff i've worked on...and here is a link to my research page.
  • Intergalactic Medium
  • Isothermal Polytropes
  • Accretion
  • dust Absorption
  • Gamma Ray Astronomy

    • RECENT BOOKS READ

    Some books i've read over the past 6 months or am reading right now...
  • The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho.
  • An Indian dynasty, Tariq Ali.
  • Holy war, Inc., Peter Bergen.
  • Fire in the East, Paul Bracken.
  • India and the China crisis, Hoffmann.
  • The Bhagwad Gita, Barbara Miller (trans).
  • Indira Gandhi, Pupul Jaykar.
  • Rajiv Gandhi and Rama's Kingdom, Ved Mehta.
  • The Ideological Basis for Pakistan, ??
    • .. forgot the authors name.
  • Whats so great about America?, Dinesh D'Souza.
  • The No Spin Zone, Bill O'Reilly.
  • The Undivided Union... A concise history of The Civil War, Batty & Parish.
  • I Love You, Ronnie, Nancy Reagan.
    • ...A beautiful compilation of President Reagans letters to his wife.
  • The Guide, Narayan R.K.
  • The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie.
  • Shadow, Bob Woodword.
  • Midnight Diaries, Boris Yeltsin.
  • The Discovery of India, Nehru.
  • The New Middle East, Shimon Peres.

    • Here is a more exhaustive list of books i've ever read, or intend to read soon....

    USEFUL LINKS.

    These are some of the links i find extremely informative, and there should never be a dull moment in one's life, if you have a computer, an internet connection and these sites to check out!
  • Capitalism : A site outlining Ayn Rands philosophy. Makes interesting reading. Ayn Rands novels opened my eyes in that they woke me up from my socialist/leftist utopian dreamland.
  • Avalon : The most useful site on all of the internet... PERIOD! Pity the one who is inclined such that this site doesnt provide any useful material.
  • Intellectuals : Leftist intellectual mayhem. Amusing at best, but a useful source to keep an eye on what 'they' are upto. Links to several historical documents, reports etc make it a very useful resource page.
  • US Foreign policy A Washington based think-tank. One of many actually. But i prefer this one for some reason!
  • Indian Parliament : The official web page of the Indian Parliament.
  • Terrorism : KPS Gill... India's SuperCop. Click on 'faultlines' once u get onto this site. Very insightful, extensive commentary and analysis on terrorist activities in India, especially in the North-East.
  • History sourcebooks Project : Another treasure house! Detailed documentation of several historical and mythological texts, bewildering that someone, somewhere has had the patience to concieve posting this online, and get the job done!

    Here are some sites which are related to my field of study. These are rather technical, so its not meant for general browsing!

  • Astro papers ...Latest research papers, Astrophysics.
  • Ads ...Scanned Astrophysics journals Archive.
  • My physics Dept : The Physics Department webpage of my school... LSU.
  • Paintings of Vermeer : Vermeer was a painter, hailing from Delft in The Netherlands. I was much impressed by his work when i got to check it out whenst i was in Europe. He wasnt a prolific painter as such, so most of his work is on this site... i find his painting on the theme of letters extremely ...hmm.. well, romantic... it touches a rather sensitive chord in me!
  • Van Gogh : Everyone knows about Van-Gogh and if you dont, better check this site out anyway...
  • MEG! : Meg Ryan! Need i say more? Meg Ryan should've been my neighbour. I get up in the morning, and get to see her first up, and just that'd've made my day!
  • HEIDI! : One of the many reasons why i like Germany...