Indian at the Nobel

How many of us know that Al Gore has won the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions to the environment this year?

– All of us do. 🙂

How many of us know that he has shared that prize with the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change ?

– Most of us do.

Now how many of us know that the head of the IPCC is an Indian who was instrumental in the Panel getting the award ?

– Uhh ! well, not many of us I’m sure.

Dr. Rajendra Pachauri has, as the head of the IPCC become the seventh Indian to become a recipient of the Nobel Prize. Though I don’t know if officially the credit would go to him or the organisation, but it still is an achievement. 🙂 And yes, he formerly worked with the Tata Energy Research Institute, was born in Nainital and works out of New Delhi.

 “I am only a symbolic recipient but it is the organisation which has been awarded,” Dr Rajendra Pachauri says. But then, didn’t Tagore and Mother Teresa get the award for the achievements of Shanti Niketan and Missionaries of Charity?

….

Although Al Gore was reportedly unhappy with the choice of the Indian, who he feared would be a drag on the organisation because of his strident criticism of the United States, Pachauri won him over with his total dedication to the cause of ecology, which is dear to Gore as well.

Rethinking John Galt

 

Last night Wadhwa, Arunav and self were having this whole discussion about Atlas Shrugged and the character John Galt. For those who have read the book, they’d remember the question everywhere, “Who is John Galt?”. Well there is this beautiful line in the book that says something to the effect that ‘John Galt is Prometheus coming back to take the fire that he had given away.’ Wow!.

 

For me the very idea of stopping the motor of the world had been a fascination. Galt and Howard Roark used to my heroes at one point of time. Not to forget, Ive read the books twice. But while Ayn Rand’s idea and philosophy is something to admire, the bigger question is that should we really stick by it and follow it all through our lives? This question was a major part of the discussion that the three of us were having last night. Rand seems to be our heroine, but we ourselves are rational beings. We know what to borrow and what not? For example, the idea that man must do what he feels is right or as Wadhwa put is straight ‘He must do what gives him pleasure’.

What kind of an Indian are you?

During my occasional blog surfing periods, I came across Amreekandesi’s post on kinds of Indians. I think it’s pretty amusing and reader’s should take the test.