This and That

Lots of stuff happening in NY, there maybe a taxi strike tomorrow, see here

According to Mayor Bloomberg..

“If you lose property, we’ll be able to find it quickly, find out which cab was where, track it down for you,” he said. “You will be able to know what routes you’re taking. You’ll be able to get information. You’ll be able to pay by the credit card.”
Drivers, however, have said that the global positioning device and automated system recording each trip are too invasive, and that transaction fees charged by credit card companies eat into their profits. The system can also delay the start of their meters because drivers must log on before every fare, they said.

The drivers also said the TV monitor at the back of their seat heats up after a few hours of use and the constant sound of the television can be disorienting.
“Taxi driving is a stressful job, but if there’s anything that will drive me crazy, it’s this television noise,” said Abu Quazi, 46, an immigrant from Bangladesh who has driven a cab in the city for more than 10 years. “The driver has no control over it: You can’t shut it off and you can’t put down the volume. It really can drive you mad.”

Devi Restaurant closed due to a labor dispute, details here.

Devi, one of the most celebrated Indian restaurants in New York, closed earlier this week. The restaurant helped bring chefs Suvir Saran (pictured here in a photo by Ozier Muhammad, who taught a photo workshop at the SAJA Convention this year) and Hemant Mathur to prominence, but litigation against the owner, Rakesh Aggarwal, apparently forced his hand. Workers - South Asians and others - complained of substandard wages and tips being skimmed.

Also a perspective on why the nuclear deal with the U.S. is not good for India. More details here.

Since the 1990s, the U.S. government made overtures to the Indian Government for a military alliance. When the Bush administration came to power it wanted India to be a part of its missile defence shield. Since 9/11, the Indian and U.S. navies and Special Forces have conducted a number of joint exercises in the Indian Ocean and in the hills of India’s Northeast. U.S. State Department official Christian Rocca said (in 2002), “Military-to-military cooperation is now producing tangible progress towards [the] objective [of] strategic, diplomatic and political cooperation as well as sound economic ties.”
The Indo-U.S. Bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (2007) is the capstone of this new strategic alliance, driven by geopolitical and military concerns.

NYT style section has an interesting article on original vs knockoff designs, just before New York Fashion Week. See the whole article here. They profile Seema Anand, whose company is recreating the look for Bloomingdales to Forever 21.

“If I see something on Style.com, all I have to do is e-mail the picture to my factory and say, ‘I want something similar, or a silhouette made just like this,’ ” Ms. Anand said. The factory, in Jaipur, India, can deliver stores a knockoff months before the designer version.

And finally happy Janmashtami, Lord Krishna’s birthday. Mira visited her first temple today and wished Lord Krishna a happy birthday!

Here is a description from Wikipedia.

Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the eighth day of the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of the month of Shraavana in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatram is ascendent. The Hindu calendar being lunar, these two events [the day being the eighth of the waning moon (Krishna-paksha Ashtami) and the Rohini Nakshatram being ascendent] may overlap for only a few hours. In such an event, the festival may be celebrated on different (but successive) days by different people, depending on their local or family traditions.

The festival falls sometime in the months of August/September of the Gregorian calendar. In 2006, Krishnashtami was celebrated on August 15 or August 16.

In 2007, Krishnaashtami will be celebrated on September 4 .

Celebrations
The pious begin the festival by fasting on the previous day (Saptami, seventh day). This is followed by a night-long vigil commemorating the birth of Krishna at night, and his immediate removal by his father to a foster-home for safe-keeping. At midnight, the deity of the infant Krishna is bathed, placed in a cradle and worshipped. In the early morning, ladies draw patterns of little children's feet outside the house with rice-flour paste, walking towards the house. This symbolizes the entry of the infant Krishna into his foster-home. This custom is popular in some communities of South India. After ablutions, morning prayers and worship, the devout break their fast with Prasadam, food that has first been offered to God. During the fore-noon hours, the "Dahi-Handi" (see below) custom is celebrated in some parts of the deccan. This is followed by sumptuous mid-day feasts, where extended families customarily get together. Sweets made of milk and other dairy products, especially butter, are traditionally prepared on this occasion.

The festival is celebrated differently in North India. The temples at Vrindavan and Mathura witness a colourful, even boisterous celebration on this occasion, and festivities at these places may extend for several days. Devotional songs and dances mark the celebration. The Rasa Lila is performed to recreate incidents from the life of Krishna and commemorate his love for Radha.

Care is taken among certain circles not to imitate the Rasa Lila in a mundane way. It is said that one should not imitate the Rasa Lila even in dreams. The idea is that Krishna, or God's pastimes cannot be understood by the mundane mind-set and discussing them should therefore be avoided altogether. Krishna's pastimes with Srimati Radha can never be understood by materialistic people, they are transcendental and great care should be taken to present them in such manner.

While the Rasa Lila recreates the youthful Krishna's dalliance with the milkmaids of his native land, the "Dahi-Handi" tradition of Maharashtra re-enacts his childhood pranks, wherein Krishna and his young friends helped themselves to butter and other goodies in the houses of their neighbours. Clay pots called "Dahi-Handi", filled with curd and butter, are suspended high above the ground. To a constant chorus of "Govinda, Govinda" from all those present, teams of young men form human pyramids to reach the pot and break it, to the merriment of the youths and of the assembly.

The festival is thus celebrated with great joy and communal togetherness by one and all.