SoftTimes Quiz 05: 26th March 2009 - Medium Diffculty

Quiz 05

Which festival shall be celebrated on 27th March this year?
1> Gudi Padwa
2> Cheti Chand
3> Ugadi
4> All othe above.

Erwin Rommel, the famed German Field Marshall during World War II, was widely regarded as the most skilled desert warefare expert; won grudging respect even from his enemies(Allied Forces) and was considered 'immortal'. What form of unnatural death did he meet with?

1> He died after being stung by a bee
2> He died after consuming sulphuric acid from an oasis, mistaking it for water
3> He was forced to kill himself after being accussed of mutiny by Hitler
4> He drowned.


The movie '300' depicted the battle of ...

1> Troy
2> Sparta
3> Carthage
4> Athens.

Which of the following is a commonly used problem analysis technique?

1> Fish Bone Analysis
2> Dog Bone Analysis
3> Flesh and Bone Analysis
4> Great Bone Analysis.

SoftTimes Editorial : 26th March 2009

Gudhi Padwa

On the 27th of March this year, which is also the first day of the Chaitra month, we celebrate Gudhi Padwa. It is the same day on which great king Shalivahana defeated Shakas in battle. Gudi Padwa falls on the first day of Marathi Calendar. This festival is supposed to mark the beginning of Vasant Hritu (spring season) and is considered the harbinger of the pleasant season. According to the Gregorian calendar this would fall in the interim of March and April. The Sindhi festival of Cheti Chand is also celebrated on this day.
The mythological significance is that according to the Brahma Purana, this is the day on which Brahma created the world after the deluge and time began to tick from this day forth. Gudhi Padwa is especially dedicated to the worship of Lord Brahma. Many legends state that this festival is celebrated to commemorate the coronation of Lord Rama after his return to Ayodhya from 14 years of exile.
This is one of the 3-and-a-half days in the Indian lunar calendar called "Sade-Teen Muhurt" i.e. periods during which every moment is considered auspicious for the purpose of marriage, celebration, pledge and venture.
Let us dissect the nomenclature to understand the significance of the day. The Gudhi, Brahma’s flag (Brahmadhvaj) is hoisted in every house as a symbolic representation of Rama’s victory and happiness on returning to Ayodhya after slaying the Rakshasha Ravan. Since a symbol of victory is always held high, so is the Gudhi (flag). Gudhi is also a symbol of victory of Shaliavahana over Shakas, which people hoisted when he returned to Paithan. Maharashtrians see the Gudhi as a symbol of victory associated with the conquests of Maratha forces lead by the great hero Chattrpati Shivaji Maharaj. Gudhi is also considered a charm to ward off evil and invite prosperity & good luck into the house.
The term ‘Padwa’ is derived from Pratipada, the first day of a lunar month or the first day after Amavasya, the No-Moon day Being the first day of the first month of a year, Gudhi Padwa is the New Year's day for Maharashtrians. As India was primarily agrarian in the past, celebrations and festivals were often linked to the turn of the season and to the sowing and reaping of crops. This day marks the end of one harvest and the beginning of a new one, which for an agricultural community signifies the beginning of a New Year. In the case of Gudhi Padwa, it is celebrated at the end of the Rabi season.
Soft Times wishes our readership a Happy Gudhi Padwa. May this day bring you loads of luck & good times in the year ahead and may it put the ‘Spring’ back in your step…!
Read on for more on your favorite fares in the pages ahead.

SoftTimes Quiz 04

This one is at least medium difficulty level. Check it out.............

Quiz 04

Who is attributed the following quote on change, "There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction"

1> Winston Churchill
2> Ralph Waldo Emerson
3> Mark Twain


Stephen Hawking, widely regarded as the world's foremost thinker in theoretical physics, holds a position which was once held by Isaac Newton. Name that position.

1> Lucasian Professor of Mathematics (Cauiss College, cambridge)
2> Dirac Professor of Physics (Trinity College, cambridge)
3> Galilean Professor of Physics (Merton College, Oxford)

Who played Danny Ocean in the original "Ocean's Eleven" which was released in 1960? Hint: He was a very famous singer.

1> Frank Sinatra
2> John Lennon
3> Dean Martin

In terms of Software Quality, QPM stands for .....

1> Quantitative Project Management
2> Qualitative Performance Metrics
2> Questions per minute

You can post your scores and add questions related to topics covered here......

SoftTimes Editorial: 20th March 2009

Winds of change

Often heard is the maxim “Change is the only constant.” It sounds nice, but for most of our adult life, we have lived in a world where change was segue, a turn for the better and the promise of much more to come. Change was rarely turbulent. That ferocious entity was to a large extent deemed to be a relic of the past, a dragon fought by our parents and grandparents, but long since extinct.

Perhaps that is what lulled this generation into a sense of security, a weird intuit of invincibility which characterizes our inability to adapt to the winds of change which have swept the world. We are staring at a most tumultuous period but do not appear prepared in the least. Perhaps this is where T.R. Malthus’ ‘Theory of Positive Checks’ has caught up with humankind.

Albert Ellis once famously said “The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own, not your mother’s, the ecology’s, or the president’s.”
And add to that ‘If you can’t beat them, join them’, and you have the two most important lessons of adaptation. It is evidently not possible to change CHANGE, so all that is left in our capacity is to change ourselves.

If you were expecting a roadmap to a better you and an exact step by step approach on how to handle change, you are doomed to disappointment. The process of managing change for the better is correlated to you and the situation you are in and is as unique to you as your fingerprints. And, just like you fingerprints, you are born with the ability to change and the intuition of knowing what exactly to do to achieve it.

And it does not matter who you are and what you do, the only thing matters is your will to change. It does not matter whether you are single or with a family, whether you are rich or running debts and got culled in the stock market crash. When life hands you a lemon, make lemon juice. Remember, our forefathers had a word for what we term as demeaning work; that word was ‘opportunity’.

So all you need to do is get pen to paper; note down what is it that has gone awry and chalk out a plan to make it better. And stick to plan. We do not kid you by saying it is going to be easy. But, believe us; it will be worth the pains. After all, Darwin had a point.

My first blogged poem - The Leap of faith

I generally do not publish my poems and short stories....I deem them too personal..... but have changed my mind about this one.... let me know how it has turned out.....

The Leap of faith

I hold my breath at the steep drop,

The sheer cliff plunges scarily;

Darker than all the pains of the way up,

The fear of the leap stares at me.

Knowing not the perils of the way ahead,

the exhuberance of ambition had gushed and frothed;

Now, with milestones won and millstones worn,

Ambition and sacrifice is betrothed.

And for all the blood and tears spilt,

and the sacrifices made in conquering the hill;

Time has come to abandon fear and guilt,

And leap as one knows one will.

The leap - oh so difficult to leap,

Not knowing where one lands;

Temptation surges in tired veins to keep,

the safety of the ground on which one stands.

But leap I will, leap I must,

The leap, one knows, is destiny;

And whether I fly or fall and turn to dust.

The leap shall set me free.

Soft Times Editorial: 6th March 2009

Holi-day!!!

Legend has it that was once a demon king by the name of Hiranyakashyapu who won over the kingdom of the Earth. He was so egoistic that he commanded everybody in his kingdom to worship only him. But to his great disappointment, his son, Prahlad became an ardent devotee of Lord Naarayana and refused to worship his father.

Hiranyakashyapu tried several ways to kill his son Prahlad but Lord Vishnu saved him every time. Finally, he asked his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. For, Hiranyakashyapu knew that Holika had a boon, whereby, she could enter the fire unscathed.

Treacherously, Holika coaxed young Prahlad to sit in her lap and she herself took her seat in a blazing fire. The legend has it that Holika had to pay the price of her sinister desire by her life. Holika was not aware that the boon worked only when she entered the fire alone. Prahlad, who kept chanting the name of Lord Naarayana all this while, came out unharmed, as the lord blessed him for his extreme devotion.

Thus, Holi derives its name from Holika and it is celebrated as victory of good over evil. It is celebrated by lighting a bonfire to symbolize the burning of evil (Dhulivandan). The next day is celebrated as Rangpanchami, the festival of colors. It is said that even mortal enemies among Indian royalty put aside their differences and partook in the raucous celebration of chrome.

It is interesting to note that the festival of Holi is significant for its seasonal timing
Medical Practitioners believe that colors when sprayed on the body have a great impact. Biologists believe the liquid dye penetrates the body and enters into the pores. It has the effect of strengthening the ions in the body and adds health and beauty to it.

There is a scientific reason ascribed to the lighting of the bonfire, which is known as Dhulivandan. The mutation period of winter and spring, induces the growth of bacteria in the atmosphere as well as in the body. When the bonfire of Holika is lit, temperature rises to about 145 degrees Fahrenheit and purges the harmful biological organisms that thrive in the transient phase of seasons.

SoftTimes wishes its readers a very happy and colorful Holi. May your life be adorned by happiness, satisfaction and the miscellaneous colors of life!

Soft Times Quiz 01: It's a piece of Cake

This is the new quiz section in SoftTimes. It is very simple....so if you get one wrong....get a fistful of tap water.....and you know what to do next... :)....enjoi....

Quiz 01

The Academy of Motion Pictures Awards are known as the Oscars because:
1> Oscar Fernandes (the former Indian Defence minister) instituted them
2> An Academy employee remarked that the statuette reminded her of her uncle ‘Oscar’

Ben Hur (1959), The Titanic (1997) and Lord of the Rings (2003) have won the most awards (won by a single movie). How many awards have they won?
1> 11
2> 90,000

Which movie based on a slum dweller in Mumbai won 8 awards at the recently concluded 81st Annual Academy Awards (Oscars)?
1> Slumdog Millionaire
2> Salim Langde Pe Mat Rona.

What does DAR stand for?
1> Decision Analysis and Resolution
2> Dreaming About Rheese.