What I Thought ...

... about events that transpired, people I crossed paths with, objects I came across, theories I became cognizant about, and everything :-)

[coolngr8]

Learning International Phonetic Alphabet through Devanagari Script

The first nine vowels of the Devanagari script (used for Hindi and Marathi languages) are: अ,आ,इ,ई,उ,ऊ,ए,ऐै,ओ.

In the same order, the corresponding symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) are as follows: अ: /ʌ/ as in "cut", /ɜ/ as in "bird" आ: /ɑ/ as in "father", /ə/ as in "sofa" इ: /ɪ/ as in "bit" ई: /i/ as in "bee" उ: /ʊ/ as in "foot", /ɯ/ as in "book" ऊ: /u/ as in "boot" ए: /e/ as in "bet", /ɛ/ as in "pet", /æ/ as in "cat" ऐै: /ɛə/ as in "pair" ओ: /o/ as in "boat" ऑ: /ɔ/ as in "caught" आय: /aɪ/ as in "buy" इय: /ɪə/ as in "beer" आू: /aʊ/ as in "cow" उ+अ: /ʊə/ as in "tour" नं: /ŋ/ as in "sing" (this is approximate)

Below are some noteworthy groupings of consonants: ड: /d/ as in "dog" ट: /t/ as in "top" थ: /θ/ as in "think" द: /ð/ as in "this"

ग: /g/ as in "go" ज: /dʒ/ as in "George", "judge" य: /j/ as in "yes" (this is confusing and should be double noted) च: /tʃ/ as in "church" स: /s/ as in "sit" श: /ʃ/ as in "shoe" ज़: /z/ as in "zip" ज़: /ʒ/ as in "vision" (this is approximate - no similar sound in Devanagari script) र: /ɹ/ as in "red"

[coolngr8]

The Colbert Questionert, circa 2022

Source: https://thecolbertquestionert.com/#questions

Best sandwich? Earlier: Chilli cheese grill; none now!

What's one thing you own that you really should throw out? Nothing as such comes to my mind, as of this moment

What is the scariest animal? Snake

Apples or oranges? Apples: Fuji, Gala and Honey crisp only; Oranges: small, seedless and honey-like sweet ones only

Have you ever asked someone for their autograph? No

What do you think happens when we die? Karma Theory - Our past actions get accounted for and eventually we take a new birth to lead a life based on our past aspirations

Favorite action movie? None - I don’t like action movies

Favorite smell? Can’t name any - probably some artificial fragrance

Least favorite smell? Any odor emanating from human/animal body

Exercise: worth it? Probably, but not for me $-)

Flat or sparkling? Flat and at room temperature only!

Most used app on your phone? As of 2022: Keep Notes, WhatsApp, and Google Maps - in that order, most probably

You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life: what is it? I get bored of songs if I listen to them repeatedly

What number am I thinking of? Five

Describe the rest of your life in 5 words? Lonely, Missed-opportunities, Lost-cause, Has-been, and a Colossal-failure!!!

[coolngr8]

Alice in the Wonderland

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.

‘Which road do I take?’ she asked.

‘Where do you want to go?’ was his response.

‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered.

‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it doesn’t matter.”

[coolngr8]

A Comprehensive Guide to Hindi Film Music of 2019

2019 was a wholesome year for Hindi music aficionados - many good film music albums and songs were released.

First I list (in countdown order) the songs I liked listening the most:

11. Hasbi Rabbi (Marjaavaan) 10. Shaabaashiyaan (Mission Mangal) 9. Psycho Saiyaan (Saaho) 8. Ve Maahi (Kesari) 7. Aaya Na Tu (Bharat) 6. Yeh Aaina (Kabir Singh) 5. Awara (Dabangg 3) 4. Ki Honda Pyaar, Neha Kakkar Version (Jabariya Jodi) 3. Aasmaa (Saand Ki Aankh) 2. Udd Jaa (Khandaani Shafakhana) 1. Fakira (Student of the Year 2) Next I list (in countdown order) other songs that deserve an honorable mention:

29. Dil Jaaniye (Khandaani Shafakhana) 28. Sajde Karoon (Bombairiya) 27. Ek Hee Raasta (Gully Boy) 26. Valam (Made in China) 25. The Wakhra Swag - (Judgementall Hai Kya) 24. Duniyaa (Luka Chuppi) 23. Lucky Charm (The Zoya Factor) 22. Haiya Ho (Marjaavaan) 21. Basanti No Dance (Super 30) 20. Zumba (Good Newwz) 19. Goriye (Gully Boy) 18. Makhna (Drive) 17. Jugraafiya (Super 30) 16. Bimar Dil (Pagalpanti) 15. Teri Mitti (Kesari) 14. Control (Chhichhore) 13. Ghungroo (War) 12. The Hookup Song (Student of the Year 2)

Now, let's have a look at best film song albums of the year 2019 i.e. albums having "all" enjoyable songs.

In countdown order, the excellent albums were:

9. Dabangg 3 8. Gully Boy 7. Kabir Singh 6. Kesari 5. Bharat 4. Saand Ki Aankh 3. Student of the Year 2 2. Khandaani Shafakhana 1. Chhichhore

Next, I list albums (in alphabetical order) that deserve an honorable mention (with all enjoyable songs):

Batla House

Bombairiya 

Good Newwz

Luka Chuppi

Made in China

Marjaavaan

Milan Talkies

Mission Mangal

Super 30

War

Additionally, following albums (in alphabetical order) mostly had likable songs and deserve a mention:

Chicken Curry Law

Dream Girl

Ghost

Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas

Panipat

P Se Pyaar F Se Faraar

Finally, let's look at albums (in chronological order of release) with one-off likable songs:

Uri - Challa

Why Cheat India - Dil Mein Ho Tum, Phir Mulaaqat, Stupid Saiyaan

Amavas - Jab Se Mera Dil

Judgementall Hai Kya - The Wakhra Swag

Jabariya Jodi - Glassy 2.0, Ki Honda Pyaar (Neha Kakkar)

Saaho - Psycho Saiyaan, Enni Soni

The Zoya Factor - Lucky Charm

The Sky is Pink - Dil Hi Toh Hai

Laal Kaptan - Red Red Najariya, Taandav

Yaaram - Yaaram

Houseful 4 - Ek Chumma, Shaitan Ka Saala, Badla

Drive - Makhna

Pagalpanti - Bimar Dil, Tum Par Hum Hai Atke, Walla Walla, Thumka

The Body - Rom Rom

Thus, good Hindi music of 2019 has been comprehensively listed above in following manner:

Firstly, excellent songs are listed

Then albums with entire collection of enjoyable/noteworthy songs are listed

Finally, albums with one-off enjoyable songs are listed

In my view, this covers entire likable Hindi movie music from the year 2019 :-)

[coolngr8]

Stand-Up Comedy in India circa 2019

As of 2019, the stand-up comedy as an art form has caught up in India. Stand-up comedians perform in urban and cosmopolitan cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai. They use English interspersed with Hindi.

This is a recent phenomenon i.e. not even a decade old.

First, we consider Russel Peters - a Canadian of Indian-descent.

Canada in the past three to four decades has become home immigrants from many parts of the developing World: Indian sub-continent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), West Asia (Afghanistan and Iran), Eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine and other countries of former Soviet Bloc), South America, Africa, and East Asia (China, Koreas, Japan).

Russel Peters has an astute sense of observation. Seemingly, growing up around such a diverse Canadian populace, he caught on the art of mimicking people from different cultures. He performs, in Canada and US, stand-up comedy concerning different cultures.

Since the mid-2000s, his live performance recordings starting getting distributed via internet, thanks to the then-burgeoning internet speeds and the resulting broadband revolution. This, in turn, resulted in a larger pull to his live acts, especially the Indian diaspora. As a result, he became a big hit with Indian diaspora crowds in the West (the US, Canada, and the UK). And earned a lot too i.e. for the years 2013-2014, Forbes magazine named him the third richest comedian in the world.

He jokes about the idiosyncrasies of people belonging to different cultures. For example, how Indian parents treat their children, the stinginess of Chinese/Indians/Jews, and many such things about Indians, Chinese, Arabs, Filipinos, and Africans. His observations are accurate and never seem to fail to enthrall the audience. Unfortunately, he sometimes resorts to crass vulgarity which clearly embarrasses his audience.

Recordings of his acts are available freely on YouTube, the most popular video-sharing platform on the internet.

About a decade later, since his recordings started to appear online, the stand-up comics started mushrooming in India too. And now, in 2019, almost half-a-decade later, at-least four dozens of Indian stand-up comedians can be found online. Their recordings are not only available on free platforms like Youtube, but also on paid-for-video-streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

These comics can be divided into three tiers:

Tier I: Varun Grover, Rahul Subramanian, Kunal Kamra, Siddharth Dudeja, Amit Tandon, Jaspreet Singh, Madhvendra Singh, Karan Chauhan, Maheep Singh, Sourav Ghosh

Tier II: Atul Khatri, Anshu Mor, Manish Tyagi, Amar, Ravi Gupta, Karunesh Talwar, Abhishek Upmanyu, Sundeep Sharma, Vinay Sharma, Vipul Goyal, Rahul Dua, Mayank Pandey, Harsh Gujral, Rohit Swain, Jeeveshu Ahluwalia, Amit Sharma

Tier III: Angad Singh Ranyal, Gaurav Gupta, Abhineet Mishra, Kishore Dayani, Parvinder Singh, Abijit Ganguly, Manik Mahna, Pratyush Chaubey, Parvez Hassan, Ujjwal Sonar, Rajeev Nigam.

Tier I comics are original and their observations are unique. They comment on contemporary India i.e. modern families, relationships, politics and everything that is in vogue.

Tier II and Tier III comics are not as good as Tier I ones. Their acts seem contrived. Often, they resort to generating shock through crassness and vulgarity. However, considering their online following, they are equally or more popular than Tier I comics.

[coolngr8]

Travel to the "Old City"

I am a lazy fellow, more so on Sunday mornings when I feel like engulfing myself into the invitingly cozy mattress and never wake up. Contrast that with the fact that I am travelling at present, visiting another city. I like to explore places, more specifically the locals – the food they eat, how they worship, what they wear, what is sold in neighborhood markets and how they spend evenings. This time I am on a visit to the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat and that too for a longer duration. Last Sunday was noteworthy, to say the least

Against my natural inclination to sleep through, I woke up early and got ready to tour the part of city called “Lal Darwaza”. This part of city is meant to be the “old city”, similar to the one in other Indian cities. In wake of economic advancement in India, beginning early 1990s due to an IMF-forced liberalization of an almost-collapsed erstwhile socialist economy, the new money has led to extension of suburbs of such cities with slick business hubs marked by glassed buildings and secured apartment complexes often called “townships” kilometers away from main city, leaving behind the “old city” with dilapidated buildings - some of architectural significance, mostly from Mughal or British era - surrounded by settlements of people who now serve the new economy, either as traders or offer other services, including manual labor. I was happy to have located this area, more specifically to photograph the ruins from Islamic era which have dominated this city since medieval times, try the authentic food and shop something local

Ahmedabad is laid out with a river cutting the city; so, I took a bus this hot morning to reach the area getting down just after the river bank to commence the short tour with “Raviwar Bazaar” - literally meaning the “Sunday Market”. Every Sunday, local vendors gather in this place opposite the river front to sell articles. The entrance was marked by a section with a few vendors selling some iron goods. Moving further, most of the things being sold were items of day to day usage like steel utensils, plastics, stationery and so forth. Realizing that this did not interest me, since I was more into local handicrafts, I walked across the market in a brisk manner trying to find the nearest exit. Just on my way out, I noticed a stall selling hot fried fritters made of gram flour dumplings, colloquially known as “bhajias”

Now the best thing about visiting the old city is that you get to eat local food as opposed to malls in suburbs where I am put up. These malls, across all Indian cities, are similar. You will find a McDonalds, a KFC or a Subway selling adapted-burgers and sandwiches doing no justice to Indian spices or sauces. Then you will find pizza chains selling pizzas with rough bases, placid toppings swimming in unevenly baked cheese. And tucked in between these western parlors, you come across food kiosks selling Indian dishes in flashy plates with a load of assortments but no taste. Just around such malls, you will find local restaurants selling everything but local food. If you are regular visitor to such restaurants, it means you will be led to believe that whole of India, across cities and states, has South Indian Idlis, Vadas and Dosas for breakfast, Delhi Chaats and Bombay Pav Bhaji in evenings while Mughals and Punjabis decide the lunch and the dinner. And if at all you manage to get so-called local “thali”, it would be modified to suit the tourist palate, meaning it would be worthless. What about the local food then!

Instinctively, I headed towards the street stall. They sold different types of fritters. The man at the stall would fry them batch by batch and constant incoming crowd meant he would need to fry more to replenish same. A woman doubled up as a cashier and server. She would weigh the bhajias as per order, transfer them into a disposable plate and sprinkle the dish with freshly fried salted green slit-chilies. She would then hand over the dish to customer taking cash in exchange. She was strict and smart, smarter than I thought as I was to realize later

I was cautious to get only the latest batch i.e. the hottest ones – I like crispness of hot fried bhajias. So I moved ahead and asked her pack me twenty rupees equivalent of the last fried bhajias. She did same while I handed over a hundred rupee note to her. She asked me to wait for the change i.e. rest of the eighty rupees. I savored the crisp and hot fritters relishing the spices and texture. I had them slowly, while reminding the lady in between that she is yet to hand me back the change. I did not want to irk her as she was a bit strict and loud. So waited till I was done having the fritters. Then I looked towards her signaling her that I was done and needed the rest of the amount

She asked me “What?” I said I need eighty rupees back. She calmly told me that I might be mistaken, rather I need to pay her twenty rupees. I told her I had paid, in fact a hundred. She smiled and asked me to check my wallet if I really paid. She said she was sure I had forgotten to pay. I declined and firmly asked her to pay back. She retorted that she had a practice of handing over the change immediately. Then she proceeded to serve another customer while ignoring me. I realized the game and told her I will not leave until I take my eighty rupees back. She continued to ignore me while the man frying fritters came and asked me to not obstruct him. I told him I had the change to collect back. Then, I asked them both if I will be given change. They just ignored me. So I coolly put my hand into the cash box to take back eighty rupees

Startled, both rushed towards me and pushed me out towards another stall. Then a commotion ensued. People gathered around, while the man and lady took turns trying to shout me away. I was adamant I would not leave without my cash. Two neighboring vendors then took onto me. I kept counter-questioning whoever came forward. Meanwhile, an elderly vendor came forward and asked them to hand over the cash back to me. All four got onto that poor soul asking him to leave. He stood firm too, so they started to threaten him about union rules and stuff like that. He was shoved aside after a while too. I still stood the ground while they dispersed the gathered crowd. The lady got back to her counter, and two men invited me to sort this out in a corner. I did not do that, rather I moved back to the cash box near the lady. The men started verbally abusing me and accusing me of ruining their business. I asked them back as to who was shouting and abusing. Seeing that it was impossible to threaten me away, they changed tone and asked me to be sensible and move ahead. I declined. They said I did not understand what was going on and I was crazy. I said fine but I need the cash back

Finally, a respectable spectacled-guy dressed in blue t-shirt and grey shorts happened to be passing by. He spoke to me in English pointing out that it seemed I was not a local. I told him that they were refusing to give my change back. He said this place is a local flea market famous only for such things. Such transactions are commonplace here. He asked me to understand the trap and move ahead implying I could be in a grave situation otherwise. I complied leaving the place

On my way out, I met the same elderly vendor and exchanged glances with him. I dropped plans to visit the rest of the “old city”. On my way back and rest of the day, I had a few moments of varied epiphanies. I was not angry that I was not paid back my change. Neither was I upset that I was cheated upon. Rather, I felt pity upon those vendors. While arguing with them, seeing their unity, I got a sense of message in their eyes – it is fine to loot unsuspecting people, especially when they happen to be outsiders – either outside your social group or your socio-economic group to be specific. As India has progressed, we have another India left behind. But now I do not look upon this “old India” with yearning or deserving of any special treatment to compensate for its backwardness. The India I am safe in is in the suburbs ruled by MNC-equivalent services

I returned to the guest house in the suburb and slept my afternoon. I woke to reach a neighboring multiplex and booked myself tickets for a Hindi movie titled “Haider” – based on Hamlet by Shakespeare. With an hour left for the evening show to start, I rushed to the big format departmental “Reliance” store which happened to be next door. I first had a late lunch – executive meal with black forest cake. It had paneer masala, naan, biryani, dal makhani etc. and all such standard pan-India Punjabi fare packed in a big size combo-type compartmentalized plate. I no longer complained

I then moved around the store to purchase a few things. Meanwhile, I no longer had any sympathy for scores of “kirana” i.e. local mom-and-pop grocery and retails stores who will eventually lose business to this big format giant. After all, I will be treated here with a sense of fear of law, at least. Vendors won’t gather to scheme me out. Nor will I be priced differently than others. I left the store having swiped my card with no fear of it not being handed back. On my way out, I slurped unauthentic pani-pooris served in thermocol plates in this swanky mall paying added taxes at the counter too. I no longer felt concerned about the fact that I was served these pooris by a server who will get only a fraction of what I paid for while most would be made by the chain and the mall owner

I watched the movie and slept my night comfortably. This morning, as I write this, I realize another fact. In the movie, the hero often highlights how his Kashmiri brethren are often subject to “chutzpah” – either by Indian and Pakistani governments or the local power-heads. In the same manner, I wondered if I was lucky to not encounter a “chutzpah” on behalf of the lady who sold me the fritters. After all, as per her, I had forgotten to pay her and hence she would not hand me eighty rupees back. If that was true, why did she never insist on getting the twenty rupees due from me!

[coolngr8]

Virtues Uncommon

If you have the confidence To wear an idea In absence of any precedence Solely by adapting the uncommon That is style!

If you have boldness To negotiate an incumbent In absence of any leverage Solely on conviction in strategy That is passion!

If you have guts To stand an adversary In absence of power Solely on dignity of purpose That is courage!

If you have hope Of disproving an accusation In absence of any evidence Solely on belief in Almighty That is faith!

If you have grit To correct your mistakes In absence of requisition Solely by a concern for the aggrieved That is humility!

If you have endurance To metamorphose a heartless In absence of gratitude Solely on hope in mankind That is compassion!

Finally, if you have patience To mend a relation In absence of any reciprocity Solely by a sense of joy That is love!

[coolngr8]

कहीं गैरों से दगा, किधर अपनों की उल्फत! दुनिया से हिसाब तौलेंगे तब, जब होगी नसीब अपनों से फुर्सत :-)

[coolngr8]

Watching TV after being Accustomed to Internet and Laptops

I am watching TV after a long gap - almost four years. In the meanwhile, I have got used to consuming entertainment via laptop - movies, Youtube videos etc.

I now find operating TV an experience - being used to the software media players. Here are few examples: 1. Often, I end up missing a dialogue. So, instinctively, I grab the remote control only to realize it is not possible to rewind a telecast! 2. Similarly, if something is dragging at a snail’s pace then there is no option to forward too - though one can switch channels in this case :-) 3. And I cannot pause the content - so taking breaks as per one's convenience is not possible

As I ponder, I realize that TV is not the issue, rather broadcast poses limitations. Broadcast is necessary only for live performances like sporting events, award ceremonies etc. For everything else, downloadable or on-demand consumable media rules!

[coolngr8]

Are MBTI and Similar Personality Tests Reliable?

Myers Briggs Personality indicator classifies people into 16 types based on preferences along four dichotomies: Extraversion or Introversion (E)/(I), Sensing or Intuition (S)/(N), Thinking or Feeling (T) or (F), and Judging or Perception (J) or (P). These are ENTJ, ENTP, INTJ, INFP, ISTJ, ENFP etc.

The accuracy of personality type classification through Myers Briggs personality test is doubtful. The person attempting the test is assumed to be self-aware and rate the parametric questions without self-bais. This is a faulty assumption - generally we tend to consider ourselves more benevolent than we really are :-)

And if the applicant is suffering from psychological disorders like Narcissism, Borderline Personality Disorder etc. then it becomes all the more absurd. Such people, usually, have distorted sense of their selves

Hence, this test classifies applicants as they see themselves which is an unreliable point of view. It shows what the applicants assume they are or would like to be - not what they actually are!

The MBTI personality types, however, have been defined and classified properly. The available information on these types is helpful too. What is lacking, though, is a method to classify people as per MBTI :-)

Finally, I leave you with two notes: an advice and a word of caution

Firstly, attempt such tests with an introspecting bend of mind - this helps rating the questions with better accuracy. Keep in mind that we are unaware of our self-baises. Recollect what others, specially close ones, tend to think of you and attempt accordingly

Lastly, don’t assume that the personality type of another person is what (s)he tells you. The person might have attempted test projecting what (s)he likes to be, but not what (s)he actually is! Don’t use classification as barometer for forming relationships as the method available to classify types is faulty :-)

[coolngr8]

Lessons Untaught: Duels

Two persons enter into a deal with mutual satisfactions in sight. Suddenly, one person crosses limits. The other person, if just, gets alarmed and tries to get away. This angers the opponent, if guilty, and the stand-off begins

The just person fights the issue while the unjust opponent battles the just person. As the duel progresses, opponent uses all means to subjugate the just person, forgetting the issue. Unarmed and confused, the just person gives up and surrenders

Sooner or later, opponent realizes that it has confused the means with the end - the just person, unknowingly, has secured the issue, while opponent has only the namesake reward left for itself. Opponent, then, retracts to leave the just person

[coolngr8]

The Deadliest of the Sins

I am reading ‘The Economist’ after a gap of eighteen months or so. It is the June 14-20 of 2014 edition. The magazine now contains a section named ‘Intelligent Life’. It covers topics beyond the conventional financial news/analysis expected in such magazines and is noteworthy

A column named ‘Big Question’ asks: What is the deadliest sin? Seven individuals root for one each: 1. Envy Richard Holloway notes that sin in Greek archery meant ‘to miss mark’ i.e. one aims to do right thing but arrow veers off and hits the unintended. Our mistakes are, similarly, misdirected attempts at the good rather than intentional pursuits of the bad. But envy is an exception to this positive understanding of sin Every form of sin offers some gratification, but not envy. Envy is empty and desolating, whether as sorrow at another’s good or as satisfaction at another’s misfortune. Behind every envious person lies a troubled and dissatisfied heart Tip: Acknowledge its presence. Recapture capacity for sharing joy of others

2. Pride Will Self notes that opposite of pride is humility. Also, false pride is present across hierarchy

3. Ingratitude Ann Wroe states examples, mostly about us disregarding the small acts of politeness by strangers as we navigate our daily life. She says though we do not ‘spilt blood’ by displaying ingratitude, yet we have seeded ice into the heart of other person who next time won’t offer favor to anyone. The root cause is arrogance and sense of worthlessness towards another person on our part. She calls it a sin of silence or absence and omission

4. Greed

Jesse Norman defines greed as desire to have more than you already have or need, more than your friend or sibling. Jealousy is a kind of greed, not a kind of envy. Greed is always dissatisfied and selfish. Jesse ends by questioning how we distinguish the capitalist paradigm of individualistic enterprise with greed? He answers that markets need ethics and laws to be effective. And those are based on what we all like: truth, trust, respect and restrain. It is giver, not the taker, whom we admire

5. Gluttony Aminatta Forna writes that people are getting obese and gym memberships rising but people can’t seem to stop eating. Food is photographed in a glossy way, out of season and imported stuff is easily available, and cooks have become celebrities I disagree with this section personally though

6. Sloth Camila B. highlights apathy and complacency - the condition in which we don’t aspire for higher things, the inner lack of responsibility for oneself and others, a lethargy of the spirit

7. Lust The US editor of the magazine, Robert Guest, states it as desire for power and domination as opposed to desire for sex. He points to the three year old children bullying much younger siblings. Bosses misusing employees and making them execute personal errands. Bureaucrats extracting bribes. Totalitarians stemming dissent … and so forth

I found this article an eye-opener and relevant to our times - as opposed to the biblical and other ancient edicts that somehow don’t seem relevant today

[coolngr8]

Oil and Gas

Today I had an opportunity to know about oil drilling

Rivers carry along with them organic material which gets deposited in the river basin. Once the river changes its course, the organic material deposited in the dried-up basins keeps getting pushed down the surface and over a period of time is converted into sedimentary rock(s).

These sedimentary rocks being made of organic material contain hydro-carbons. These hydrocarbons can be converted to fuels and hence are of interest to oil and gas industry.

The process starts with identification of sedimentary rocks i.e. ones with hydrocarbon content - such rocks are porous and hence if the rock is determined to be porous it could be a good hydrocarbon source. Once such rocks are identified, a well is drilled to extract the oil.

Rig is an arrangement to drill a well. Well is drilled to connect to the rocks i.e. reservoir. The well is a cylindrical shape pipe which is thrust on rocks in a way that a combination of solid, liquids and gases( probably some viscous material) oozes out of rock surface. The gas in this material creates pressure for it to flow up through the well to the land/surface where-in it is collected in a tank. Here the material is processed and is segregated into gas, water and oil. Oil means petrol, kerosene etc.

Sedimentary rocks are formed when the organic material is subject to heat over a long period of time( say millions of years). Such organic material is found near basins of rivers, places where rivers used to flow once upon a time or places where seas used to exists. Gulf region falls in last category.

Organic material keeps receding down the earth's surface while being converted into sedimentary rock(s). Such rocks get collected upon basalt. Drilling occurs above the basalt where sedimentary rocks reside. In plateau regions, only basalt is found and hence such places do not provide any scope for oil extraction.

[coolngr8]

Dill Sprigs ...

Dill sprigs have a peculiar taste ... when finely chopped, they impart a distinct taste to any dish without intruding with other flavors

In unleavened breads made of either rice, finger millet or sorghum, they add character to what otherwise would be a plain dish

In Mysore region of Karnataka, India such flat breads are widely prepared - they are known as rotis( roti is a Hindi word meaning unleavened bread) - Akki roti( made up of rice flour), Ragi roti( finger millet flour) and Jalodi roti( sorghum flour)

To a given flour variety, grated coconut, chopped onions, finely chopped dill sprigs, and finely chopped chilies are added. A soft dough of this mixture is then kneaded and small portions of it are rolled round flat. These are then baked over a hot pan or griddle and cooked on both sides one by one until crisp

The flavor imparted by dill stands out and complements the crispness of pancakes

Dill i.e. its taste is intriguing to me ... whether as part of these flat breads or as part of split chick pea dumplings