Man-Eaters of Kumaon

Corbett's Masterpiece

Recently finished a hunting masterpiece, "Man-Eaters of Kumaon," penned by Anglo-Indian naturalist and hunter Major Jim Corbett. The book delves deep into the hunting playgrounds of the Pauri-Garhwal and Kumaon regions, which are under the reign of terror of these man-eating tigers. The book incorporates the seven most fearful and gruesome encounters of Major Corbett with those predators, like the Mohan man-eaters, the Chowgarh tigers, the Bachelor of Powalgarh and many more.  

Corbett posing with carcass of  "Bachelor of Powalgarh" , 1930.

The book is a treat for adventure avid, with its simple language and crisp presentation; it hooks the reader until you turn the last page. Apart from hunting encounters, the book also unravels the Corbetts' love for nature. Major Corbett also highlighted the psychology behind the animals and how they developed man-eating tendencies.

The hunting of these creatures took extreme focus, determination, patience, and most importantly, grit and bravery, and Corbett was the man who embodied it all. Edward James Corbett was born in Nainital and spent seven decades in India. He never married and lived with his beloved sister Maggie at his home, 'Gurney House,' in Nainital. In his early years he served in the British army as a major (later promoted to lieutenant colonel and colonel) and then developed an interest in wildlife and worked as a freelance hunter who tracked and killed around thirty tigers between 1907 and 1938. During this time he extensively worked with British officials and played a pivotal role in the establishment of India's first national park, "Jim Corbett National Park," in 1936 alongside Sir Malcolm Hailey. After the Independence of India, he shifted to Kenya with his sister and spent his last years amongst the tranquility of nature and passed away in 1955. 

Jim Corbett in 1944.

This book was first published in 1944 and quickly became the bestseller and around one lakh copies were sold worldwide in just six months. With time the book was translated into twelve different languages to cater the taste of Corbett's best gourmet in many other countries. 

If you are the one with a keen interest in real-life adventures and memoirs, this book is perfectly suited for you. So what are you waiting for? Just buy, sit, and enjoy.  

Did You Know ?

The book served as the inspiration for American director Bryon Haskin's 1948 Hollywood film of the same name.  

Thank You,

Sarthak P. Khode 😊

The World Beneath

The Quest for the Unknown

 

Ocean—the world beneath. Realm with many uncharted territories and flora and fauna we are unbeknownst to. Sir David Attenborough's famous statement, "We know more about Mars and the moon than we do about the deep ocean," clearly states the vastness of these boundless oceans.

Deep-sea exploration is an oceanographical field that focuses on research and discovery of deep oceans. But what really is the deep ocean? The ocean beneath 1000 m vertically from ocean level can be categorized as deep sea (but variations of its definition can be seen). Not even light can penetrate these waters, with extreme pressures (about 1000 atm) and temperatures plummeting to freezing point and even below it. Communication isn't possible, as radio waves don't travel well underwater. All these factors combined make these explorations more challenging as well as fatal. 

Despite the odds, the Deep Sea exploration missions have gradually increased in recent years, but the history of these explorations dates back to the 1870s when the first mission was conducted by HMS Challenger, which gave the first insights into these fathomless oceans, following the footsteps many bathysphere (a spherical submersible used in deep sea diving) dives and Underwater  surveys were conducted, which resulted in mapping the ocean floor and topographical surveys of these water bodies. Interestingly, till now, only 20 percent of the ocean floor has been mapped by using Sonar and Satellite Altimetry- which uses satellites to study the troughs and crests formed at the ocean's surface due to seabed geography.

With time, new technologies paved the way for more detailed research of the deep seas, but the question arises: why do we need to delve deep into these unknown waters ?. Well, there are plenty of reasons behind these missions, like finding out Earth's marine biodiversity, finding rare earth materials, oil and gas reserves, understanding the deep currents to predict the shifts of tectonic plates and climate change, and many more.  

In the earlier expeditions, due to lack of equipment, human dives were not possible in those treacherous conditions. During the 1930s, American marine biologist William Beebe conducted the first-ever bathysphere dive near the coast of Bermuda. Following its success, he effectively dove around thirty times and pioneered the way deep-sea manned dives are performed. After these bathysphere dives, innovation in the field of deep oceans skyrocketed, giving rise to ROVs (remotely operated vehicles), AUVs (automated underwater vehicles), and manned submersibles. They significantly improved reliability, efficiency, and maneuverability. 

The first major discovery among the deep ocean's endless secrets was the 'Mariana Trench'—the world's deepest point, which is around 11 km deep from the ocean level. This is just a 'drop in the ocean,' as many 'deep' mysteries are yet to be unraveled. 

The Deep Discoverer ROV's at 6000 meters in Mariana Trench.

The wreck of 'Titanic' discovered in 1985 during Argo expedition . The depth of the 
wreckage is found to be 3,840 m.

As the future of deep-sea missions is rising exponentially, the Indian government has also taken the initiative to explore deep seas under the mission 'Samudrayaan,' which undertakes the deep-sea exploration focused mainly on Indian exclusive economic zones. The mission aims for the exploration and extraction of minerals, which can be used in electronic devices, batteries, and solar panels. The government has allocated Rs. 4,077 crore for this mission with a five-year plan. The objectives of this mission also include sending at least three men at 6000 meters in the deep-sea submergence vehicle the 'Matsya 6000'; the first submergence test of the submersible was already successful in 2024. Let's hope for the best, as India is on the cusp of achieving yet another milestone. 

The 'Matsya 6000' submersible during its testing phase.

Thank You,

Sarthak P. Khode 😊

भारतीय संस्कृति और हिंदी भाषा

भारतीय संस्कृति और हिंदी भाषा  

एक राष्ट्र जो रचनात्मकता, कलात्मकता, और आध्यात्मिकता का पर्याय है | वह भूमि जो अनेकों साधु-संतों, महात्माओं, एवं बुद्धिजीवियों के ज्ञान से सिंचित हो, जहां प्राकृतिक एवं पौराणिक सम्पदा की भरमार हो और 'वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम' का भाव जन-जन के ह्रदय में समाहित हो- यही हमारा भारत है | वह देश जो पुरे विश्व में अपनी विवधता के लिए विख्यात है, और इसी विविधता का अभिन्न अंग है हमारी भाषा- हिंदी, जो सिर्फ एक भाषा ही नहीं, बल्कि हमारी संस्कृति, मूल्यों, परम्पराओं एवं विचारधारा की संवाहक भी है |

हिंदी काफी प्राचीन भाषा है, समय के साथ-साथ हिंदी भी कईं बदलावो के दौर से गुज़री | वैदिक संस्कृत- जिसे हिंदी का सबसे पुराना पूर्वज माना जाता, फिर धीरे-धीरे प्राकृत भाषा विकसित हुई, जो आम लोगों की बोलचाल में काफी प्रयोग होती थी | मध्यकाल (आंठवी से बारहवीं शताब्दी का समय) में हिंदी के प्रारंभिक रूप का प्राकट्य हुआ जिसे 'हिंदवी' नाम से पहचाना गया, और ख़ास बात यह है की आधुनिक मानक हिंदी और उर्दू, दोनों ही हिंदवी से विकसित हुई है | अगर हम पूर्व-आधुनिक हिंदी (बारहवीं से अट्ठारहवीं शताब्दी) के दौर में बढ़ें, तो हमें यहां अहम बदलाव देखने को मिलेंगे | मुग़ल, फ़ारसी, एवं तुर्की के आक्रांताओं के भारत पर आक्रमण करने से हिंदी भाषा में बहुतायत मात्रा में फ़ारसी और अरबी शब्दों का उपयोग होने लगा | इसी अवधि में हिंदी की विभिन्न बोलियां एवं क्षेत्रीय भाषाओं ने तूल पकड़ा और भक्ति काव्य, कवितायेँ, आदि की रचनाएँ ब्रजभाषा, अवधी, मैथिली में होने लगी, इन्ही क्षेत्रीय भाषाओं और बोलियों में कई महाकवियों, कवियत्रिओं, ग्रंथकारों ने अपनी रचनाएँ की जैसे- गोस्वामी तुलसीदास कृत 'रामायण' अवधी भाषा में सृजित है, श्रीकृष्ण भक्त मीराबाई के दोहे ब्रजभाषा और भक्ति का एक अनोखा संगम है | मुग़ल साम्राज्य का पतन हिंदी और उर्दू दोनों के विभेदीकरण का कारण बना, जिस किस्म ने फ़ारसी और अरबी शब्दों को अपनाया, वह उर्दू भाषा कहलायी और 'नस्तलीक़ लिपि' में लिखी गई | और जिसने संस्कृत और देशी स्रोतों को आकर्षित किया वह हिंदी भाषा के रूप में उभरी, और इसे 'देवनागरी लिपि' में लिखा गया, एक ऐसी लिपि जिसने हिंदी के साथ-साथ मराठी, कोंकणी, नेपाली को भी  अपनी अनोखी लिखित शैली में पिरोया | देवनागरी- जिसका शाब्दिक अर्थ "देवताओं के नगर की लिपि" या "शहरों की दिव्य लिपि" हैं | यह लिपि विशेषताओं से परिपूर्ण है जैसे- ध्वनिकता, यानी जैसे शब्दों को लिखा जाता है वैसे ही पढ़ा जाता है, जिसमे प्रत्येक ध्वनि के लिए निश्चित वर्ण है, 'शिरोरेखा' अर्थात एक क्षैतिज रेखा जो अक्षरों के ऊपर खींची जाती है जो उन्हें एक इकाई के रूप में पढ़ने में सहायक होती है, 'अक्षरात्मक लिपि' जिसका अर्थ है कि प्रत्येक व्यंजन में मूल रूप से 'अ' स्वर जुड़ा होता है, 'व्यापकता' यानी इस लिपि में ऐसी क्षमता है कि यह संस्कृत की प्राचीन ध्वनियों से लेकर आधुनिक हिंदी की सभी ध्वनियों को और यहाँ तक कि विदेशी भाषाओं से आई ध्वनियों (जैसे 'ऑ', 'ज़', 'फ़') को भी नुक्ता लगाकर आसानी से व्यक्त कर सकती है। इन सभी विशेषताओं के अलावा  देवनगरी लिपि अपने कलात्मक सौंदर्य के लिए भी जानी जाती है जिसमे अक्षर अपनी गोलाई और सीधी लकीरों के कारण सुंदर माने जाते हैं।

आज जो हम हिंदी भाषा का प्रयोग करते है वह आधुनिक मानक हिंदी है, जिसके जनक भारतेन्दु हरिश्चंद्र को माना जाता है | कईं विद्वानों ने अपनी रचनाऐ आधुनिक मानक हिंदी के साथ दूसरी बोलियों में भी की परन्तु सभी के बारे में जान पाना यहाँ संभव नहीं है, पर इससे उनकी महत्ता कभी कम न होगी |आखिर में मै बस यही कहना चाहूंगा की हमारी संस्कृति और भाषा पर हमें गर्व होना चाहिए, क्योंकि यही है जो हमें फूलों की तरह एकजुट कर माला में पिरोती है |

धन्यवाद,
सार्थक खोड़े 

The Sole Leader

In this tech-savvy world, many companies are continuously innovating new technologies and paving the way for advancements. But in this neck-to-neck competitive tech war between firms, one company stands out way ahead in its space: the Dutch giant ASML Holding, which stands for Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography. The only firm in the world specialized in making world-class lithography machines, used in making the advanced chipsets. A single lithography machine can cost up to 190 million USD.

ASML is the sole supplier of EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography machines in the world, which are used to make one of the most advanced chipsets. The science behind the whole process is quite complex, but without any jargon, let's start. Firstly, the silicon cylinders are transformed into thin wafers, and then litho-machine uses a laser to convert tiny molten Tin droplets into plasma. As a result, extreme ultraviolet rays are emitted, which are used to print (or engrave) tiny, intricate circuitry with atomic accuracy on the silicon wafers. This printing technique consists of many different layers through which numerous transistors can be printed, which eventually increases the chipset's efficiency. The wafer is cleaned with chemicals to remove any photoresist or contaminant that can cause performance issues, and then at last it is ready to cut into tiny chips—the soul of our electronic gadgets.

A single lithography machine has more than 100,000 parts.

The above process is not as easy as it seems; the working conditions for litho machines are very demanding. They work in zero-dust environments with air purifiers and vacuums, as a tiny molecule of dust can harm the million-dollar machine parts. The machine uses sets of mirrors to focus the beam of EUV, which consists of photomask patterns. The mirrors used are manufactured by Zeiss, one of the leading firms in optics. 

ASML is also developing a new generation of EUV machines with high numerical aperture, which are used to make chips with higher resolution and more power. As of now, the company is the second most valuable tech company in Europe, with annual revenue of 28 billion dollars. 

What is nanometer terminology in chipsets ?

10nm, 6nm, 5 nm... more. Do you ever think of what kind of measurements they are and why it is  important. Firstly, they are the size of components present on the chip (primarily transistors); the smaller the components, the more they can be placed on a single chip, hence increasing its overall efficiency and processing power. So the smaller the nm (size), the more powerful the chip. 

Thank You, 

Sarthak P. Khode 😊

A literal Junk Post

Hey, Welcome friends, I know it has been longtime that I haven't posted a blog. Because now I have became a B. tech first year student, so it has been very difficult three months for me. As been a Couch Potato to a hard working (Iykyk 😁) undergrad nowadays. It is difficult to find time for writing blog, as we are burdened with one of the most unproductive works in an student's life- Assignments and college work. And if you don't complete it, then you are one of the prey of those merciless creatures (ohh, it's synonym for teachers) that roam in the classrooms. But today as I was scrolling past my chrome page, I opened my blogger account and the stats disheartened me, then I thought of shit-posting. By the way my end semester exams are going on, and my father is constantly yelling at me. So now I had to study (or at least try to study) with caffeine filled nights.

I hope you all like this piece of shit, I will be back with interesting blogs soon. 

Thank You,                                                                                                                                                        Sarthak P. Khode 😊