Carl Jung, Personality theories, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - 1

Genie talk: This will be a serial of posts, maybe three or four..

Carl Jung made it his life’s work to explore the “inner space” previously known as the unconscious conscious. A younger colleague of Sigmund Freud’s with a background in his theory as well as inexhaustible knowledge of mythology, religion, and philosophy he made it his habit to make sense of the unconscious. Also equipped with a knowledge in the symbolism of complex mystical traditions such as Gnosticism, Alchemy, Kabala, and similar traditions in Hinduism and Buddism, if anyone could sense the unconscious often revealing itself only in symbolic form Jung could.

After graduating and settling on psychiatry as a career Jung took a position at the Burghoeltzli Mental Hospital under Eugene Bleuler, an expert on (and the namer of) schizophrenia. It was only a few years after that that Jung met Freud. It had been said that the day that they met Freud cancelled all of his appointments for the day and they talked for 13 hours straight.

Freud later came to see Jung as the “crown prince of psychoanalysis” and his heir apparent. Jung was never completely sold on Freud’s theories, however, and their relationship began to end when during a trip to America they were analyzing each other’s dreams and Freud seemed to show a lot of resistance to Jung’s efforts at analysis. Freud finally told Jung that they would have to stop because he was afraid that he would lose his authority. From there, Carl Jung developed one of the most interesting theories of personality the world has ever seen.

to be continued....

When Harry met Sally...

Was going thro - when harry met sally's script. Nice one, its listed in the top ten romantic movies list (viewer rating). I notice that I like some movies as scripts better. This was one such. After reading the script I felt that the visual version didnt do justice to the script.The characterisations of the protoganists were excellent. Especially Harrys'. You'd get reminded of your own inconsistensies. 'Hum Tum' was made scene by scene over this movie, they did bring it out as a nice Indian version though, what with saif at his humorous best.

The dialogues in the movie were excellent (probably that's why I didn't like the visual version, I miss most of the dialogues in an english movie). Particulary during the scene when they first meet, the way Harry puts himself forward as a negative person. "Harry's reading the last page of a book first" explaination's. All fundu.

One dialogue to quote " And I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible". fanal that brings the climax and quiet correctly. The dialogue's simple, direct and stuffed with the emotion it is conveying. Great dialogue to make the climax crisp. Couldn't help but rave at the time these people get to make movies. It shows in their output. Probably, our movies will also be this good if we are given the time. Hmmm..

Kavithai Time..

Sontha sarakku

Happy Birthday Frank....

Frank - Delhi

Wanderer again

Do not always try to be consistent. Saint Paul, after all, said, "The wisdom of the world is madness."

To be consistent is always to wear a tie that matches one's socks. It is to have the same opinions tomorrow as one has today. And the movement of the planet? Where is it?So long as you do no harm to another, change your opinion once in a while. Contradict yourself without being embarrassed.This is your right. It doesn't matter what others think -- because that's what they will think, in any case.So, relax. Let the universe move about. Discover the joy of surprising yourself.

"God selected the crazy things on the earth so as to embarrass the wise men, " said Saint Paul.

Genie talk - All these Wanderer stories are the Maktub's from Paulo Coelho.

Of Candles and Friends

Kovai, Delhi

Nizhalgal......

Riverside point - Singapore

The Art of Marriage, By Seetha

Keeping romance alive is one of the greatest challenges in a marriage, feels Seetha, Author of this article.

About the author, Spinster, Gud looking and an unbearable Nai Nai, God knows where she finds those questions to ask me, all killing questions. She works with TCS- Chennai, an INFP by Myer Brigg personality type indicator standards, lives on feelings and expectations. Loves the word LOVE from the root and firmly believes that LOVE keeps our earth spinning. No comments for your question as to why a Spinster’s writing an article upon the art of marriage, I said ‘Absolutely No Comments’, over to the article.

What makes a good marriage? If a couple desires to have a great marriage, will it just happen? Is it a matter of luck, a matter of timing or a matter of love? Is it about determination and commitment? What is it about?

I do think, Marriage is an answer to a longstanding human tradition. Otherwise, the art of marriage has to be learned. It, like parenthood, comes with no instructions! So marriage maybe one program for you and maybe another one for me, no need that the instruction set should be the same for both of us.

We all have expectations of a marriage. We ask for companionship. We call for a friend who will stand by us. We want a person who believes in us, who can laugh with us. We want a person with whom we don't have to pretend. We expect that person to see us as unique and irreplaceable. We want someone not just to share our life with but to build a life with. But does everything work out the way we expect it to be? Do things change after marriage? Do we change after marriage? Is it a problem?

Yep, People change. But if feel in a marriage, if both of them could change together, there is no need to grow apart. So, how to keep things going?

What with the work culture nowadays, we all work long hours, travel extensively. Family and career are mixed together and it’s all confusion out there. Women works extensively these days, workplace demands are high and women are unwilling to compromise. So what is gonna happen? What should we do? Where do you think we are gonna end up with this?

I feel there are three basic rules. They may not work out to be the perfect formula for the marriage equation, but, I feel that they form the basic variables atleast. Let’s see what they are.

Well, in successful marriages, the partners must form a single unit. Whatever the differences of opinion, when it comes to the rest of the world, it is important to present a united front. The trust that comes from knowing that the other will not let you down and will always stand by you is irreplaceable and priceless. Rule no 1 – We two against the world.

Laughter is the catalyst which is gonna make love bloom. Adapt to changes, some things are gonna go wrong. Be ready to accept it. You are to compromise if you are to get it smooth. You can’t be intangible as it is not only about you - it involves another entity which thinks too. Keep in mind, never let go your partner. A happy, lasting marriage is challenged and rebuilt every day. It takes commitment to move on this journey together. Rule no 2 – Love and Laugh, always always.

Marriage is like handling a new engine. The initial period is very important. Run it cautiously, The passion and ardor of the early years of a relationship will eventually evolve into a deep glow of devotion and contentment. Keeping the romance alive is one of the greatest challenges in a marriage. Couples in long, satisfying marriages always reiterate that romance should never be relegated to the back seat. Its only when romance fades infidelity happens. Remember faithfulness is a cornerstone in this arena. Rule no 3 – Be true and keep the romance going.

A good marriage is not only about marrying the right partner; it's about being the right partner. It is not just a commitment to a person; it is a commitment to the marriage itself. It is not just entering a relationship; it is not allowing oneself an exit route.

Do you remember this song, "I keep a close watch on this heart of mine, because you're mine, I walk the line." That sums it up.

Genie talk - Thanks for the article, hope to see you as a guest author again soon.

Poo Poo Poo...

Orchid Park, Kuala Lumpur.

Nadaimurai..

Kavithai - Kalyanji

Vishnu Again...

Vishnu Again.

Do Birds Dream??!!

Bird Park, Singapore.

Tenth 'A' Gayathrikku...

Genie Talk : Naa Muththukumaar - Thannudaya 'Pattampoochchi Virpavan' Kavithai thoguppin munnuraiyil, antha thoguppai "puththagam veliyida mudiyamal irukkum kavignargalukku samarpiththa" eLiyavar. Cinema paadalgalil, "Kana kaanum kaalangal" koduththavar. Saalayil vibathuttru, thalai sithari kidappavarai paarththu than thalai thadavikkondu varubavar, athai pattri kavithai varaibavar.

Maalathi Mythri...

S Ramakrishnan had mentioned in one of his aritcle about Malathi Mythri being a fantastic poet and that She for some reason doesnt write that much. I sorta 'yes'ed it that time, as I had read one of her poems and felt it to be good. This poem just adds to my agreeing. Nice one.

And Some Kids..

And Some Kids...

Butterflies again...

Butterfly Park - Kuala Lumpur.

Kavithai Again

.Pattaampoochchi.

Kavithai Ubayam - Devadhachchan.

Thalaippu ubayam - Naan :)

A day with Butterflies...

A pic from my visit to Butterfly Park, KL. It was an enchanting day, alone in a park with 6000 lives flying around, with due respect to all those beautiful Trees and Bushes :)

Genie talk - Why did I feel that all Butterflies were trying hard to break the net and fly outside? I have some Photos of this struggle too...

Villodu Vaa Nilavae...

Courtesy: Thaen.

Chola's Gateway

Gangai Konda Cholapuram, Tamil Nadu.

Wanderer's stories - 1

" When the wanderer was ten years old, his mother insisted that he take a course in physical education. One of the activities required him to jump from a bridge into a river.Early in the course, he was paralyzed by fear. Each day, he stood last in line, and suffered every time one of those in front made his jump -- because it would shortly be his turn.One day, the instructor -- noticing his fear -- made him take the first jump. Although he was still fiightened, it was over so quickly that the fright was replaced by courage.The master says: "Often, we can afford to take our time. But there are occasions when we must roll up our sleeves and resolve a situation. In such cases, there is nothing worse than delay."

Genie talk: Read "What about Bob" Script today. Couldn't help but admire Kamal for his excellence even while making a movie based on this (Thenali was taken scene by scene from this). You should see both these movies to understand what I say. What with people doing the "ee adichchaan copy stuff" these days... What 2 say? Its Kamal.

Flowers

Sunflower - Singapore

How often does your mood swell?

How often does your mood swell? How often do you cry? Now don't behave "The Man" or "The Modern Day Strong Woman", tell me honestly... How often do you cry?

OK.. Let me put it this way. How often you feel like crying or How often do you feel that you are crying inside yourself but there are no tears outside? Now are you getting to see the number increasing. If so, why? Why do you cry, is it because things are not the way they should be or is it because things are not the way you expect them to be? C'mon make a try.

If things are not the way the they should be, i think, we would enjoy that. Because, it gives us an issue to talk about, to proclaim that we belong to a different cadre and the things are not the way they should be cause of the lowness of the universe around us. So, it sorta makes us feel superior, makes us feel good. So no need to cry over it, right?

What about things not working out the way we wanted it to? Ahmmm.. We are in a tight corner to answer now. We may be right to claim that we are being wronged or we may be wrong to claim that. But is it worth crying over it.

Now, leaving aside how often we cry, If things aren't working our way and if we dont have a variable to control in the equation, is it not better to get existential over the whole issue and start watching it for our purpose in it.

Well, "buththikku theriyuthu, manasukku theriyalayae".

Mahesh, Flying High after hitting the bulls eye

Mahesh, Believe me, He is not able to keep his legs grounded now...

Please bear the flaws in the shot, we know that there are too many. This shot was taken in film, and scanned. There wasnt much scope for processing. If we recollect properly itwas taken using a Yashica 35 ME (we were not able to find the model over the net).

Genie talk: Intha shota publish panninathae pannathaenu sound koduththittirunthaan.. avar mugam ulagha prasiththi adayara maathiriyaana shota thaan podanumaam.. Irunthaalum romba thaan parakkiraan, kaaththula...

Weekend Starts With A Great News!!!

Our weekend has started with a bang. Right on target. Mahesh's "Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal" shot has turned out to be a finalist in the Architecture category of the 2006 International Picture Contest conducted by Popular Photography and Imaging Magazine. Here's the mail from the Editor of the Magazine.

From: Popular Photography and Imaging Magazine mailto:annualcontest@gmail.com

To: Mahesh_friend@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2005 11:34:43 -0400
Subject: image selected

Dear Mahesh:

Congratulations!

Your image in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India is a finalist in the Architecture category of the 2006 InternationalPicture Contest to be published January 2006. If it is not publishedin the January issue, it will be featured in our monthly column "YourBest Shot" during Spring 2006.We will need a large file of your shot for reproducing in themagazine. Files should be approximately 3MB; about 8" high (or 8"wide, depending on orientation) at 300 dpi. Files should be sent toJen Adam in our art department. Her email is jadams@hfmus.com.We will need complete technical information about the shot, includingcamera, lens, exposure, film (if appropriate), flash or lighting,scanner (if appropriate), software used (if Photoshop, be specificabout what was done and the version). Also tell us where the shot wastaken, what is happening in the picture, and importantly, yourinspiration for taking the shot.We would also like to include some personal information about thephotographers, so if you can include your age and occupation, thatwould be appreciated.Also, please check that your name and address are printed correctly atthe heading of this letter. Please respond to me with the information. My email is annualcontest@gmail.com. Thanks and congratulations again.

Bob Lazaroff

Editor, International Picture Contest

Popular Photography and Imaging Magazine

Genie Talk: We are gonna parrrrrrrrrrrty tomorrow...... He is a very nice guy :p, he would sure buy me a great dinner tomorrow!!!

Weekend philosophy...

The master says:
"My dear fellow, I have to tell you something that you perhaps don't know. I have been thinking about how to make this news less difficult to hear -- how to paint it in brighter colors, add to it promises of Paradise, visions of the Absolute, provide esoteric explanations -- but they do not apply.
"Take a deep breath, and prepare yourself. I have to be blunt, and I assure you, I am absolutely certain of what I'm telling you. It is an infallible prediction, without any doubt whatsoever.
"It's the following: you are going to die.
"It may be tomorrow or fifty years from now, but -- sooner or later -- you are going to die. Even if you would rather not. Even if you have other plans.
"Think carefully about what you are going to do today. And-tomorrow. And with the rest of your life."

"Jerk-O-Meter"

Ever been told by a friend that you sound rude over a phone? I have been. At first, I was surprised because I never noticed that I was rude, I didn’t intend to be rude too. But when friends start telling that you are being rude over the phone, you are made to look into it. This recent news article was interesting, they have found a device to help me out it seems…

Here’s what the news says,

People know when they're on the phone with an inattentive jerk, but they might not realize how they sound to others. A new telephone technology, dubbed the Jerk-O-Meter, could help. The device analyzes psychological cues in the human voice to rate a speaker's interest in the conversation they're having. The machine connects to a cell phone and picks up on vocal cues, such as how quickly someone speaks, the amount they interrupt, and whether they use other conversational signals such as repeated "yeahs." The cues are used to measure a speaker's engagement on a scale from 0 to 100. During calls the device gives its owner messages about his or her performance, displaying notes such as "Don't be a jerk!," "Be a little nicer now," or "Wow, you're a smooth talker."

The current prototype of the Jerk-O-Meter monitors several key aspects of phone conversations. It measures activity levels, or how often you speak. It also uses mathematical logarithms to measure known stresses and deviations of pitch. Future versions may become even more precise. They may measure factors such as mirroring, when one speaker shows empathy by adopting the other's voice patterns, and engagement, which monitors how much one person influences the other as they take turns talking.

Cognitive psychologists are well aware of such valuable cues. They predict that there are definitely individual linguistic markers that carry across a conversation. But they think that the machine is hardly one size fits all, however, significant hurdles may remain. Simply put, not all of us speak or express emotions in the same way. It's a big challenge to recognize speech correctly, and recognizing emotion is also a challenge. To recognize the basic emotions like happiness, anger, fear, and disgust, the face is more informative than the voice. The voice by itself can be pretty ambiguous, they say.

Future versions of the Jerk-O-Meter could become more effective if software allows the machine to learn more about the speaker through constant feedback. The device would then become more accurate with each conversation.

I think that in the realm of self-improvement it could be a valuable tool. Whatsay?

To everyone celebrating birthday today....

Blowing candles, Karthi - Delhi.

Do you Flirt???

Do you flirt? If not – do. Thinking over this for a minute, I feel it will be good for you!

Well, here’s why I think so… You can’t flirt if you don’t listen. I am sure that it would be impossible to flirt if you aren’t concentrating. Ow, I said concentrating, what do you think they teach you in meditation classes... (I know it is a bit toooo much to compare flirting with mediation, well… if Osho can compare making love to meditation… why can’t I?)

Let’s move further, if say, you are wrapped up in your own thoughts, do you think you will be able to flirt. Concentrating is a must in flirting.

Let’s see how we could be attentive, concentration personified. First, you should be aware to anything new, Wow she’s looking gorgeous today sorta thing. Next, you should be aware of interesting aspects about her, light colored dresses match her best, her eyes do great things when she smiles sorta thing. Finally, you should be aware and active, else how do you think you are going to notice that she too is flirting. That would be the worst thing to miss.

A good flirt will increase your concentration beyond your subject, it actually requires you to be people smart, and your interpersonal skill goes to extremes… You concentrate on you surroundings, the location, and the climate – waiting for the possibility of a topic to flirt upon. You get to become good body language identifiers too…

Ow, forgot to tell one important thing, this doesn’t have to be with your girlfriend/boyfriend only, you could well use it as a nice starter with your neighbor, your grocer, new teacher to your college, or your new colleague... The relationship becomes easy right away (if you over-do it you have every chance of getting named as a jolls...)

So, Step one: Notice things. The blue of your new house maid’s eyes, the salwar your colleague has worn. Your manager’s new tie, anything. Next step: Mention it. A quick and sincere comment like “Nice shirt!” is enough to create a connection and open up a conversation—and really, that’s the general goal of flirting.

Mindfulness of others is a powerful skill that can help you build relationships in all settings. Flirting is nothing more than being aware of others and taking advantage of what you notice in order to connect. Who said mindfulness has to be quiet, solitary and inner-directed? It can be spirited, social, and downright sexy.

Notice. Smile. Connect. Repeat. That’s the Mantra…

So, are you ready to flirt?

Genie Talks – All things said here are theoretical, largely inspired on an article read sometime back. Would award you by blogging the adventures if anyone could test it out and let me know the results…

Orae Jolls...

An Evening Float

Kaleidoscope...

Mamallapuram, again.

Life over weekends - chaos or creative ???

Life’s been interesting, its two months in Singapore now. Interesting, especially over the weekend. I will call it creative, mmm… rather ‘almost creative’. I don’t know why, we (as usual ‘Me and Mahesh’) seem to love chaos. That’s what brings inspirations and initiatives to our life’s flow. Our weekends don’t have any process, neither does it have any order (what do you call it? – discipline!!!). It is pure fun, exciting and exhilarating. We wait for friday evening, drool over the week like snails and 6 pm Friday, aha… we could hold a bulb by our fingers and make it glow.

But even in a weekend, if we are involved in an activity where others get involved along with us, the balance goes off somehow and we lose our steam half way. The weekend goes to shambles and our energy takes a topsy turvy turn. If I could read it properly, our energy actually becomes destructive. We end up drooling more than the usual in the week ahead.

After these sorta tiresome weekdays, we start a new weekend slowly. We want to make sure that we don’t spoil it again as we did last time. We start out with a movie usually; we handpick the movie and make sure that it isn’t a disaster. Or we sit in our work tables and simply work, I write something and he works on a photo... we stop in between to chat, we raise our heads to the television on the sound of some commercial, we scathe at all funny commercials and go gaga over all fantastic ones... we pat ourselves in the back and enjoy the greatness of our knowledge. We get back to work again till the next commercial pops up. It goes on. We break for a tea, make it a point to stay awake till the morning, go to bed on the break of sunlight and wake up at a ‘don’t know what’ time. And the cycle repeats. When the weekend is over, we are sure that we feel happy… see, I told you… we love chaos.

Someone could set processes up in our lives someday, maybe our wives… or maybe another friend who may become our catalyst. They may put structure to our lives, organize us and define our objectives, bla bla bla... but that’s well in the future.

The actual problem is we enjoy being creative, but when turning it out as a productive output... we stall. It’s actually a conflict working with people who put ends to the front when what matters to us most is the means. So we actually enjoy the creative part and are a bit slow over the output.

So how do you think our weekends are going to shape us? Are we going to end out as useless bums or are we going to find some way to harness our creative energy into useful outcomes…

Any thoughts?

Wind took the color away...

Shore Temple, Mamallapuram

Kavithai Time...

Kavithai ubayam - Paavannan.

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Schizophrenia and Movies, Are there holes in our umberllas.

Originality is a prized commodity because there is so little of it in Kollywood these days, but, when filmmakers do experiment with unfamiliar elements, their efforts should be acknowledged. “Kudaikkul Mazhai” scores on originality, well… on execution, I am sorry.

“Kudaikkul Mazhai” tells the story of ‘Venkat’, an auto driver who is being made a "bakra" by the female protagonist 'Madumitha'. Cut, we are greeted by the schizophrenic world of Venkat. Well thereon the movie focuses on all the aspects of schizophrenia, a beginner’s guide to personality disorders would name delusion, emotional expression, hallucination, disordered thinking, distorted perceptions of reality as part of the schizophrenic disorder. Every one of these qualities is being used by Paartheepan in his screenplay. But I personally feel a movie should put the movie first and preaching next. That’s where the movie loses its focus. ‘Aaalavandhaan’ was a better attempt compared to this, it focused more on the movie, taking schizophrenia for support, and they failed because of poor screenplay.

There have been some good movies involving schizophrenia, ‘A Beautiful Mind’ is one which comes to my mind immediately. But it is brilliantly crafted to keep the focus on the protagonist than on the disorder. This is one perfect movie where they don’t accurately depict the schizophrenic experiences of the hero. They use their "artistic license" quite liberally. In this movie, the hero develops visual hallucinations, and that’s the biggest thing they show about schizophrenia in the movie. But the script differs from the book over many things.

Fight club is another good film; you don't learn that the hero has schizophrenia until quite late in the film, since you see the world through his eyes. But then at the end you're not sure what is real and what isn't. His visual hallucinations convey the experience of schizophrenia, through his experience of them. Your delusions are very concrete in the sense that you have no doubt they are real.

Revolution #9 is one movie that realistically documents a young man's descent into schizophrenia. The movie starts with everything being fine, and then suddenly you see the hero suspecting the lady lead's nephew for some sinister messages over the internet. Next, he becomes convinced a television commercial for a perfume called Revolution#9 is part of a systematic sensory attack by corporate media. He gets diagnosed as a schizophrenic by his doctor, refuses to take medication and rejects everyone around him, believing they are all part of a conspiracy against him. If you're looking for a realistic depiction of schizophrenia, Revolution #9 is perhaps a more accurate and representative movie than "A Beautiful Mind".

Well all said and done, people are making efforts to be different (aka original) in their scripts, but am I wrong in thinking that originality counts but not above the execution. Shouldn't they put cinema first and subjective technicality next. Let’s wait and watch as to whether anyone comes with a better effort.

Telephone Etiquette from Calvin...

Click on the picture for full view...

Gazing thro our Jannal, Home-Singapore(click picture for full sized view)

Bala's Interview

They were playing Bala’s interview in Vasantham Central TV today. I watched last ten minutes of the interview. He’s regarded as a torch bearer of Tamil cinema and one of the disciples of Balumahendra’s school of filmmaking. Bala, the soft spoken, southie, remains modest though and always attempts something new.

First things first, I was struck by his simplicity the most. The poise with which he answered questions and his way of putting himself under scrutiny when criticizing the Tamil film industry was nice to watch.

Speaking on Balumahendra, Bala says “He is a great director, great photographer, and a fantastic editor. He would know one missing frame of his shots, a talent rare among other directors." He talks about the way Balumahendra uses silence in movies, and about how a good sequence would be glorified by that.

He talks of a sequence in Moondraampirai where Sridevi goes away from the house, Kamal goes out looking for her, it’d be raining outside, he’d have his hands over his eyes to prevent water falling into his eyes, he goes to the Ganapathi temple, he’d stand there gazing at the idol in silence for a while, then goes in search of the girl again, he won't have his hands over his eyes… Bala talks about the reality element of this sequence, the character is getting agitated as time passes and after he doesn’t find her in places she normally visits. This shot was made in one reel, he claims. "I am impressed with that style of movie making" he adds. He seems to have used this in Sethu in the sequence where Vikram proposes.

He talks of Vikram’s role in Pithamagan, about Vikram being more of a friend than an actor for him (his actual words were “avan enakku actor maathiri ellaam kedayathu”); about how Vikram understands his needs and improvises upon it.

When asked about Indian cinema going more visual these days (the interviewer claimed it as a western thing) He claims that everyone should move towards more visual way of telling movies. He claims to be making a conscious effort for that.

The interviewer asked about first scene of Pithamagan being at a graveyard, and about how he dared to do it in the superstition prone kollywood. "I don't believe in superstitions, my producers may. I dont get involved in their starting the film with a poojai or on an auspicious day. But I dont allow them to get involved with the way the movie should be" .

And moreover he prefers a graveyard over a Temple he says. It gives him more peace to mind than a Temple or a place where we can meditate.

Why, it’s a place which conveys the message “nothings forever” in a simple way. I enjoyed his interview.

P.S – Saw Alaipayuthey on TV today. Evano Oruvan's choreography remains haunting. representing the loneliness of the protagonist, it shows rain, gloomy clouds, an umbrella fighting to stay free, a boat lost in the storm, and a solitary bus on the bridge.. 

Shot at Panchpula Falls, Dalhousie - Himachal Pradesh.

Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal, Madurai.