Cerebrating Life!

The Sticky (err.. Slippery) Jasmine Song

2012-01-30T15:34:00.001+05:30

Bichhu mere naina, badizehereeli aankh maare
Kamsin kamariya saali ik thumke se lakh maare
Haaye!
Bichhu mere naina, badi zehereeli aankh maare
Kamsin kamariya saali ik thumke se lakh maare
Note hazaaro'n ke, khulla chhutta karaane aayi
Husn ki teelli se beedi-chillam jalaane aayi

Aaayi ! chikni Jasmine chhupke akeli pawwa (quarter) chadha ke aayi (x4 times)

Scorpionsare my eyes, very poisonous is my blink

The thin waist of mine, thesister-in-law, kills 0.1 million in one thrust

Hey!! Scorpions are my eyes,very poisonous is my blink

The thin waist of mine, thesister-in-law, kills 0.1 million in one thrust

I have come for gettingchange for an INR 1000 note

And to light beedis andchillums with the matchstick of my beauty

Here comes the sticky (err.. Slippery) Jasmine,alone in disguise, after loading one quarter. ||4||

Jungle mein aaj mangalkarungi main
Bhookhe sheron se khelungi main
Makkhan jaisi hatheli pe jalte angaare le lungimain
Haaye! gehre paani ki machhli hoon Raja
Ghaat Ghaat dariya mein ghoomi hoon main
Teri nazro ki leharo'n se haar ke aaj doobi hoonmain

Inthe Jungle, I’ll do a Tuesday,

Andplay with hungry lions.

Andhold red coal in the buttered palm of my hands

Hey!I am the fish of deep waters, Oh King!

I’vetravelled banks of various seas

Butin the wave of your sight, I will drown today.
p://www.lyricsmint.com
Hoyejaanleva jalwa hai
Dekhne mein halwa hai
Jaanleva jalwa hai
Dekhne mein halwa hai
Pyaar se paros doongi toot le zaraa

Oye!I have fatal attitude

Whichlooks like porridge

Oye!I have fatal attitude

Whichlooks like porridge

I’llserve it to you with love, dig in!

Yeh tohtrailer hai poori fillam dikhane aayi
Husn ki teelli se beedi-chillam jalaane aayi
Aaayi ! chikni Jasmine chhup ke akeli pawwa chadhake aayi (x4 times)

Thisis just the trailer, I’ve come to show to whole movie

And to light beedis andchillums with the matchstick of my beauty

Here comes the sticky (err.. Slippery) Jasmine,alone in disguise, after loading one quarter. ||4||

Banjar bastimein aayi hai masti
Aisa namkeen chehra tera
Meri neeyat pe chadhke chhoote na hai rang gehratera

In the barren township, herecomes the fun

Such is the salty face ofyours

Your colours are not washingoff after staining my intentions

Joban ye mera kenchi hairaja
Saare pardo ko kaatungi main
Shaame meri akeli hai aaja sang tere baatungi main

My youth is like a pair ofscissors, oh King!

I’ll cut all the curtains

My evenings are lonely,come! I’ll share them with you!

Haaye! baaton mein ishaarahai
Jisme khel saara hai
Baaton mein ishaara hai
Jisme khel saara hai
Tod ke tijoriyon ko loot le zara
Choom ke zakhmo pe thoda malham lagaane aayi

Husn ki teelli sebeedi-chillam jalaane aa.yi
Aayi Chikni..chikni...aayi..aayi
Aayi Chikni..chikni...aayi..aayi
Aaayi ! chikni Jasmine chhup ke akeli pawwa chadhake aayi...

Oye! There are gestures inmy words

Which have all the play inthem

Oye! There are gestures in mywords

Which have all the play inthem

Break all the vaults and roball you can

I’ve come to kiss on thewounds and apply ointment

And to light beedis andchillums with the matchstick of my beauty

Comes sticky (err.. Slippery) .. sticky (err.. Slippery)..comes.. comes..

Comes sticky (err.. Slippery).. sticky (err.. Slippery)..comes.. comes..

Here comes the sticky (err.. Slippery) Jasmine,alone in disguise, after loading one quarter.

Beyond The First 50 Miles

2012-01-23T14:17:00.003+05:30

Let us go back to the time welearnt to drive a car. The adrenaline rush of driving for the first timecoupled with the trepidation of not knowing how the first drive is going to be.The false starts; the first gear; using the rear view mirror; understanding themechanism of brake and gear shift; getting to know the clutch control; dealingwith traffic; the first dent or scratch; and the pride of reversing the carback to its original position.

But as we go on driving, we findthat our journeys are getting smoother; that we are understanding our vehiclesbetter; that the gear shifts are becoming more effortless; that we aretravelling more distance in the same quantity of fuel; and that false starts,dents, scratches and the trepidation are becoming rarer.

As of today, I am still in my trepidation stage. I still get that cold sweat every time I see too much traffic ahead of me. I still swear more than what is necessary (if you have driven in India, you would agree that some amount of swearing is necessary). But I hope to cross over soon.

This cycle of learning is an integral part of everything in life. We may have rolled our eyes every time our teachers told us that 'Practice makes a man perfect' (women are born perfect apparently), but the fact of life is that, it is true. The trick is to keep on challenging one's fears, to keep on learning from one's failures and most importantly, to keep on trying - Beyond the false starts, the scratches, the cold sweats, the swearing and the first 50 miles.

The downside of Happiness

2012-01-17T19:29:00.003+05:30

"If an idle mind is a devil's workshop,a preoccupied one is probably where he goes for a vacation."

Read this statement carefully,folks! It is a Murthism that has arrived to me after a long long time..Sometimes, I really miss those days of abject haplessness, unintentionalsolitude (also known as loneliness) and self-deprecating sorrows.. I admit thatI didn't have much, but I at least had things to vent out... A process that invariablyled to a somewhat steady production cycle of Murthisms and blog posts.. Then onefine day, Happiness struck back with a vengeance...

So, the United States ofHappiness toppled the creatively fruitful but an unarguably dictatorial regime of Masochism..And thereafter, gave M/s Smiles Inc. the job of reconstructing the dilapidatedinfrastructure and reinstated democracy by bringing in a rubber stampgovernment headed by Mr. Contentment incoalition with a certain Mr. Complacency.

The result? A period where everyday is so good that I can't really differentiate one day from another; a periodwhere I doubt my perceptions about the world because I feel that I'm lookingthrough rose tinted glasses; a period where I feel that everything needs to beexperienced and not necessarily written about.

Now, I will get to the point(finally!!).... Till the time, this existing government is not voted outthrough an incumbency wave or thrown out due to a military coup, please bearwith the irregular blog updates and murthism msgs. Thank you for your patience,it will be tested rather rigorously.

All around the crystal ball

2012-01-12T08:53:00.001+05:30

The biggest and the best of iconoclasts,
And the staunchest of atheists and agnostics,
Will still take a peek at an unattended crystal ball.
Because we are all intrigued by what the future holds.
But we forget some simple facts,
That the future is what we make of it;
That the human mind, supercedes the fate;
That what we see in the crystal ball,
Is but only a sum of all our repressed wants.

The Rage of Conflict

2011-12-21T15:08:00.000+05:30

Ah! Nothing like an irrational point of view to stir up the consciencefrom an ill-deserved hibernation! Just read an article by Mr. Pritish Nandycalled ‘The age of conflict’ and quite frankly, this piece dumbfounded me. I’venever been a big fan of Mr. Nandy as I believe that he usually picks up a contradictoryview just to appear different. But the sheer irrationality of this piece, mademe want to take it up and give a response; a reply to the best of my abilities.I may not have a Times of India to publish me, but I do hope that I have anaudience, maybe even Mr. Nandy.

I suggest that you take sometime off to first read Mr. Nandy’s article so that you can better comprehend myreply. You can read this article on

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/extraordinaryissue/entry/the-age-of-conflict

Welcome back! Now, I shall dispense my response.

Strife and conflict may result in paradigm shifts, but they are onlygood if they happen once in a while. A continuous period of conflict would giverise to chaos and insecurity of life. This is precisely why the period between5th and 15th century in Europe is regarded as the "Dark Ages". Therewere too many conflicts, wars and religious persecutions. This resulted in anera were artists, scientists and traders cared less about their profession andvocation, and more about just managing to survive. The Golden Age that followedwas marked by more stability and peace. Hence art, trade and scienceflourished.

Simply put, a horse will run faster when it is hit with a stick, buthow long will it run before it bites the dust?

Mr. Nandy purports that Nathuram Godse kept Gandhi ‘alive by assassinatinghim’. This is a dangerous conspiracy theory and I sincerely hope that he doesn’treally believe in what he is typing. Gandhi is remembered today because Indiastill flourishes as a nation and because he is still a popular part of the propagandamachinery of successive incumbent governments. Mikhail Gorbachev is forgotten (sic)because the USSR doesn’t exist anymore. I agree that violence has changed ourhistory and defines us as human beings, but it is absolutely unnecessary aswell as irresponsible to glorify violence and anger like this.

Great religions have ‘expanded’ through strife, but they haveflourished and have become enriched only during times of peace. The purpose ofreligion is not merely to expand their area of influence, locusts behave likethat.

Yes! Conflicts do change countries and draw , but who draws the linebetween a conflict and an all out civil war? I find the ANNArchy these days,very disturbing. Every revolution must have a shut-down button, something tobring the temper of the populace back to normalcy and, if I may add Mr. Nandy,peace. A revolution can give rise to a Gandhi or George Washington; it can alsogive rise to a Hitler or Pol Pot. Time will tell if this present revolutionends in peace or dies a gruesome death.

The Bhagvad Gita apparently says that it is our moral duty to fightevery war and win it. I am no expert on Bhagvad Gita, but I’ve always believedthat a war is never fought to give rise to another battle. A war is fought forthe good to prevail over evil, for the peace to triumph over strife.

Overall, I find Mr. Nandy’s tone to be quite defeatist. Just becausesomething seems improbable in the present, doesn’t mean that it is impossiblein the future. The grapes ain’t all that sour, sir!

Mere Brother ki Dulhan: Of Stock Footages, Caricatures and Déjà Vu

2011-09-10T16:04:00.000+05:30

Time generally stops when theprojector goes on. Sometimes it stops for the better, sometimes for the worse.Mere Brother ki Dulhan falls in the latter category. At 145 minutes, it was notsupposed to be a tiresome effort to watch; it is... Believe me, it is!

Legend has it that during Mithun da’sheyday in 1990’s, he used to make 35-37 movies in a year and didn’t mind usingsome footage from one of his movies as a stock for other movies. Yash Raj Films(YRF) doesn’t make 37 films in a year (Thankfully!) but I get a feeling thatthey are using the same ploy. Everycharacter and sequence in MBKD gives you a feeling of déjà vu.

Kush Agnihotri (Imran)saunters into the movie as if it were ‘Ihate luv storys - part 2’. Same characterization, same limited set ofexpressions, same eyebrows (eyebushes, actually).. even his profession remains thesame! Imran better invoke some divine (read: uncle) intervention before he getstypecast as a Jay or a Kush.

Dimple Dixit (Katrina) is likea daily-wager in this movie. I think she must have sauntered out of her vanityvan every day and the director, Ali Abbas Zafar, must have told her “Okay, you will be ahippie rockstar today”, “You will be a demure prospective bride serving sometea today”, “You are gonna be drunk today” etc etc.. The thing is there isabsolutely no continuity in her character... She looks and acts like a confusedmix of Jab We Met’s Geet, Band Baaja Baaraat’s Shruti and Love Aaj Kal’s Meera.. Her mood,expressions and personality changes as often and as inconsistently as herearrings... okay, I might not be right about her expressions; they pretty muchremain the same..

Luv Agnihotri (Ali Zafar) is apretty face but that prettiness goes unnoticed in comparison to the ethereal beautyof Katrina. I have, unfortunately, not seen ‘Tere Bin Laden’ but, from what I’ve heard, it must have been a muchmuch better effort than MBKD’s Luv.

Every other supporting cast inthis movie is a caricature. Kush’s friends remind me of the fantastic DeepakDobriyal’s Pappi of ‘Tanu weds Manu’(unfortunately, they are nowhere as great as Deepak). Kanwaljeet and ParikshitSahani as Dimple and Kush’s respective dads start off well but then settle intotheir respective caricature molds. Even the wedding decorator/contractor looksstraight out of ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’.

Like all YRF projects, MBKD boastof sound production quality and the works. But everything goes down the drainas soon the script and the story (or the lack of it) is talked about. There areso many pot-holes in the plot that they remind me of an average Indian roadafter monsoon. For eg: Where was the family when Kush takes Dimple on a 24 hourDilli-darshan just two days before her engagement? How come no one notices thatDimple and Kush had run away from the Delhi farmhouse? Would Kush have stillthought about Luv’s well-being and love interest, had he not fallen for Dimple?Parikshit Sahani is a retired colonel and Kanwaljeet is an IFS officer, so whothe hell is paying for the extravagant Delhi farmhouse and the convenient shiftto Agra at the drop of a hat? Let me guess, Yash uncle?...

Oh by the way, did Imention that Ali Abbas Zafar worked as an assistant director in ‘Tashan’, ‘Jhoom Barabar Jhoom’ and ‘BadmashCompany’? I guess that answers most of my questions stated above.

I can go and on about what iswrong with MBKD but I fear that my review will end up looking longer than thisfilm’s script. In the end, I can only feel sad that the flicker of hope thatYRF showed in ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’has been mercilessly extinguished by MBKD.

Dear Eccentric Scientist,

2011-06-22T11:34:00.000+05:30

It has come to my notice that you have been diligently and passionately working on making a time machine. I admit that the concept of time machine seems very romantic. The idea of going back into the past and changing the present or seeing the glimpse of the future, seems too lucrative to let go of. But I’d like to raise some concerns regarding the repercussions of such an object of wonderment.

First

What happens to my present when I go back in the past or dive into the future? Does it stop? Because if it does, then it would go against one of the basic doctrines of life; that life goes on. Moreover, what would happen if I were to get contentment in my past or enjoyment in the luxuries of my future and decide to stay back (or ahead)? Will my present languish in inertia for eternity?

And if my present continues, as I go back and forth in time, who is going to live it? Will there be a provision for a clone or an android to do my daily chores while I indulge in my time escapades? Will the clone have the powers to take decisions of daily life on my behalf? If no, then you need to understand that such a decision-less existence wouldn’t last for long. If yes, then am I expected to bear the ramifications of the decisions of an artificial intelligence?

Second

In case I decide to tweak my past to get a perfect present or tweak the present to align with a perfect future; will these changes in past, present and future be restricted just to my individual life? I have always believed that I share a collective and cohesive existence with everyone else around me. My present is linked with theirs and vice versa. So if I change my past, present or future, then it has to change theirs too, right? What if they are not happy with the changes being introduced?

And if my past, present or future were to change in isolation, then I fail to understand what the point would be in making these changes? The loved ones I resurrect from the past will be for my eyes only. The misery that I foresee in the future will still affect the lives of my loved ones. I will end up enjoying my joys alone and still grieve the sorrows of the world around me. I don’t think that even a “see only” concept will work on time machines. Why would I want to see my past and not do anything about it or see my future and not want to change my present accordingly?

Life has given us time and has divided it into three parts; past, present and future, for a good reason. We are expected to forgive and forget our past, work and love sincerely in the present and hope steadfastly for the future. There is really no point in mixing these three things. I have no doubts in your intelligence or capabilities, but there are some things that are just not meant to be. I am sorry for breaking this sad truth to you like this.

In light of all these concerns, I’d suggest that you shelve this adventure of making a time machine. It would just not be worth it; in fact it might end up costing more than what we can afford.

Sincerely yours,

Krishnamurthi Kumar

Merawala Gaana..

2011-05-31T11:26:00.004+05:30

Love introduced me to poems and songs. It taught me to delve beyond the beautiful facade of music and listen to the lyrics, to understand the meaning conveyed and to catch the lack of it. Different stages of life and love have given me different theme songs to remember them by. I will go in a chronological order.

1. Pyaar mujhse jo kiya tumne (Saath Saath)

Second thoughts of an infant infatuation.. Self doubt.. Trying to glorify one’s shortcomings for more than they were worth.. This is a one of a kind gem by Javed Akhtar..

Ek main kya? abhi ayenge diwane kitne,

Aur gunjengi mohabbat ke taraane kitne,

Zindagi tumko sunaaegi fasane kitne,

Kyon samajhti ho, mujhe bhool nahin paogi?

Pyaar mujhse jo kiya tumne, to kya paogi..

2. Tumse milke, aisa laga tumse milke (Parinda)

This classic from Parinda was the first song that I ever sang to a girl. She loved me in spite of my singing abilities. Maybe she liked the song so much; maybe she took pity on me. But this song is and will always be close to my heart.

Mere sanam, teri kasam.. chhodenge ab na ye haath..

Yeh zindagi guzregi ab, humdum tumhare hi saath..

Apna yeh vaada raha, tumse na honge judaa..

3. Kehna hai, Kehna hai (Padosan)

Constant reiteration of a love already solemnized. A very apt song to sing when you have that special someone’s hands in your hand..

Kabse.. dilne mere.. maan liya hai.. tumko apna..

Aankhen meri dekh rahi hain, jaagte sote ye sapna..

Mere gale me daal rahe ho, tum bahon ka haar...

Tum hi to laayi ho jeevan me mere.. pyaar.. pyaar.. pyaar..

4. Jag jaa ri gudiya (Omkara)

Ah those wonderful idyllic afternoons where the college was bunked and the time whiled away in the close embrace of each other.Nothing to do but close the eyes and hum the words of a forgotten song..

Jo chahe le lo, Dashrath ka vaada

nainon se kholo ji raina

o ri raani, gudiyaa,

jag jaa, ari jag ja, mui jag ja..

5. Tadap tadapke is dil se.. (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam)

The song conveys everything there is to be conveyed through its anger, frustration and disillusionment.

Tadap tadap ke is dil se aah nikalti rahi

Mujhko sazaa di pyaar ki, aisa kya gunaah kiya?

6. Seene me jalan (Gaman)

Ramblings of an empty heart..

kyaa koi nayee baat, nazar aati hain hum me?

aaina humei dekh ke hairaan saa kyon hain ?

7. Tum pukaar lo (Khamoshi)

A constant companion of a sleepless night. A plead for a call that was never answered.

Honth pe liye hue, dil ki baat hum..

Jaagte rahenge aur kitni raat hum...

Mukhtsar si baat hai, tumse pyaar hai..

Tumhaara intezaar hai..

8. Chalo ik baar phir se (Gumraah)

A song that I had always heard but never listened to, until a very dear friend of mine quoted a line from the song to ease the pain of the writhing heart. Thank you! You know who you are.. I don’t feel the need to quote your name..

Woh afsaana jise anjaam tak laana na ho mumkin,

Use ek khoobsoorat mod dekar chhodna achchha

Chalo ek baar phir se..

So.. There you are! An eight song compilation that is sure to make me nostalgic.. Now and forever..

Confessions from an indulgent weekend

2011-05-30T11:30:00.003+05:30

Aah! Blogging after a long time! Happy to report that I have something to report! This is the story of the weekend of May 28-29, 2011. It goes something like this.

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 9:30 am: Since school, my weekends have always started on Saturday mornings.. Sometimes they even started on Friday nights.. But nowadays, things are a little different.. Its a beautiful Saturday morning, and I’m in office. I changed jobs about 10 months back.. So you can say that I have a solid experience of wasting away close 40 of my Saturdays in office.. but I’ve still not gotten used to the idea..

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 11:30 am: My first yawn of the day! 5 hrs ahead of the usual schedule! Its going to be a long day..

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 1:30 pm: Fuel for the stomach is fuel for more sleep.. Made the huge mistake of going a Gujarati thali for lunch... Hotel Jay Gurudev... Mere sukh, dukh aur bhook ka saathi since 2005... 60 bucks, unlimited food, bliss.. came back... slept..

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 3:30 pm: woke up from a peaceful open-eyed nap... realised that I’ll have to finish off this copy work that I’d been working on since 2 days... Got to work... six hrs after reaching office... Dont smirk! This was one of those better days!

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 6:45 pm: 15 minutes to go..

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 6:56 am: four minutes to go.. started my everyday post-office psyche up session with “Dhinkachika” song... Salman bhai rock..

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 7:01 am: got late by a minute.. email servers have this irritating habit of clogging up just when you have to send an important mail and get out... 2 MB ke forwards bhejo... instantly chale jayenge... 156kb ka word file bhejo... send/receive... send/receive..send/receive..

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 7:30 pm: Reached Barista.. Familiar faces.. second home.. felt like the first.. and the ‘Ek Ratriya Yojana’ planning starts..

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 7:32 pm: The quickest ‘Ek Ratriya Yojana’ ever! Couple of cans of ‘juice’ and 2 bottles of ‘water’.. Life set hai!... Jugaad kaam chalu..

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 8:30 pm: Slight change of plans.. Need to incorporate Hangover part 2 before the real Hangover.. *Please ticket na mile*.. *Please ticket na mile*..... Ticket mil gaya... Damn!!

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 10:30 pm: “oye! 9 o’clock!! Check out that white skirt!!”... “oye! 3 o’clock!! Kya smile hai yaar!!”... “oye!! Jaldi chalo Vicco Vajradanti ka ad miss ho jaega!!”

May 28, 2011, Saturday, 10:46 pm: “Vicco turmeric, nahin cosmetic.. Vicco turmeric ayurvedic cream”..

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 12:30 am: Hangover 1 was much better than Hangover 2... Part of the reason for the disappointment was also that each additional minute I spent in the theatre.. was one minute less with my ‘juice’ and ‘water’... “Oye! 6 o’clock!! That white skirt is getting into that car! Woh ladke ko dekha?? Languur huur le gaya! Shit!”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 1:30 am: Water! Wonderful water.. served best with a couple of cubes of ice and cold drink.... waah waah!!

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 3:30 am: “Kisi nazar ko tera intezaar aaj bhi hai... kahaan ho tum ke ye dil, bekarar aaj bhi hai”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 4:00 am: Incessant ramblings on inconsequential topics like meaning of love, life and love-life... followed by inconsolable pangs of guilt conscience and self-pity..

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 4:30 am: “Main bhatakta hi raha, dard ke viraane me.. waqt likhta raha chehre pe har pal ka hisaab.. meri shoharat mere diwangi ni nazar hui.. pii gayi mai ki botal mere geeton ki kitaab.. aaj lauta hoon to hasne ki adaa bhool gaya.. yeh sheher bhula mujhe, main bhi ise bhool gaya.. Mere apne mere hone ki nishaani maange... aaina mujhse meri pehle si surat maange..”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 5:10 am: “Ab so ke kya karna hai yaar?! Apne 5:30 ke aas paas chai peene jaate hain..”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 5:30 am: “abbey hath na yaar!! Sone de”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 10:30 am: “Murthi! Uthh!! Chal chaai peeke aate hain!!”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 11:30 am: “Main sach bol raha hoon yaar! ‘juice’ me kuch to locha tha!! Bahut sir dard kar.. Augggghhhhh!!!!”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 1:00 pm: “Augggghhhhh!!! Damn!”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 4:30 pm: Must.. wake.. up... cant.. waste.. the.. whole.. Sunday.. like.. this.. Haven’t eaten all day... kahaan jaun?... Barista... but first let me do some shopping... why?.. Why not??!!

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 7:30 pm: Aaah! Nothing like coming to Barista after a round of unnecessary shopping of clothes.. koi jaana pehchana dikh raha hai?... “Oh!! Hi!! *iska naam kya hai* Bas yaar chal raha hai.. *array iska naam kya hai*... oh!! Pukka milte hain.. i’ll give you a call when during the week *Ghanta!! Naam to yaad hai nahin, call kya karega?*... Bye!!”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 9:30 pm: “Chal Tandoor jaate hain... bahot time hua... long drive bhi ho jaaega”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 9:45 pm: Bullet Classic 500 is a huge distraction on the road! Kya pick up hai yaar! *note to self: apni 350 ko mechanic ke paas leke jaa!”

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 10:30 pm: Sab saale ‘juice’ peeke aaye hain yahaan pe! But khaana sasta hai..

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 11:15 pm: Chal yaar.. nikalte hain... abhi niklenge to 12 baje tak ghar pahuchenge..

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 11:20 pm: “Array Murthi, peeche ke tyre me hava kam hai kya?”... “Shit”..

May 29, 2011, Sunday, 1:30 am: Home sweet Home! Murthism to self: “sometimes the only things that make an event worth remembering, are the things that go wrong.. terribly wrong!”

Rage against Corruption

2011-04-07T20:33:00.001+05:30

The voice of the conscience is something that is supposed to govern an individual’s actions. But groups, or crowds, do not work in the way individuals do. This is precisely where legislation comes into the picture. A legislation is basically a voice of conscience enforced upon the entire population of a nation by a government.

Legislation is regarded as one of the three main functions of government. The Legislators (Parliament) create legislations through the powers formally bestowed to them. The judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court, interprets the legislation and enforces it and the executive branch of government, the cabinet secretariat, acts within the powers and limits set by the law.

Nonetheless, every once in a while it is seen that the elected group of individuals who have the mandate to create legislations, lose track of the pulse of the populace. The electorate that elects the legislators become disgruntled and disillusioned by the acts of the legislators.

The workings of the Indian government has long been shrouded from the public eye by archaic laws like The Official Secrets Act (1889) that secures information related to security of the State, sovereignty of the country and friendly relations with foreign states, and contains provisions which prohibit disclosure of non-classified information.

The State skirted away the various calls for transparency using such acts and oblivious of the fact that Article 19(1) of the Constitution provides for Fundamental Right of speech & expression. Further, Supreme Court, in one of its ruling, said that a person cannot express himself unless he “knows”. Hence, Right to Information was always a part of the Fundamental Right of speech & expression.

Since its enforcement on the midnight on October 12, 2005, The Right to Information (RTI) Act has made its presence felt in the everyday lives of Indians. From villages in Rajasthan using RTI to verify just how many check dams had been shown on paper and how many were actually built, to hapless citizens using the act to get an answer on why it took so long for their pensions, sewer lines or telephone connections to start. RTI, for the first time, made the government answerable for its actions and inactions. But RTI opened a Pandora’s Box as well; it unearthed such sickening levels of corruption in the system that it nauseated even the most disinterested of the citizens amongst us.

Although not a new phenomenon, this ‘disease’ of corruption has now become an epidemic of sorts. It has been widely researched and reported that corruption is one of the biggest remaining impediments in India’s growth story. Yet, the Indian governmental machinery, which is one of the biggest proliferators of the corruption virus, remains passive in its decadence.

Now, after 62 years of independence, the time has come for the “iron walls” to fall! It is about time the citizens of this country see exactly how their elected government works and more importantly, how it doesn’t. It is time for the Jan Lokpal Bill to be enacted and enforced!

The Lokpal Bill has been languishing in labyrinths of the Parliament for the last 42 years. The first Lokpal Bill was passed in the 4th Lok Sabha in 1969 but could not get through in Rajya Sabha. Subsequently, Lokpal bills were introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and in 2008, yet they were never passed. Now, comes the latest farcical twist to this drama; as per the draft Lokpal Bill tabled in 2010,

“Lokpal will have no power to initiate suo moto action or receive complaints of corruption from the general public. It can only probe complaints forwarded by LS Speaker or RS Chairman.”

“Lokpal will only be an Advisory Body. Its part is only limited to forwarding its report to the "Competent Authority"”

“Lokpal will not have any police powers. It cannot register FIRs or proceed with criminal investigations.”

In short, to fight off a demon, the government proposes to introduce a toothless tiger to the jungle!

One man has stood up to ensure that this drama, 42 years in the making, doesn’t end up becoming a tragedy. He is Mr. Kisan Bapat Baburao Hazare, known to millions around India and the world, as simply, Anna Hazare. He relentlessly pursued and ensured that the Right to Information Act became a reality, and he is showing the same conviction and passion for the efficacy of the Jan Lokpal Bill. Let us show our solidarity towards the cause being spearheaded by this 72 year old Gandhian.

We have the powerful medium of internet to our disposal. There is no information about the Lokpal Bill or Anna Hazare’s campaign, that cannot be found with a simple search on Google. The awareness and the sensitivity can easily be spread using the social networking sites. The only thing that is stopping us now is our indifference. Let us be different!

Really?

2011-02-24T17:50:00.000+05:30

We live in an age where technology has not made life simpler; it has complicated and obfuscated the simpler things to such an extent that they don’t even come into our purview of cognition anymore.

Have you noticed that the frustratingly curious uncles and aunties don’t ask kids “How many friends do you have in school?” these days? There was a time when kids used to innocently count out friends on their finger tips. Now they refer to their FB profile for the updated figure (sometimes even including the pending friend requests). Also, have you noticed how difficult it has become to answer seemingly innocuous questions like “Are you still in touch with him/her?”. That person is on your friend list; comments on ALL your updates (even the Farmville and mafia wars ones); seems to like ALL your pictures (even those crazy drunken party pics); seems to know about all your parties, vacations, relationship status updates and even mood swings; someone who sent you his/her marriage invitation (as an event on FB, of course). But someone whom you’ve not met in half a decade. Are you really in touch with this person?

I assume that blogs were introduced in order to facilitate the process of venting out. It gave a medium of expression to people who had none; a veil which a common man could use to express his views without worrying about any repercussions. There was a time not long ago when blogs were flourishing. Then came twitter. All of a sudden it became ‘cool’ to express oneself in 140 characters. Laws of grammar and sentence construction be damned. Inanity became the ‘in’ thing. The originality of our thoughts dying out due to the endless onslaught of tweets and re-tweets. A span of attention as long as the next breaking news or gossip.

It would be very myopic of me to squarely blame these so-called social networks, for the doldrums in which our social life lies today. A gun is only as lethal or protective as the hand using it. We have to draw a line between our virtual and real world. There has to be a perceptible difference between the two; always. How unfortunate is the person who has a thousand friends on FB, but not a single shoulder to cry on?

Where's the wonderful world?

2011-02-14T11:02:00.000+05:30

I see trees of green, in the pictures of yore;
I imagine the shade, the fruits and so much more.
And I ask to myself, where’s the wonderful world?

The skies used to be so blue and clouds so white
the birds would chirp all day, frogs croaked all night
but now the skies and clouds are in shades of grey
and as my heart yearns for a bright sunny day
I ask to myself, where’s the wonderful world?

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
have faded into the darkness, of the smoke going by
I see people go through life, missing what has been lost;
The beauty they pawned off, but at what cost?

If only I could go back, I’d make everything right;
I’d profess my love to her, under the starry night
The days would brighten up and the rains would fall
And it would wash away, the writing on the wall.

But now I ask to myself, where’s the wonderful world?
Oh! I ask to myself, where’s the wonderful world?

-Man, February 14, 2051

Inspired from Louis Armstrong’s “what a wonderful world”

Speaking of thoughts

2011-01-05T15:35:00.000+05:30

Thoughts are tricky. They come at the most unexpected of times and in the weirdest of places. Thoughts have a very creepy way of getting into your head. It could be something that you see, something you smell, something that the people around you are talking about, something that you remember from something that happened once, something that you remember from something that you always wanted to happen but never did. You get the picture, right?

But of course, they don’t get into you head as a full-fledged thought!! No!! That would be too easy! They get in as a word, a picture, a blank to be filled, a what-if. Then they start niggling you like that piece of chicken that get stuck in a crevice of your teeth; something that feels HUGE when you touch it with your tongue but is just out of reach when you put your finger in. Slowly these words start getting together. They become sentences. Then these sentences start getting galvanized by feelings. Now, feelings are heavy material! They are probably the most densely packed intangible material known to man! Soon this innocuous looking thought is no longer a chicken stuck between your teeth; it’s a chicken sitting on your head. You have got to get this thought out of your head if you are planning to do anything else for the rest of the day. I also got hit by one such thought-train.

So what are my thoughts about? Hmmm… Well… They are simply thoughts about thoughts. I just came back from lunch and was picking up the strands of work from where I had left it. And… Boom! The rest, as they say, is this blog entry!

Dear 2010,

2010-12-31T18:54:00.000+05:30

Thank you for showing me interesting times and for making me learn so many things; some that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life and some that I’d rather not remember for the rest of it. You will always be cherished for the things and people you brought into my life. You will always be loathed for the things and people you took away. I know that none of it was your fault but I need someone to blame it on, so bear with me!

I must admit that there was something quite mystical and prophetic about you. When I was going through some of the darkest alleys of my life, you showed me a sign; not only that, you gave me the gumption to capture the sign in a photograph. It showed me what I have left behind, where I shall stay and what shall be my destination. I will always remember you for this.

I don’t think you’d know 2011 but, from what I've heard so far, he seems to be a good chap. In case, you bump into him on your way out, share some of your experiences with him.Put in a good word about me as well, if possible.

Here is wishing you a happy journey to wherever it is that you go now. If you ever look back, remember me as friend.

Cheers!

Krishnamurthi

Plug and Play

2010-12-29T14:01:00.000+05:30

This was the year that launched a thousand leaks

Oil pipes creaked & diplomacy leaked, weeks after weeks

But there were some leaks in 2010 that went unobserved

The taps that leaked a million gallons and drained reservoirs unperturbed

This was the year that launched a thousand scams

Politics played games and games played for clams

But there were some scams in 2010 that went unnoticed

November rains, December hails; snow replacing the mist

In 2011, let us resolve to “plug and play”

Let’s plug all leaks, play by the book and usher in a brand new day!

Because I miss you..

2010-12-28T15:41:00.002+05:30

The sun shines, but there is dimness in its glow..

The river moves, but with less vigor in its flow..

The mighty sky looks a little less blue..

Because I miss you! Because I miss you!

The clock ticks as usual, but the time moves very slow..

The day somehow ends, but the nights are a woe..

This heart expects its share of happiness before they are due..

Because I miss you! Because I miss you!

You walked through hell, and I walked with you..

Because you mean so much to me that I don’t even have a clue..

We reached the gates of heaven and breathed relief for a moment or two..

I’d choose hell over heaven, if it means that I don’t have to miss you!

The Pursuit of Wellness

2010-12-27T12:40:00.001+05:30

God has been a witness to the ferocity with which I’d fought the need to exercise. Four failed New Year resolutions, countless taunts and innumerable instances of sighs & heartburns later; here I was; walking down a path where many have walked before.

People from all walks of life come here. The diversity of the population inside is evident from outside itself. Vehicles ranging from mopeds and Nanos to Bullets and Beemers grace the parking lot. The pursuit of wellness, it seems, is a great leveler. It is 7:30 am and the park is teeming with people. Mental note: Come early; lesser the number of people, lesser the number of eyewitnesses. My friend, who weighs about 69% of what I weigh, lays down the ground rules. Five minutes of intense walking, followed by 90 seconds of jogging, followed by 120 seconds of walking, followed by 90 seconds of jogging and so on. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, right? WRONG!

Well, the walking part was easy; I do that every day. Now came the ‘jogging’ part. Myth buster: jogging is NOT fast walking. It is slow running.

10 seconds: Hey! This is not that bad. I’m running after 5 (Ok! Ok! 7!) years and I still remember how to do it.

45 seconds: Come on Man!! If he can do it, you can do it! Just hang on!! Just hang on!!

70 seconds: Was…. I…. supposed to… run for… 90 seconds… or….. 60 seconds?..... I’m pretty….. sure that… it was…… 60 seconds…. Wasn’t…. it?

85 seconds: ____________________________________

At 90 seconds I, a 25 yr old weighing in at 87 kg, blacked out. I huffed and I puffed and the world danced around me. I saw sexagenarians walk by me. I could have cut the embarrassment in the air, with a knife. I think I lasted 30 minutes before I threw in the towel and threw myself out.

As I was nursing my sore calf muscles while sipping on some nice ginger tea, I saw a group of senior citizens sitting in a circle with a box of thepla and some cups of tea in the middle. Although I was not within an earshot, I could make out that they were having an animated conversation about some lewd topic. They were, basically, enjoying themselves.

Maybe, the pursuit of wellness is not just about running around in circles or huffing and puffing in exhaustion. It is also about waking up early, spending time with people who know you (and more importantly, people who you know), having something to talk about, sharing a good laugh, being impressed by how the younger generation has ‘developed’ and basically, just having a good time. Some day, I too will sit with a bunch of oldies and have a good time. But to ensure that I last till then, I need to run now.

Ek Afwah

2010-12-24T11:17:00.002+05:30

Agar sun lo meri baaton ko, unko sach samajh lena..

Nahi to mere hone ko, tum ik afwah samajh lena..

Main tumse pyaar karta tha, main tumse pyaar karta hoon..

Samajhdari yehi hogi, mujhe paagal samajh lena..

Mere har khwaab tuute hain, teri angdaiyan ban kar..

Main tere saath hoon ab bhi, teri parchhaiyan ban kar..

Ba-haan hoon jab bhi aansu banke main teri nigahon se..

Teri gaalon se hoke, teri hothon pe, main khoya hoon…

A Tragedy of Life..

2010-12-22T19:45:00.001+05:30

I've stopped writing blogs since I became a copywriter!
Its like taking a vow of celibacy on the day of marriage!!

A cherished amnesia

2010-10-13T11:40:00.001+05:30

I don’t remember her face. I don’t remember her gaze.

I don’t remember the beautiful way she smelt.

I don’t remember her smile. I don’t remember her touch.

I don’t remember how wonderful it felt.

I don’t remember the screams. I don’t remember the shouts.

I don’t remember the passionate fights we fought.

I don’t remember the quips. I don’t remember the taunts.

I don’t remember the civility that she taught.

I don’t remember the way we used to join our names.

I don’t remember the pride with which I wrote them down.

I don’t remember the pictures that I hid behind frames.

I don’t remember the acts as an intentional clown.

I don’t remember all this. I don’t remember all that.

I don’t remember much of what happened as such.

All I remember now are things I remember not.

I wish I forget everything, I forgot.

Boys do cry...

2010-10-12T18:13:00.001+05:30

Like the sea water that corrodes every naked metal,

the tear drops eat away the soul..

More you keep the tears inside;

More you become a self consuming blackhole.

Cry away, my dear boy! Cry and free those tears..

Don’t worry about what all the people would say; allay all your fears.

Nobody feels what you feel, but you; nobody would understand.

Your shoes are too worn out, for someone else to stand.

Those who say that boys don’t cry are the ones who never tried.

The empty shells of had been men who now congregate and lie.

So cry away my dear boy! It’s always better out, than in.

When heartbreak isn’t a crime, crying can’t be a sin.

To be or not to ___

2010-09-05T02:00:00.001+05:30

Gaps, blanks & voids... that nagging creation of language and thought that breaks the continuity, that unleashes chaos into our seemingly perfect and coherent world..The ultimate source of cognitive dissonance... We, as human beings, have evolved ourselves into adjusting and tolerating with a lot of things in life (including the concept of after-life), but we have never really learned to live with a void. We just cant let a void be left alone. To be or not to be.

We take up the moral responsibility of filling up every void that comes in our life... As if the seamlessness in our lives is our prerogative... But we don’t always fill up this void with something that is of the same ecological constituent that surrounds it... So we hatch up excuses to explain gaps in education, career or life in general.. We try to fill the chasms in our hearts with cigarette smoke or a few pegs of whiskey.. We fall head over heals for somebody just to get over the pain and tribulation of falling head over heals for somebody... We think that we make these excuses or do these stupid acts of emotions and self-destruction in order to bring stability in the world around us; so that people don’t think of these gaps when they think of us. But in reality, we do this to bring a sense of stability within us.. So that we don’t see those gaps or void or chasms or heart breaks when we look at ourselves in the mirror... And we repeat these acts so often that sooner or later, we forget that it was our figment of imagination... We lie, to ourselves and to others, so often that the truth slowly suffocates from our indifference and dies..

If only we could let a void remain as it were.. To stand as a testament of how we tried and how we failed... To stand as an edifice of courage, rationality, compatibility and self-contentment that defined our character... Isn’t nothingness more respectable than something that should have never been there?

Life has been good to me..

2010-08-27T20:01:00.001+05:30

It is so easy to personify life into a human-like creature... Treat it as a third person... and give it the diabolical ability to cause us pain... work with luck to make things work... connive with destiny to deprive us of all the things that we ‘think’ we deserve..

Unfortunately, our tendency to personify life is not just restricted to our sorrowful moments; it extends to the joyous ones as well.. When everything works as per plan, “Life is good”... “Life has given me everything I ever wanted”... “I’ve no complaints with life”...

This does not necessarily absolve it off all allegations of giving us a shady corner where we tend to hide our short comings.. Instead of accepting certain deficiency in our efforts or abilities, it becomes easier to just personify life and implicate it for all the wrong doings.. This only makes us vulnerable to repeat those same mistakes; face those same failures.. again and again and again..

Another feather to the cap...

2010-08-21T10:29:00.000+05:30

I see a tiny feather being enamored by the gushing wind... The wind does everything to sway the feather off its course... to sweep it off its feet... to buoy it against all odds... but the feather keeps falling towards the ground... the unwelcoming earth that does nothing to deserve the purity and the softness of the feather.... The feather, although light, has the weight of its past on it... the worry of the future on it... the discontent of the present on it... weight enough to nullify the gushing wind... slowly but surely, the wind loses as the earth wins... the feather lies on the ground... at the mercy of the hooves to trample it, the broom to brush it away, the rain to wash it away and the dust to rob it off all its purity..

I see a tiny feather... and I say... "What took you so long?"

No looking back...

2010-05-04T01:29:00.003+05:30

I swear... if i ctrl+A and delete one more time... i'm gonna stop writing!!!...

I wondered all my life what those little pieces of leather around a horse's eyes are called... those little things that prevent it from looking back and looking around... and I wonder why i'd been wondering for so long??!!! There some questions in life which can give you sleepless nights... like... what was the name of that movie?? who wrote the lyrics of that song?? what am I doing with me life? you get the picture, right?? then there are some questions that we learn to live with... we think about it once in while, we make a mental note of trying to find the answer some day... and then we forget about.... What are those little pieces of leather called??

They are called "Blinkers", you dumbass!! a.k.a winkers, blinders etc.... You know why I bothered to google this tonight?? coz i feel like i'm wearing one...

I've been running for quite some time now... initially i kept a count of the number of laps i'd covered.... how many horses i went by.... But after a point, there is no point.... I've lost count of where i'm running, why i'm running, from whom i'm running and towards what?? Some one above me whips me once in a while and i run towards the goal... his goal.... I'd rather run out the race track and into the grass fields in the middle....

An-opposite-of-an-ode to Darkness

2010-04-29T04:14:00.001+05:30

I turn off the lights and look at myself in the mirror...
I see what I am.. stripped off all my delusions..
I see the “I”... not the “I should” or the “I would” nor the “I think”
I hate darkness... It makes me see too much of myself...

I turn off the lights... and I’m able to hear myself...
A slow nagging conscience not getting drowned in the humdrum of a busy day..
I hear about my failures, my “what if’s”, my “if only’s” and imaginary conversations of people behind my back..
I hate darkness... it makes me listen to the housewife inside me..

I turn off the lights... and all of a sudden, I’m all alone...
My poor shadow disappears.. the poor shadow which stood by me..
Through the long and short of it’s self... through the highs and lows of my self...
I hate darkness... it makes me feel the air swirling above my goose pimples and the trail of sweat channelling through it...

I turn off the lights... and I don’t rhyme any more...
Life is not a musical, any more... not whimsical, anymore...
I turn on the light and nothing changes...
I hate darkness... specially when I cant find the switch inside my head...

Stopping by the Palladium on a sunny afternoon

2010-04-06T00:05:00.003+05:30

The buildings are lovely, bright and tall..

My cousin is still not here, I'll ve to call..

The sloth says that he'd be there in 10 minutes..

But knowing him, I'd take that as infinite..

Phoenix mills.. I was here last, when Big Bazaar was a big deal..

Now it is some place where even a kleptomaniac wont steal..

I cant believe how much this place has changed since then..

I feel like a yawning Rip Van Winkle freshly out of his den..

I walk into the Palladium, the AC is good and its apparently Wi-Fi enabled..

Most of the access points are password protected or just don't work.. Does no one bother to look beneath the label?

I see a Diesel outlet..Something that I'd never seen outside Loot Mart..

I had plenty of time to kill, it seemed like a good start..

I walk in.. The store guy takes my proficiency in American English for granted..

And stumps me by asking if I knew what I wanted..

I cant concede that I'm just there to kill time, so I enquire about denims, size 34..

He give a nodding smile... I fear that he's seen blatant liars like me before..

He undertakes an excavation into the shelves, it seems size 34s are not the regular clientele..

All skinny eyes stare at me.. I could drown if only my waist would fit into the perimeter of a well..

I take a good long breath and pull up my pants.. It fits!! It fits!! It fits!!

I casually glance at the price tag safely tugged inside the pockets... Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!

10,795 is what it proudly states... 10,795 in Rupees, not the Rouble..

I carefully get out of 1/3rd of my monthly income.. I don't want no trouble..

I come out with a sheepish smile, the skinny eyes still stare.. I lie that the pants that fit, don't fit..

The wise ass!! by this time, he's managed to find a size 36 as well! but I say that I'm not mentally ready for it..

I walk out wondering how a place so exorbitant could exist..

but then again, with enough resources, how could greed resist..

I make a mental note of coming back some day..

with that much more money and that less fat my way...

but till then if i get the urge to buy a pair of diesel jeans..

Loot Mart, it is! Loot Mart, it is!

of the sea, the rock and the beach

2010-03-14T11:23:00.002+05:30

Relationships are like a sea coast. If both partners are like waves.... giving and taking love from each other... crashing into the other at any given opportunity... being alike and being one... then they coexist like a sea... happy in the tumultuousness of their relation... this is usually the beginning of a relationship... the seas have to become calm... eventually... eventually, you will have nothing to give and nothing to take...

Then there are relationships where one partner is the sea and the other is like the rock on the sea coast.... the sea keeps hitting the rock with love... sometimes with rage... but the rock doesn't react.. it stays the way it is... Happy in its solitude... if the sea recedes some day, then probably it’ll find a wave to crash into... perhaps the rock will start missing it as it get baked in the unsympathetic sun... probably it will not... But... had the sea continued crashing into the rocks, some day it’d found a way in.... some day, the rocks would have given in.... some day, some inlet would have been created and the sea could have broken into new grounds... given rise to new life... It is a risk that the sea has got to take...

The third kind is the beach.... the wave comes in with all its love.... it has already been stripped off all its rage, all its frustrations and all its inadequacies... as it comes to the beach, it is lovingly received by the sand.... The beach gives the sea everything that it can... its pebbles, its conches, its castles and footprints.... the weary sea quietly comes and takes away its treasures.... this is what relations are meant to be....

If you are the wave... and if you have found a wave... make the most of now... but remember that someday the tumultuousness has to end... don’t be too surprised if both of you end up finding a beach of your own...

If you are the wave... and if you have found a rock... keep hitting till you can... if you get that elusive inlet, it is your destiny... if not, it is still your destiny... but always remember... the sea is never blamed for receding from the rocks...

If you are the rock... wipe that smirk off your face... some day you’ll have to give in... that is how nature works... don’t be so sure of yourself...

Finally... if you are the beach... you are the best that you can be... keep giving... keep receiving... God bless you...

Gaman

2010-02-07T12:10:00.002+05:30

At the very outset, let me pay respect to the 1978 movie "Gaman", directed by Muzaffar Ali (his first movie), rarely has there ever been a movie which is summarized by a single song.... "Seene me jalan aankhon me toofan sa kyon hai.."

I spent 3.5 hrs waiting for a train the other day.... 3.5 eventful hours, if I might add.. It amazes me as to how much you can learn by way of observation... by merely blanking out all your frustrations about the Indian railway's lethargy, about the indifference of the platform announcers and the frustration of not being where you ought to be... If only we would see things the way they are, instead of the way we want them to be... we'd see so much more...

I saw that we are all hypocrites, by nature.... in the comfort of an armchair, we'd cry foul at the way our system is rotting through corruption... but on a platform in Surat station at 1 am, knowing that the train is "indefinitely" late, we wont blink twice before offering a Rs.100 bribe to the ticket checker for a ride on some other train...

I saw the importance of an onion... There was this old guy on the platform that night... Legs too frail to support him any more... by day, he might be a beggar pushing himself around on an improvised cart... by night, he was an inspiration... You see, he'd got hold of this onion from somewhere... and he was trying to keep it safe for the life left in him... in the half hour that I observed him, he must have twitched a dozen times, each time making sure that his treasure was safe in his torn pockets... I'd never know what he planned to do with that onion... but I will surely think about him, every time I waste food on my plate....

I realized a word that pretty much defines the state of this nation... "Adjustment".... I wait for this train (Avadh Express) for 3.5 hours... It finally comes to a different platform (unannounced by the platform announcers)....I cry foul... but I adjust... I board in to see that three guys have already squatted on my seat and enjoying a sleep that was supposed to have been bestowed to me... What do I do? Be a hero and wake them up... show them their place on the floor and climb on to my heavenly abode? Nah...I adjust... I find one more place, that was thankfully vacated at Surat station, and perch myself in.... I hear people talking around me, in dialects I've only heard in the movies... That night, a Tamilian felt as if he were in the middle of Uttar Pradesh, inside that train stationed in Gujarat... and he adjusted quite well, thank you...

I did not see many families that night in the S1 compartment of Avadh express... I saw men... band of brothers.... who had left their families back in the Hindi heartland and were going towards the unwelcoming city of Mumbai.... with a dream of being better than what they already were... with a dream of traveling back to their villages and towns, one day, on a confirmed ticket... Because, not all Tamilians are of adjusting nature inside Avadh express...

Last but not the least, I saw that you cannot stop the human spirit by installing a barricade of parochialism.. You can turn a tide, into a trickle... but a trickle shall remain, nonetheless.... No one can show a man, a promise of a better life... and then prevent him from trying to have it... I dearly hope that Mr. Thackeray reads this...

And after seeing all this.... I slept...

Blog and the City

2010-01-30T19:28:00.000+05:30

A city is only as good as the people surrounding you... Your impressions about a city, are but only manifestation and exaggerations of the people around you... You move into a new city... Find some familiar faces, or better still, become friends with the unfamiliar faces and all of a sudden, the city is friendly... You have a comfortable life... The best city in the world... On the other hand, you come into a city and you find politically motivated pseudo-friends, back biters, a couple of bitter experiences... and viola! you have your very own personal nightmare.

But what happens when you live in the same city where you have always lived... the friendly city... the best city in the world... and the familiar faces change... the quality of experiences change??... What happens when your dream and nightmare start getting mixed up?

The familiar faces around me have started changing.... the rare faces that still remain, have started showing streaks of unfamiliarity... come to think of it, adjusting to the changes inside your home is more difficult than moving into a new home altogether... There is some ego inside you that rages on... How could this happen?! How could a gregarious person like me end up like this? It must be someone else's fault.... Then there there is some naivety inside you that questions on..... Did I do something wrong? Have I got left behind here just because I didn't get up when everybody else did?.....There is some spark of optimism which trudges on.... so what if they are gone? I'm still the same guy! I can make new friends! The dream shall prevail.... and finally, there is some darkness inside you that makes you write this blog...

Winners, Losers, You and i

2009-11-08T19:33:00.003+05:30

There are basically four kinds of people on this planet... Winners, Losers, people who write about them.. and the people who read about them...

The winners seldom know (or accept) that they are winner... Because they fear complacency... They fear contentment... They fear that one day they will lose that hunger... that mojo... They keep on doing that they do... and they pass away...

The loser seldom accept (or know) that they are losers.... For them, success is the shadow behind their tail... It is just around the corner.... It is tomorrow..... it was in a moment that destiny took away from them... it is any moment but now.... Life is not made up of milestones... when they are born, they were not given out KRAs or KPIs.... They dont have annual appraisals where the almighty gives them a run down on a job poorly done.... They keep on doing what they do... and they cease to exist a long long time before they pass away....

The writers... like me.... find great pleasure in looking at the world in black and white.... in terms of rich and poor.... the strong and the weak..... the have's and the have not's..... the winners and losers.... They set milestones which they deem to be targets of success... all who manage to go on the other side (irrespective of the means used) are "winners".... everyone else is a loser..... They comment about everything and everybody except.... except the people who read what they write.... They never know for sure if the reader is a winner... because the winner never knows if he is... and they dare not term the reader as a loser..... unless of course they want to end up being one as well....

And then there are the readers.... YOU..... no comments.....

A tale of two cities...

2009-10-04T14:12:00.002+05:30

Mumbai never ceases to amaze me... The kind of variety, depth and confluence that I see here is unparalleled..

I saw two movies in Mumbai this weekend... on consecutive days... Wanted and Wake up Sid.... I saw Wanted at Maratha Mandir in the heart of Mumbai... Mumbai central... The balcony ticket cost me 75 bucks.... It was a nostalgic moment for me as it has been quite sometime since I bought a ticket @ 75 bucks... I go inside the auditorium and I see families... Which again is quite a rarity nowadays.... Before the movie, Jana Gana Mana.... everyone stands up, I can see a group of guys keeping one hand on the heart and the other put forwards in an oath... The national anthem ends with rapturous applause... The movie starts with whistles and howls.... There is a series of claps every time Salman (or Sallu bhai) mouths a dialogue (which, for the record, are straight out of Rajnikant movies).... Interval.... Samosa cost 15 bucks... coffee: 15 bucks... Popcorn: 10 bucks.... I've got tears in my eyes!!!... Shortly after interval, a brawl ensues in the stalls below.... apparently, some guy actually did a Munnabhai from Rangeela and kept his legs on the seat ahead of him.... Rukavat ke liye khed hai.... off we go again... the movie ends... and I see a collective murmur of the people as they stream through the narrow back alley of the movie hall... Paisa Vasool....

The second day I went to Fame at Inorbit mall..... Wake up sid.... Tickets: 220 bucks per head... Hot dog: *Inaugural offer of 100 bucks only*..... Tea (from tea bags, mind you): 25 bucks.... I have tears in my eyes again....I see couples streaming in.... strutting their stuff as if it were a fashion runway (I never understood the funda behind dressing up for a movie... isn't it dark in there?).... I can see people scrambling for their seats even as the National Anthem goes on... Movie starts in an eerie silence.... no clapping.... no whistles.... Just a nod of approval whenever a scene comes that reminds us of something real.... The movie ends... we better not talk about the value for money quotient here... From the theater, we enter the capitalistic capital of the Mall area... the food plaza and the game zone.... 150 gm of Pasta and 1 slice of 18 inch pizza: 220 bucks... *sigh*.... One round of dance karaoke: 60 bucks.... One portrait: 54 bucks (10% discount as my cousin has apparently been upgraded to a Platinum card)..... I come out of InOrbit with a heavy heart and an equally light wallet....

Two ends of a spectrum in two days... I love this city.... It makes me cry for so many reasons... :-)

what they taught me in college...

2009-05-13T00:33:00.001+05:30

Psychology, as a subject of study, always intrigued me; but psychology as a subject of study in my graduation never interested me. Out of all the stimuli J that I was subjected to during the 3 yrs of my grads, I hardly have reminiscence of a handful. One such concept is that of Gestalt psychology. Gestalt is basically a school of thought in Psychology that believes that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. That the personality of a person is something greater than all the characteristic behavior that is shown by that person. I loved the inclusion of the ingredient X in this concoction of human behavior, which gave it the added flavor of mysticism and completed it.

The greatest test of education is when it is tested against reality. Education is only as good as its level of practicality in everyday life. Even the complex topic of Relativity is often explained using the example of a moving train and a stationary object on the platform. All our studies stem from some part of reality that surrounds us. But more often than not, we never see the concepts of a textbook in the conceptions that surround us. Sometimes we can’t, sometimes we choose not to.

Take for example, Gestalt psychology. As I work in an organization, do I know what my place in this organization is? The raw material for me, is the work done by somebody else and my work is a raw material for someone else. At the end of the day, what comes out of the organization is greater than the sum of all the efforts put by everyone in the organization. For that matter, what is Home? Is it just a collection of a family under a common roof? Doesn’t it include all the happiness, sorrows, experience and naivety? Isn’t there an ingredient X that transforms a house into a home?

Every successful person needs to have the inquisitiveness to question the environment, the courage to seek an answer, and the wisdom to accept the outcome. Wish you all the best.

Cutting corners...

2009-05-10T04:25:00.001+05:30

I've always been penny wise and pound foolish. I still remember how I used to take money from mom in order to have dinner out with friends and would end up having a Rs.20 pav-bhaji (with no extra pav, they used to cost 3 bucks each) and I'd make a neat profit of 20 odd bucks.. I never knew what I was saving for, never managed to make a fortune out of it, but nevertheless, kept on cutting the corners to such an extent that a point came where only a point remained.

Even today, when I have dinner outside (out of compulsion, rather than choice) I have a paratha or a puri... I scrap off the upper layer, eat it like a roti and then eat the base... serves absolutely no purpose except giving me a feel as if I've had two rotis instead of one.

What am i doing at 4:30 in the morning? haven't slept a wink all night.... at some level, its just a naive attempt to remain awake for a night and day to get the feeling that I've lived two days instead of one... just imagine... had there been no punctuation mark would you know where one statement ended and other began... sleep is a way in which the body and the mind tell each other that a day has ended and new day begins... what happens when one become emotionally attached to a specific day?

And thus begins, the process of cutting corners all over again...

Vomit on a notepad

2009-05-10T02:38:00.001+05:30

I read a lot from a lot of non-conventional media... I seldom remember the person from whom the quote originated, but I always remember the quote.. Sometimes, its so brilliant that a misconception arises... A misconception that so original a thought, could have existed only in the realms of my own intelligence. As if I had always thought of it, I had just waited for someone else to draft it into words. Just the other day I read the wonderful quote "every time the radius of my knowledge increase, so does the circumference of ignorance"... Like I said, the origin of the quote is seldom remembered.

By any stretch of imagination, I have been quite irregular about updating my blog. At some level, I feel that its because I've become too critical of myself. At some point this heady cocktail of adulation (both self and from others) and this constant sense of wanting to better my ownself, has brought me to a stage where I cant write anything that surprises me. As if, in the time that lapses between the point where I think of something to where i eventually type it out, that idea has lost all relevance. On many occasions, I had to backspace all the words that I drawled on to the notepad (somehow the idea of ctrl+A and delete never interested me, the very idea of seeing your idea disintegrating with every click of the button, has given me a high).

I had a queer childhood where I read history books while others were reading comics... Used to finish of the various chapter of the English textbook even before the summer break got over... so at the time of exams, I used to prepare for the essays.. I guess I'd ve been the only guy in my school to have a book on how to write essays. Even if there were others, I never knew... One such book started with the foreword that I've never managed to forget. "An essay is nothing but a loose sally of mind, a vomit of thoughts on to a sheet of paper".... How true! and isn't it true for blogs as well?...

A blog is never supposed to make sense in the original draft... the beauty of a classic is that it is interpreted in a different way by every person who reads it... sometimes, you need to bear a child and leave it to the nature to make what it wants to make of it. And without much further ado, I present to you, my sally of mind..

Citizen K

2008-11-30T14:09:00.000+05:30

I am citizen K; A proud citizen of India. I am proud of India only and only because I strongly believe that one’s Dharma and Motherland; in spite of all its shortcomings, is still better than someone else’s Dharma and Motherland.

The last some days have been interesting. Interesting; because there is no other way to describe it. Do we as Indian become sarcastic or indifferent towards this? We can if we choose to, but it’ll hardly make much of a difference. We’d just be closing our eyes while standing in front of a charging bull. Do we show anger? We can but then what is it going to lead to? We can expect all men to show their anger at the right place, in the right manner and more importantly, towards the right person. We have been reacting in similar terms through all the blasts, riots, kidnappings, inflations, pseudo-wars etc.

What happened in Mumbai is a mockery. Not just on Indians, the politicians, the intelligence, the armed forces or the utopian concept of democracy. It is a mockery of everything and nothing at all. Just now, the honourable Home Minister of India, Mr. Shivraj Patil has ‘taken a moral responsibility’ for the ‘tragic incident’ and has hence tendered his resignation. The only responsibility that Mr. Patil has taken, is that he was incompetent to handle the position which was given to him. Where was his moral responsibility when blasts were happening all over India? How come his morality got a wake up call only and only when assembly elections are taking places in Delhi, MP and Rajasthan? Had Mr. Patil’s moral conscience really woken up he would have vowed to catch all the people who were responsible for this, he would have made sure that Dawood got extradited or at least mysteriously ‘neutralized’ on Pakistani soil. And when everything would have been hunky dorey then perhaps he should have gone on national television and should have said “I did the duties which were entrusted upon me, but the finger pointing and mud slinging by the opposition, the media and even my own colleagues has hurt me a lot. Hence, I choose to step down in the high point of my career as Home Minister”. That would have been poetic.

Ladies and Gentlemen, least we forget; Mr. Patil is just a fall-guy. He is just a crash test dummy who needs to hit the wall at 200 km/hr so that the actual driver of the car remains safe. We are all collectively responsible for everything that happens. Why is it that when it comes to basking in the glory of winning a test match or 20-20, we become collectively, a happy set of Indians? But when it comes to taking responsibility for a screw-up, we start pointing fingers. All the politicians that we blame are eventually just illegitimate children of our own misdeeds.

Finally, a note on the media coverage. The Indian media has been the only entity in the past few days to have shown some consistency. The Indian media had made a name for itself being blood sucking hounds and parasites, for being opportunistic to the point of fornicating their own sisters in order to make a breaking news story on incest relationship, for being pimps in the hands of those with money, power and both. And they have lived up to that. In its own way, the Indian media is a beacon. It is beacon of motivation on what can be achieved by being consistent. Consistently good or consistently bad, is a different ballgame altogether.

Perfect...

2008-10-13T21:54:00.001+05:30

In Oscar Wilde’s only published novel “The picture of Dorian Gray”, the protagonist decides not to put his best work of art on display, because he is afraid that he has put too much of himself into it. And thus, is against the proposition of putting himself before the lewd and cynical eye of the public at large. When I first read this book, a couple of years back, I doubted the merits of such an act. After all, it is a dream of any artist to paint his magnum opus; that one stroke that defines his stroke of genius. But now that I’ve thankfully matured into a greater and more profound level of understanding, I can quite see the reasons behind such an act of denouncement.

All our lives, we strive for perfection. A state where we are at peace with ourselves; a state of self-actualization. A vast majority of us are blessed with the destiny of not attaining this perfection. Thanks to all the worldly pressures, pleasures and distractions. But then, there are an unfortunate few who stumble upon this stage, even if inadvertently. Now, that you have achieved perfection, what next? Where does one go from here? It is like a darkness that surrounds our eyes just after we finish a 200m dash. Only this time, this darkness is more perpetual.

I should add here that I’m not contemplating something that is completely abstruse and relegated to the realms of arts and humanities. This is something that we all know and practice throughout our lives; in all forms of public domain. When a person joins a sales department, he is warned not to show that much zeal and efficiency in the very beginning, because the sales target are, by definition, unattainable. It is said that the more you achieve, more is expected of you in the next quarter. And who could forget the famous Hawthorne effect? In this ground breaking study conducted in early 1930s, it was found that the gangs of workers were deliberately under-performing under an impression that if they finish the work before time then they will become obsolete that sooner.

I, as a matter of fact, am quite far from the level of perfection that I’ve set for myself. But I’m quite aware of the fact that I may stumble upon it sooner than I plan to. But here lies the clincher, I plan to.... after all what is life without a little bit of a death-wish?

Rambling inconsequentially...

2008-10-03T23:29:00.001+05:30

I seem to have seceded into a strange sense of restlessness. A restlessness where I am in equal anticipation of things to happen... And also afraid, that they might... A restlessness, where everything matters and, yet, nothing does.... What am I waiting for? What is it that still eludes me? Why is it that the more I try to stay calm and go to sleep, more I see my legs shaking to a subliminal vibe? And last, but perhaps more importantly.... Why am I even bothering to ask such questions? I don’t think I even care to know what the answer might be.

How does one know where one stands if one doesn’t know where one started or how long one has travelled? Why is it important to know where one stands? Because the place of one’s existence in life, is unique. No two beings can exist at a same place at the same time. So where one is; is of no consequence to anyone else. It is only sick to seek gratification by trying to know more about something about which no one would be interested in knowing and even if they did, would be plainly unfathomable to understand.

For example, why am I rambling like this? What is it that is bothering me? Is there anything at all that is really bothering me? Why am I making my life miserable by constructing such long complex sentences and trying to join them together using a myriad labyrinth of punctuation marks? A strange fight to beat those frustrating green wavy lines of MS Word which remind me that man-made algorithms are better at a language, which man has perfected long before its very existence. Would you understand? And more importantly, would you care?

Plagiarised Originality

2008-09-27T16:12:00.001+05:30

It has been quite a while since my last post on this blog. Strangely enough, I don’t have anything to say even now! It is so difficult to say anything original nowadays. As if everything that could be said about anything on earth, has already been said.

Come to think of it; what originality is actually left? Our thinking is predominantly based on what we have learnt, what we have learnt, is predominantly based on the experiences of other people or from books written by someone else, regarding life as they saw it. We know that red is red, because we are taught that it is “red”. What difference would it have made had one learnt to call red as orange from the very beginning of life?

Even in terms of everyday life, we end up doing what someone else has already done. I accept the fact that we end up doing it in our own special way, but there is nothing radical in it, is there? We end up filling into our boss’s shoes, we end up fulfilling the dreams of our parents... the dreams that they must have seen after seeing someone else live it.... we become husbands and wives and try to emulate the happiness and behavior of husbands and wives around us.... husbands and wives who are probably doing the same thing. Our homes either take a leaf out of Gothic, Rajasthani, Mughal or South Indian style of architecture; and even when we ‘try to break away from the rut’, we end up copying some vague modernistic design! Even, our radicalism is a product of inheritance!

I do not propose to start a movement wherein we break all the set rules and barriers and make something new... a new order..... sounds familiar?.... that was Communism, a hundred years back!... My point is... in spite of doing what someone else has already done.... we don’t seem to do it any better, do we?... so instead of setting a new world order, why not set this world into order based on what we already know or do?

Think.... Cerebrate....

Second Chances

2008-06-08T21:29:00.002+05:30

An egalitarian would like to believe that we are all born equal with similar capabilities, strengths and weaknesses and hence, deserve to live in an equal society. But I've always begged to differ. After all, history has proved that equality has never been Man's forte. Man has always survived and flourished in a society segregated on the basis of caste, religion, gender or race. I have to admit to admit that Men are born unequal.

You see a Prince Harry or Prince William enjoying royalty in their early twenties, you see a Raphael Nadal sizing up to the brilliance of Roger Federer (case in point, French Open Finals, 2008) when he is hardly twenty, you see Shah Rukh Khan running after trains in Europe of DDLJ when he was in his mid- twenties..... and then you see, yours truly, a 35 yr old in the garb of a 22 yr old waiting for middle age to settle in at any time!..... If you care to observe you also see people in their early twenties still grappling with their graduations.... and the unfortunate many, who dont even get a chance to go that far in life.... It is tough to imagine that we were all born in the same earth in the era of 1985-1988 and yet we have all become so different from one another....

Psychology has long tried to settle the fight between innate capabilities and the impact of environment on personality development... the battle of Nature vs Nurture.... Some believe that we are already what we are destined to become, by the time we are born.... why still others believe that the environment we group up in has a louder say in how we eventually turn out to be.... But it has never been a case of either-or..... its always 'and'..... the circumstances under which we take birth and the environment that nourishes us.... both are equally important....
There is something to learn here too.... you see, if both these things are equally important then this automatically proves that nature by default has given Man a life line.... you see, if success is 100 then Nature and Nurture would be 50-50 each.... hence, even if one gets an unfair deal in one, he can always try and compensate for it in other.... so if you got on 20/50 in the birth stage of life, make sure that you get 50 in the growth stage of life.... If we carry this logic forward than it defeats the whole caste system on which our society has flourished so far..... Birth may be a water-tight demarcation.... it may brand you as a caste, sub-caste or sect for the rest of your life.... but you still have the nourishment.... you can still learn from the environment.... because environment is still equal for everybody....

And all this time, I thought that life never gave a second chance....

The Maximum City

2008-05-15T14:31:00.002+05:30

I recently finished reading Suketu Mehta's "Maximum City"... I must admit that I read it, not to learn anything new about this wonderful city of Mumbai... but to reiterate my faith in its beauty..

Mumbai has everything going against it... It is bursting at its seams due to a dangerous heady cocktail of Pollution and Population... There seems to be a rather "parochial" (I dunno who quoted this word first, but the media has been lapping it up and regurgitating it again and again.. and I suspect if many users actually even know what it means).... so where were we??.... ah yes... there seems to a rather parochial tension flowing underneath the fabric of the society... Mumbai invites many, It cant handle any... It has a lot of money to flaunt, but none to give...

So what is so great about this city?? why is it that inspite of being reminded about the grim realities, a farmer leaves his acres and settles here in square foots?.... Why is it that inspite of all the complaints, nobody ever says that enough is enough... why doesn't anyone want to leave this city?...

Every person who lives in this city has his or her own reason for being here... so in a way, Mumbai is a city of close to 15 million reasons... some come here to satisfy their needs, some to satiate their greeds... some have nowhere else to go, while some have everything here...Mumbai shows a hope and a dream to everyone who comes in.... Contrary to what some "popular" parochial (there, i used it again!!) leaders might want to think, I find Mumbai to be one of the least biased cities in India.... I have seen Mumbai give a fair chance to whoever is willing to work... irrespective of caste, creed, religion or even nationality.....

If you look at it careful, there is not much difference between Mumbai and any other city in India... they have common problems of slums, poverty, dirt, pollution, electricity, water, roads, roaches and politician (the last two can be used interchangeably).... the difference lies in perception... while other cities with all their incongruences, give a sense of despair... Mumbai, with all its limitations, still manages to shine a ray of hope... a person walking on the street (quite literally, because the sidewalk is probably dug up!) will look at all the Audi, the Mercs and the BMWs and will feel invigorated... He'll try to go an extra mile so that if not the Merc, at least he makes enough to afford a BEST which would at least take him off the road....

Mumbai is a cruel place... and hence, it is safer.... it robs you off all your ignorance and innocense and makes you street smart... Here, you fight against the criminals, by having a criminal streak of mind... women are safer, because they know how to fight, and know how and which expletives to use on whom....

Mumbai, as a city, is greater than the combination of all the people who inhabit it.... Mumbai is the summation of their aspirations.... aspirations, which are not quantifiable.... Mumbai cannot be the domain of a few... It is as much of the poor, as it is for the rich.... I thank Mr. Mehta for giving it the sobriquet of "Maximum City"...... It has a maximum of heaven and hell, on offer... It is up to you as to what you take from it....

P.S.:
Parochial: adjective
Relating to or supported by or located in a parish
Narrowly restricted in outlook or scope

Conundrum of Hopes and Dreams....

2008-05-12T15:27:00.003+05:30

It is funny to see how close poets come to understanding life. Considering their tendency to being utter quirks, we never expect them to even care of life, let alone know about it. But they do... they really do.... Why else would Robert Frost have said "two roads diverged in a yellow wood"...

We all have our own proverbial private forks in the roads... It comes at different times for different people and means different things to different people.. My fork has come.... there was a time when I was fond of quantifying the number of forks, I've been through... but frankly, it was just taking a lot of my time and patience..

A very long, pampered, excessively dependent period of my life is coming to an end... In the words of DJ in Rang De Basanti, I'm going to the other side of the college gates.... and I can get a feeling of everything thats about to change.. one of the biggest change is the strange confusion of hopes and dreams...

Previously, all dreams were safely classified as dreams... things which could be obtained only by some freaky change of events.... but now, dreams seem so achievable... its like previously i thought, I'd buy that car some day.... after cashing in on the provident fund cheque or something.... but now I have the tenacity to assume that I may be able to get a loan for it or something after 4-5 years of hard "meaningful" work!!.... that is of course discounting the fact that I'd have to save every penny of my earnings and would not be able to spend on luxuries of life like food, water, clothing and shelter etc!!..... but thats a small price for a car, isn't it??...

There was a time when the land acquisition rates in Mumbai were exquisitely meant to quote as trivia.... "Do you know that a flat at NCPA, Marine Drive, went for Rs 98,000 a square foot?!"... but now, my heart skips a beat everytime there is a talk of tweaking in the home loan interest rates!.... all this, when I'm not even elligible for a two wheeler loan for next 6 months!!...I know that I'm still thinking in raving discordant thoughts like Raskolnikov of Crime and Punishment... but I can see that the tenacity has increased...

If you look at life in closer details, you'll see that at any stage of life, we are as happy as the ratio between dreams dreamt and dreams achieved.... the closer this fraction comes to One... the better off we are and happier we are with ourselves.... I'm starting out this phase with many tenacious dreams.... only time and future blog posts will tell me how happy I am....

Time is of the essence...

2008-05-02T07:12:00.003+05:30

Ah! what a luxury it is to waste time!.... specially when you know that you really cant afford to do it... The high is comparable to igniting a 5 buck cigarette with a 10 buck note.... It proves nothing to anybody (except of course that you are spoilt li'l brat!)..... but somehow, it still gives a high..... a higher sense of being.....

Wasting time comes naturally to me.... I've wasted precious time in all crucial situations in my life.... writing poems a day before the physics paper in board exams, watching movies while preparing for exams, getting a luxurious 8 hour sleep before the exam day, making presentations 1 hour before giving them..... but still, I am here..... no love lost, no ATKTs fought... a good clean academic record...and mind you, a life well lived...(hopefully*)....... but sometimes it makes me wonder, what I could've done had I worked harder instead of wasting time on frivolous activities..... then again, I would'nt be writing blogs.... coz my blogs are usually my way of laughing back at misery....... case in point, this post is 3 days prior to my submission of my MBA grand project....... I rest my case!

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is supposed to have said once that for him, time is of the essence... I wonder if I'll even get the privilege of knowing as to when time will actually become of essense for me..... till then.......

An after thought: Please do not try to ignite a 5 buck cigarette (or any cigarette for that matter!) with a 10 buck note..... other than the fact, that its an absolute mean and inhuman thing to do, its also a blatant disrespect towards our nation..... Please treat the currency as a symbol of the nation.....

* Every fool is entitled to a private paradise.... my paradise took a somersault when I realized that I've used the word "hopefully" in a wrong manner, all my life!!......Hopefully is an adverb. It's not a verb as it is most commonly used. Using the word correctly as an adverb means to substitute it instead for the phrase “full of hope” or "in a hopeful manner." ...... stop smirking, su......

Countries, Nations and States...

2008-04-20T18:01:00.003+05:30

It is said that if we dont know history, then we are bound to repeat it... Its wonderful to see how men revel in their ignorance.... I'm sure many of you would read the first statement with a sense of "Hey-I-Know-that, gimme-something-new"..... thats the problem with adages, they are repeated to the point of triviality.... and it never returns to mainstream practicality thereafter....

History is replete with instances of war and strife over riches, land and even silk and spice.... But we, as humans, are destined not to learn anything from history..... even today, we see wars being fought over land and sometimes even over water..... You open the papers on any day and you see filmstars going on "token" hunger strike to protest over river sharing agreement and Tibetans trying desperately to garner much deserved attention to their cause....

The problem such as Tibet, has all the makings of History.... and that need not always be a good news..... It is a study in anthropology as to how man sees a country showing blatant disregard for the sanctity of a fellow nation, and still he keeps quiet; least he antagonizes the powerful infiltrator..... It happened with Germany, France and USSR..... but we still live in a fool's paradise that, that was then.... it'll not happen again.... it'll not happen today...... but when the solid excreta hits the wind circulating apparatus, who is going to stick his head out?...... I hope we dont get an answer to this, 60 yrs down the line, in a history book.....

One more disturbing trend is growing amount of regionalism..... A chance encounter with Political science showed me the difference between a Nation, a State and a Country (I'm not going to make life so easy for you, check wikipedia for further details)...... it seems as if we are living in the same country but in different nations, governed by states having different objectives and private agendas..... some thing like living in an apartment in a housing complex but not caring much about what happens to the neighbours..... or worse still, taking too much interest into their affairs!.... A hundred millionaires in the east coast working in the west coast and vice versa, made USA, a super-power.... It'd have been a different world, had the confederate states actually flourished.... The wealth of a nation is more than the sum total of the wealth of its countrymen.... its about time we understood this well enough to remember it when we need to.....

When everyone thinks that it is any one's job.... and everyone expects everyone to do it..... Nobody does.... I know this because nobody did..... I learnt my lessons.....

एक सोच यह भी....

2008-04-10T23:23:00.004+05:30

आज सोचा के रिश्तों के जमा-पूँजी का ब्योरा लिया जाए....
और देखा के सालों से घाटे मे जा राहे हैं...
हमेशा ज्यादा दीया और कम लिया....
कभी प्यार कम पड़ा तो सरकारी तरीका अपनाया... और छाप के दे दीया...

सूद तो एक ख्वाब हैं, यहाँ तो असल का चेहरा भी नहीं दिखता,
कर्ज़दार इंतज़ार मे हैं के कब उनका क़र्ज़ माफ़ हो जाए....
पर क्या करें... यह मुनीम दिल कुछ भूलता भी तो नहीं है ना....
न तो इतनी हिम्मत, के क़र्ज़ वापस मांगे... न बड़प्पन इतना, के माफ़ कर पाए....
बस ज़िंदगी के कागज़ को काला किये जा रहा है....

Mid-term Polls...

2008-04-09T19:25:00.003+05:30

One of the toughest job for a writer to do, is to read his/her own work.... Some times you just look at an old essay, letter or a blog in disbelief and say "did I really write this?" which is usually followed by "Why the hell cant I write like this anymore?".... Both are rhetorical questions, by the way..... On the other hand, there is always some work of art which we are not particularly proud of.... hence the adage, "my best is yet to come"...... well, I did the unthinkable over the past few days.... I actually read all my blogs!!!.... and here are my conclusions..... If you think that i've been hard on myself then please let me know... If you think that i've let myself off quite easy then..... ditto.....

It is so simple to be difficult, but so difficult to be simple.... I've been using rather esoteric words lately (and i rest my case!)
I've been quite judgemental at times... how is a 22 yr old supposed to have undergone so many experiences and how has he made so many firm decisions on how life is? (rhetoric, just for the record)
I've yakked a lot about what i've learnt through the experience but i've hardly shared my experience... so you know how much wiser i've become, but dont know from which shade of stupidity did i achieve that enlightenment! (there I go proving my first point again!)
I've been rather verbose..... it could've been shorter..... sweeter.....
I might try and become a little less altruistic (wordweb, here i come!)
I need to loosen up a bit..... I am not an octagenarian writing my memoirs about times immemorial.... a little bit humor always softens the blow!
I need to be more regular!..... a post, a day will sound like Doogie Howser M.D.... but i got to be somewhere between here and Doogie...

Let me know if I missed out on anything..... I dunno if i'd be able to incorporate all these points in future.... but I guess, realization is a beginning.... right?

You remember that time....

2008-04-08T14:43:00.002+05:30

Life teaches a lot to those willing to learn.... I have learned that all our present worries and problems are, eventually, anecdotes to be recounted in the future.... Think of your first day in school when you thought that life was just not worth living anymore..... or the time when the teacher threatened to fail you, give you a leaving certificate or worse still, call your parents to the school...or all those board exams when the "concerned" uncles and aunties used to make "concerned" enquiries about your "progress" so that you "settle" in life properly.... Aren't all of those just funny anecdotes to be recounted now?

Life is profound... life is abstruse.... Life is not something that can be permanently changed by a single day or an event..... whatever happens, Life goes on.... Life continues through all the emotionally tumultuous breakups and suicide bids and mark sheets.... All it expects from us is to get up, tidy up ourselves, laugh at our folly (so that the people around you don't laugh at you), Make a mental note of what happened and what you will do in future.... and..... move on...... Jump back into the flow of life and let it take you through its course.....

We live in a world where originality is a rarity... all art is, but, inspired from something or someone in the past.... hence, making a slight correction to a wonderful dialogue from the movie, 'Gladiator'..... Misery smiles at all of us, all we can do is... smile back...

Another year....

2008-04-01T21:31:00.002+05:30

Another year passes by, another picture on the wall.
a monotonous cycle of summer, rain, winter and fall.
same resolutions, destined to be broken.
Many dreams, still to be woken.

The dream of a promised life,
health, wealth, children and wife;
Is hoped at the end of this strife.
In the dark alleys of moonless night, I grope.
We all live in a constant hope.

Tomorrow will become yesterday in time.
Even Lemonade is but, water, sugar and lime.
Any day is only worth its shame or glory.
when there is a promised future and a forgettable history.

To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme...

2008-04-01T21:16:00.004+05:30

Words, now, resemble bricks on a wall,
What was once a ripple in the river.
Pearls of an oyster, indifferent to the strings of tune.
The world still makes sense, when the words don't rhyme.

I say what I mean, the message still goes through.
People need not always follow suit, but I at least did my job.
I might as well have said, "At least my job, I did do".
But the world still makes sense, when the words don't rhyme.

What good did the poet do, that the playwright didn't?
Lives are changed by reason, not rhyme.
To rhyme is vanity. A picture of a lavish spread in front of the starved.
To rhyme is hypocrisy. What rhymes with "rhyme"? sublime? lime? dime?
The world still makes sense, when the words don't rhyme.

We all sense the same, in a different way.
Making sense was never a reason to rhyme.
The world may still make sense, when the words don't rhyme.
But that was never the point.

Surviving Omniscience

2008-03-22T18:46:00.004+05:30

This is somewhat in continuation to my earlier article on agnosticism... I am in a strange state of being right now... We all have our down days (where we question everything including, our existence and pretty much despise ourselves) and then there are those wonderful up days (when we seem to have a Midas touch, everything we do is right)... I am typing this post in the middle of an up day....

I feel like making a rather bold (and to some extent, blasphemous) statement..... I feel like an Omniscient.... the all knowing wise one..... this term is usually associated with God... but he has generously agreed to lend that title to me on a short lease (I'm the one with the Midas touch today, remember?)

I claim that I know everything that is worth knowing.... and the things which I don't know, are not worth knowing anyway!... Now the question remains, how do I decide if the thing is worth knowing or not?... simple.... as I am the Omniscient, I know.....

After that faint smile on your face fades away.... think about my statement again.... as per my logic, aren't we all Omniscient?.... In all the days of all our lives, we decide, rather randomly, as to what we want to know and what we don't... we are all selectively permeable towards the external stimuli... Something that we don't know, doesn't concern us... the rising crude oil price means nothing as long as our petrol doesn't become dearer... Gold prices don't mean much till there is a wedding at home... tension in an adjacent country or a state is always someone else's problem, or is at best, just a passing remark or an opportunity to start a new discussion....

We all live in our private omniscience.... a private world of knowledge and ignorance... we never give much credit to what we know, we don't give a damn for what we don't.... In the truest sense of the word, we live a dangerous life... just imagine, the summation of our combined knowledge as a race, is so minuscule in comparison to the vast tracts of ignorance lying beyond the realms... Let us understand what we know so that we realize what we don't... but till then, its all about surviving this omniscience.

a comment on agnosticism

2008-03-06T11:49:00.002+05:30

Please do not be dismayed.. I neither have the time nor the inclination to start a debate on whether God exists or not.. I have long believed that "for those who believe, no proof is needed. For those who don't, no proof is enough" (thank you, David Blaine)... My reason (or excuse, depends on how you look at it) for writing this post is the sickening trend of agnosticism .. It seems as if God has been relegated to the same group as System or the State.. Whatever happens, Blame it on God...

Someone once said that we laugh at old customs but religiously follow the new ones.. We seem to have enough reasons to question the existence of God, but not enough proof to support our case.. Why do we ask him (or, her) to prove his/her existence when we take for granted, so many things in life... We spend a vast majority of life believing in molecular science and astronomy while a vast majority of us never really see an actual electron or fly in space, for that matter... My point is that when we believe in science through all its inferential proofs then why do we demand exactitude when it comes to theology..

At the risk of being branded blasphemous, I'd go to the extent of saying that Atheism is better than Agnosticism.. At least we are not asking question to someone who cannot (or will not) answer... and we are not asking for an answer which we will never believe anyway... If one still chooses to be an agnostic then so be it... my advice would be, when you question the creator, you'll have to question the creations too... think about it...

That extra mile

2008-02-17T01:49:00.003+05:30

I saw a rather rare streak of energy in my mannerism today (or yesterday, if you are really serious about technical details).... Since past some years, I'd started assuming that I can spread happiness even passively.... somewhat like diffusion where the the ink drop spreads through the width and depth water... Today I realize that by trying a little harder... I can go an extra mile....

At an intensely abstruce yet an unconscious level, I wanted the day and the occasion to be the happiest... or even happier than a normal day... This eventually led to a laugh where a smile would have done.... and a smile where there were none.... A statement that need not have been necessary.... a temporary disregard towards bothering to determine what is necessary and what is not.... it was like an emotional high.... a point where you have an out of body experience... where you go somewhere between the heaven and earth and see yourself down below... that way you can control (or as in my case, let go) of oneself in a better way..... I loved myself today... Makes me wonder.... where I was all these years??.... did I go an extra mile today.... or was I travelling less all these while?...... I would love to be what I was today..... dont we all want a certain part of our lives freeze framed?... a perfect moment when everything was where it is supposed to be and everyone who were there, had to be there at that point in time....

Average

2008-02-10T18:26:00.000+05:30

We live in a house which is too small to be called a "Bungalow" and too well kept to be called a tenement (which I just learnt that it means 'A run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards'. Thank you WordWeb). When my father decided to increase the living area by an additional floor, One of the criteria that he had had in mind was, how big is the house adjoining ours? Because, it'd be senile to undertake a construction which is smaller than the one nearby and it would be a blasphemy to increase the scale way beyond the others in the 'society'.. Going just one additional floor would be friendly competition.... but going beyond that would mean the invocation of anti-trust laws!

Over a period of time, everyone constructed.... and more or less, everyone had this underlying criteria in their blueprints... so we ended up in a society of clones... each house sickeningly similar to the one nearby.... Thus, proving true the law of averages...

Fundamentally, Humans are a confused lot... we never seem to know what we have, but we know for sure that its not enough!... If the human race were to be plotted on a graph then probably it would show normal distribution curve.

a vast majority of us will be concentrated in the middle of this bell shaped curve... on the left would be the unfortunate few in the society who never got a level playing field... and on the right will be the privileged few who dared to escape from the concentration camp in the middle.. We look at disdain on those who are on the left and want to come in... and we look with an equal disdain on those willing to break out... At one level, we want to be that someone who managed to stand out in the crowd... but at a larger level, we console our wounded conciousness by stating that we are happy with what we have, that we have an average life which, although not spectacular; is still better than the lives of all those on the left..

I dont mean to be judgemental and altruistic by preaching that we commit a sin by being average... we all have our reason... and some, have excuses.... I just want the world to realize that no matter where they stand... there is always some space left above... and in case, you dont want to take the risk... Please let the way in for those who do....

Black and White...

2008-02-03T18:59:00.000+05:30

David Ogilvy would have hated my blog.... The great advertiser was of the view that the matter layout should always be black letters on a white background, rather than what you see right now... But the purpose of my blog is impress myself, to supress myself and to express myself... Taking care of Mr. Ogilvy's ground rules doesn't figure in my scheme of things...

I started this blog with a very basic post and a very basic idea that I wish to share my interpretation of life with all those who care to read... somewhere down the line, my life has started mimicking my blog rather than the other way around.... The present layout of this blog defines the present status of my life....

I experimented with colors... I chose some which really didn't define me.... and gave them an opportunity to do so.... they disappointed.... a color that you dont wish to see on yourself is a stain.... so the only option left with me was Black or white.... Here on, it was just a matter of cancelling the non-viable options (something, I used extensively in my MBA entrances)... so I've decided to opt for black because I know that I dont want to opt for white.... for me, white signifies tameness, defeat, rigidity, lameness and all the similar words that you may find for the ones already mentioned, in the thesaurus... Black is infinite, enigmatic, curious..... I love the way black makes your eyes strain in order to make these words legible... I love the concept of infinite black.... no beginning, no end, enveloping everything, yet so empty.... revealing nothing yet explaining so much.... One more thing about black is that it never surprises... one doesn't expect much from black so there is not much expectation to live up to.... when all the colors have disappointed in one way or the other, I thought that it was the apt time to embrace black...

If you have any comments, let me know.... I really dont know if I'd care... but I'd still like to know....

half a bucket...

2008-01-22T07:34:00.000+05:30

For me, one of first signs of loneliness is Half a bucket of water.... The first thing I do when I'm alone is to fill half a bucket of water and keep it in the bathroom.... as a contingency measure in case, water decides to run out on me and I dont have anyone to get me out of this predicament.. and as I look into that lonely bucket, I see only myself... I dont think there is anything as depressing as the sight of looking at your reflection in the mirror and realizing that you are alone in that reflection...

I always feel that the world is divided into two kinds of people.... People who love themselves and people who hate themselves.... I dont see much scope of people being indifferent about themselves.... Either you are a narcissist or you are masochist, no middle ground.... There is no harm in being either one of the two; as long as it doesn't become conspicuously obvious in your behavior towards the outside world... also, the way you feel about yourself is quite dynamic by nature.... in a span of moments, you might go from loving yourself to hating yourself... so what ever you are feeling right now, this too shall pass...

One more, rather, strong belief of mine is that it is really very hard to lie to oneself... you really have to be desperate in order to do that with even some degree of perfection..... hence, reflections are quite revealing.... in that bucket of water, I see myself.... and the way I see myself will determine if I'll be depressed or not.... sometimes I'm not.... right now I am... I did not wrong in the recent past... I have no guilt bearing on my soul.... and that's the problem with your perception about yourself.... it is hardly ever logical.... and even rarer to have some proof to substantiate your views about yourself....

This one is for you, Motu...

2008-01-18T15:06:00.000+05:30

There always comes a point in all our lives, when we are more happy for someone else's happiness than our own.... It is in our destiny to be unselfish, at least once in life.... This is my first blog for a specific person, rather than a specific topic..... for a person, whose happiness is so tempting that sharing it just as a friend; didn't seem good enough.... hence, this blog is for a wonderful sister; in a hope for a wonderful life ahead....
_____________________________________________________

A very close friend of mine is planning to get married soon... Makes me think... we grow up reading great works of literature....Each one describing life in their own specific way... Shakespeare calls it a great play stage.... Shelley calls it a dome of many coloured glass.... we accept each view-point quite passively.... as if the value of that philosophy extends only as far as the next term exams.... but the real truths in life are those which are self-realized.... the best philosophies are the one you make on your own... based on your own experience....

Life is a constant change.... just when you feel that you've got the key to life; life changes the locks.... I feel as if I've reached another cross-roads in life.... a cross-road from where nothing will be the same again....

the future holds a new set of friends whom I'd rather call "Colleagues".... A new family in which everyone will be looking up to me for all the decisions... endless responsibilities, limited rights.... Less time before the mirror, more time before the exhaust pipe of the vehicle before me... Less movies, less t.v. but a life that will resemble a script, nonetheless.... a life where everything that could be counted, need not count and everything that counts, need not be counted....

This bend in life is at an uncertain distance for me.... in an uncharted territory.... but for my friend, it is more real.... more cognitive, more tangible..... and I am proud of the grace, poise, maturity, happiness and contentment with which she is embracing this bend.... We may still flow in the same course of life.... we may drift away.... we may cross path some day.... we may dry away.... but one thing is for sure.... no matter who reaches that great sea before... the water of that sea will be a lot sweeter for the river coming in next...

With all the best wishes for, Motu.... and in the anticipation of all the happiness in store for her...
Murthi
(Living in a constant hope)

of the clever and the wise...

2008-01-08T08:28:00.000+05:30

How I wish I could learn from other people's mistakes!.... I would never have to commit another mistake in life.... I have read much, but I remember less.... If God lies in details, I guess I'm a little too religious.... I had read once that a person is clever if he learns from his mistakes.... but he is wise if he learns from other people's mistakes...

But I know too well that learning from other people's mistake is not a luxury that I am privileged to indulge in..... for me to learn, I have to commit my own set of mistakes..... Because that is one of the inherent characteristics of mistakes.... No two mistakes are ever the same.... they may be similar but never the same.... We commit mistakes in our own environment; our own domain..... and the environment is different for each one of us..... at least we perceive it differently.... That is why even twins who are born and brought up under the same conditions, turn out to be completely different.... each one unique in their own respect.... You are unique.... Just like everyone else....

Come to think of it..... if we cant learn from other people's mistakes, then how are we to learn from other people's success?? Because, just like mistakes, success is also unique to an individual domain.... what I may consider to be a success, may not be the same for you... The answer to this question has the potential to destroy a Billion dollar industry.... that of self-help books, motivational literature and for that matter, even autobiographies....

I can proudly say that I have never actively read an autobiography.... let me repeat, I have never ACTIVELY read an autobiography..... because I would never want my success to be scaled in a parameter, set by someone else.... My idea of success is different.... but it'll always be a success for me...

I do not wish to say that you are wasting your time if you read self-help books or autobiographies.... They do motivate at some levels.... but still, one has to succeed on one's own steam and for one to success.... one has to live with one's own set of failures.....

a Wise man is not an ideal.... an ideal is constrained by the limitation that it can never be achieved.... to be wise is difficult, not impossible..... this world is filled with people who are clever and wise.... and at different times and under different circumstances, the wise or the clever will inherit the earth.... it also depends on who is writing the blog....

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T14:37:00.000+05:30

Everybody, I know, is going ga-ga over the new year.... there has been a flurry of resolutions made and broken in front of me in the last 3 days... Chain smokers 'deciding' to stop smoking... and five minutes later, deciding to 'go slow'.... Hybrids of man and sloth deciding to get up early... starting from 'tomorrow'..... over-weights deciding to lose weight and under-weights deciding to do the opposite... I knew that you would ask..... No, I did not make any resolutions.... I don't need the date on the calender to be January 1, 2008 in order to decide to do something (or not to do something, whichever the case might be.)

I don't understand why whole of India is going gung-ho over the new year.... I mean, we have at least 2-3 new years every year!!!... Tamilians and Ahoms have it in april (and i strongly suspect that there are more in this list)... Gujaratis have it in October.... or is it November?? (who cares, by the time its October or November I am also halfway into my year!!)....

The only reason I could think of is that.... this is probably the day when you can let out your deepest wish in the form of a 'resolution' and test the ramifications of what would happen....

Ladies and Gentlemen, time for some revelations!!!.... when an obviously obese person resolves loudly in your vicinity that he wants to lose weight.... what he is secretly aspiring to achieve is your sympathy and a word or two like "oh! you look just fine"... "you are smarter than everyone else".... "size doesn't matter"..... Think of it this way, if your wife/girlfriend/partner asks you if she/he is looking fat... how would you reply??..... exactly!!!.... you are expected to use that same diplomacy on 1st January as well!!

I do not want to be perceived to be a party pooper.... at the end of the day, the only thing that stands between a resolution and a success, is the will to do so.... So, there are obviously many cases of successful resolutions as well (although, I've not come across one so far)..... so if you are one of those who resolved.... and who resolved successfully.... then I guess you wasted your time in reading this blog.... this was supposed to be an ode for nincompoops like me!!!..... and for everyone who resolved and then absolved...... Let us firmly resolve that we will stick to all resolutions we make on January 1, 2009.....

P.S.: I know that its not going to work.... but like I always say..... "We all live in a constant hope"

Dilemma

2007-12-18T23:57:00.000+05:30

As silence pervades the lonesome room that I inhabit now.... I am in a state of dilemma.... the sound of this clock, piercing through all the mind numbing silence and reaching me, is really over whelming.... I have always believed that I am the loneliest when I can hear the sound of this clock.... I try my best to drown it in the din of everyday life.... but the chime of time has to win eventually..... The second side of my dilemma is that although I loathe listening to this clock... I cant even wish for it to stop... If time stops now then how do I get to the morning?

It is said that life is full of choices...... even when you feel that you are left with no choice but to do something, you still have the choice of not doing it.... but there are times when these choices are just the options making up a dilemma.... for the uninitiated, Dilemma is a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives (thank you, dictionary.com... I owe you one more!).

What does one do in case of a dilemma?.... choose the milder poison and die an excruciating death or choose to take the quicker way to heaven (or hell, conditions apply)..... What choice is there when we are left with none?.... These are some of the questions we ask during a life time..... a life time in which, even before finding the answers, we overcome many dilemmas....

The classic example being me..... I am left to choose between hearing the noise of time or to get stuck in an eternity of silence.... and I am procrastinating by typing this blog...... a blog which is devoid of any purpose, rhyme or reason.... maybe its just a futile attempt to confuse the sound of time in the clanging of the keyboard.... Oh! the futility of mankind.... it takes a lifetime to accept the concept of death.... life would have been so easier otherwise....

The Deserve-Desire face-off

2007-12-12T18:51:00.000+05:30

Life, eventually, is the time we spend while going from one plan to another... a plan of how we are going to live our lives..... and the purpose of this plan is, usually, to satiate our desires..... I'll not take the holier-than-thou high ground and say that I'm an odd one out.... I am not... even this act of typing out a blog is planned in order to vent out my views.... so that new ones might come in..... but I've realized that we tend to ignore a small detail in our quest to quench the desire..... Deserve.... Do we ever even give a thought to determine whether we actually deserve what we desire?

There is a chain of events which precedes and supersedes this..... Most often, we have no idea as to what we deserve.... Nor are we quite clear about what we desire (and if we desire it at all!).... But we try our best to achieve it, nonetheless.... if we fail; we lose hope, we despair, we make cynics out of ourselves, we give ourselves a sense of false hope or finally, just make up our mind to try again.... If we succeed; we celebrate, we rejoice, we proclaim and then we realize the fickleness of this success..... fickle because it leaves us soon..... leaves us because we never deserved it in the first place...... we come back to square one...... I wonder how things would have changed, had we known what we deserved, in the first place.....

Whenever we measure something, there is an element of error involved.... this error either has to be controlled, nullified or embedded into the design..... even when we are measuring the value of what we deserve, the element of error exists...... this error is.... Over-estimation and Under-estimation.... we either think more of ourselves than our true self.... or we think less..... both these scenarios involve a lot of pain and dejection..... and both need to be avoided..... So where do we go from here?..... the answer lies in objectivity...... dont look at yourself in the mirror and see yourself..... see yourself in the mirror and see someone else..... look at yourself in the third person and ask yourself..... "Does this guy/girl really deserve what he is asking for?"...... The answer, depending on the extent of objectivity involved, holds the key to evaluating one's self worth....

Every man is a fraction.... The numerator being, what he is.... and the denominator being, what he thinks he is........ lets strive to give ourselves the answer..... 1

A stitch in time....

2007-12-03T19:58:00.000+05:30

All great ideas come at times when you are either away from the computer or when you are too bored to type or even write it down.... Almost everyday at about 5:30-6 am, I get ideas about what my next post should be about... But when the mind becomes active, the body slips into hibernation... After some time I just give myself an empty promise that I'll somehow remember this idea when I come online later that day..... Many days have gone that way.... so, essentially, I think of posts everyday... but I write them intermittently..... that is the problem with intermittence, they are so inexplicably unexplainable!!... How on earth am I to prove that I had something in my mind when there is nothing on paper?

Contrary to this, one can always attribute thoughts or ideas to actions which have already been performed.... so if, the bus that you were initially planning to board, meets with an accident then you can give credit to your heightened effectiveness of the sixth sense....dead people dont have such privileges...

We grow up listening to proverbs and wise words (or wise-cracks, depending on whether you understand them or not!)..... we all know "Think before you act".... but our actions are selectively permeable to words.... so we invariably end up spending more time in thinking and less in execution.... a good beginning is half the battle won.... but therein lies the catch, its only HALF THE BATTLE WON.... who remembers the person who climbed half way to Mt. Everest?.... Lets think, Lets act... and lets not be selectively permeable to what is accepted to be good...

In the long run...

2007-11-28T23:42:00.000+05:30

I believe that Life shows its reflection in all walks of life...... a crumpled flower shows how life exists in giving fragrance to the hand that crushes it..... babies show how simple; life can be in the absence of knowledge... and the equity market shows how things even out in the long run...

It is common knowledge in the equity industry that the only person who wins in a continuous bout of trading, is the broker.... not the trader..... so common sense propagates the idea of staying invested for a longer period of time.... historically, the equity market has showed a return of 15-20%, even on investments which were forgotten about for 5 years or so!!...... The same holds true for life too....

Life is an investment and we stay invested by using the currency of work...... so my advice is, stay invested and reap returns...... The saying "good things come to those who wait" is all but misleading..... good things come to those who work and dont wait for results..... When Bhagvad Gita says "karmanye waadi karasye, maa phaleshu kadachana" (do your deed and dont expect any returns), it is not actually proliferating the virtue of philanthropy..... what it actually means to say is that "do your work and but dont run after your returns..... money follows those who dont follow it".....

The day we start looking at monetary benefits as a side effect of hard work and not its means and ends...... that day, we will prosper... in the truest meaning of that term....

Parallel Tracks

2007-11-24T18:32:00.000+05:30

Travelling in Indian railways is always an enlightening experience; especially for those endowed with the ability to discern the extraordinary from the ordinary. The other day I travelled a distance of 400 km on Indian railways and learnt things which I would never have learnt (nor would I have been interested in learning). Here are some excerpts.

It is said that time is the biggest leveller of them all. A wonderful dialogue from an even more wonderful movie goes something like "After the game is over, both the king and the pawn go back into the same box". But come to think of it, so is railways. You can hardly select the religion, caste or even, gender of the passenger sitting next to you. But I really feel that the gender option should be customizable (what say Mr. L.P. Yadav?). On a given day, at a given time, all the people going to the same destination are equals... with equal right to claim seat, eat, breathe, drink and enjoy the journey.

It is a well known fact that much of modern intellectuality has brewed in the coffee pots of various coffee house. Friends, philosophers and comrades discussed everything under the sun. Railways is the new age coffee house. Here, the future of local state governments are discussed and also whether saas-bahu serials must continue or not (and contrary to popular misconception, it is never a one sided debate!)... As long as the person next to you, doesn't have any personal enmity with you, you might get away with any topic!

I for example learnt the interesting aspect of an otherwise staid world of textile marketing, the Haj pilgrimage, the contract system and how the loopholes in them are taken advantage of. I hereby propose to include a frequent long distance train journey in all MBA curriculum. And I suppose everyone on this side of Vastrapur, Ahmedabad will agree with me....

V...

2007-11-12T22:22:00.000+05:30

Virtues tend to leave a bitter aftertaste and vices are, by default, addictive. That is the sad fact of life. Truth is bitter, truth is blunt, truth has the potential to make enemies out of friends. Whereas, a little bit of false flattery has a good chance of getting u that elusive promotion. Bitter gourd, in spite of all the goodness that it is purported to give, is still..... well...... Bitter. Sugar is by default; sweet. If all things good, taste bad and if all things bad, taste good; then it makes one wonder..... Why did my parents, siblings, peers, teachers, uncles and aunties and distant cousins, go to such extents to teach me what is good and what is bad? and why was I taught to do the good and shun from evil?..... Why did they install version 1.1 of Morality software when they knew about its obsolescence and gradual substitution by version 1.2?

A child comes into this earth like a clean slate.... in the beginning of life, things are just told... never explained.... in the words of law, everything is based on rules and not articles.... And then, we start to question.... and all hell breaks loose... We learn through a tedious process of unlearning.... makes one wonder..... why go through all this fracas? why not say the truth from the very beginning?

The answer according to me lies in simple statement which has always stuck to me "we all live in a constant hope"...... a father teaching his child not to lie knows that he, himself, is lying.... but he lives in a constant hope.... he is hoping against hope that the world will miraculously change for his kid and what he is being taught now, will help him in future..... All good things are taught to us in a hope that its obsolescence will be reversed.... so the next time, someone tries to show you what is good and what is bad.... take it with a pinch of salt.... but take it, nonetheless.... who are we to underestimate the potency of hope?

of Giants and dwarfs...

2007-10-31T08:15:00.000+05:30

The greatness of an event, a person or a monument is best understood keeping in mind the period of its occurrence. It is relatively easier, today, to stir the fundamentals of conscience and to erect a pseudo-army to fight a plausible cause... given the fact that one can reach the masses through sms, orkut and emails among others..... This is what makes Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi a Mahatma Gandhi..... He stirred the conscience of millions and fought an empire bigger than the Goliath himself..and all this, in the absence of any amenity except perhaps a telegram or a seat in the third class compartment of the railways... Hence, when we conveniently try to imagine the greatness of a person like Mr. Gandhi, we make the mistake of imagining its occurrence in today's circumstances..

Lets have a more recent and popular example. We love comparison. The greatness of a person is only as much as who he/she is compared to. Hence, Lord Ram is a hero because he defeated Ravana.... Likewise, in order to gauge the superstardom of Shah Rukh Khan, we have to compare him with Amitabh Bachchan.... But truly speaking, what is the comparison?... isn't it like comparing between apples and oranges?... What Mr. Bachchan did in 1970s may not be replicated by SRK... and the opposite is true as well... Is it really a necessity that for making our line longer, we make the other lines look shorter?...

We emulated the flight of birds in our aeroplanes.... the martial arts borrows liberally from the antics of a monkey or a snake..... but we have still not been able to emulate symbiosis.... We help our friend in studies but make sure that he doesn't score as much as us... we help to only that extent that which makes a discernible effect.... here, I have to clarify that I speak for the average, not for the exceptions.... A worthy exception to this law, according to me, are two people..... Fathers and Professors.... I have never seen, heard or read about an incident where a father was not happy when his son starts earning more than him.... In fact, it could well be the happiest day for a father when a son (or daughter) gets a starting salary more than what he might be earning after decades of experience.... the same holds true for professors too.... A professor earning Rs. 4-5 lacs per annum is only too happy to see his student go on to earn in multiples of that figure.... If only these instances were an average rather than an exception...

David Ogilvy, famously said, In an organization if each one of you hire a person who is less qualified than you, then you end up becoming an organization of dwarfs..... but if each one of you hires a person who is better than yourself, then you are an organization of Giants..... So, it is really up to us, do we want our future generation to inherit a nation of dwarfs or a nation of Giants....

I rest my case....... maybe not....

2007-10-22T17:32:00.000+05:30

One of my professors always advises us not to give prime importance to the placement salary while opting for a job. He says "Money will follow you when you learn not to follow it".... All my life I've been on a lookout competitions where I might get some fame, fortune (?) and that elusive certificate or a citation..... Strangely, most of my merits have come in the last year of my college life... I present here, the transcript of my speech at a debate held the previous week. My first ever debate.

The topic was "Should industrialization and growth be promoted at the cost of Environment?"
____________________________________________________________

“My Name is Krishnamurthi Kumar. I am a student of Faculty of Management Studies. And I will be speaking AGAINST the motion.

Breaking News: Yesterday (18th October, 2007), I was watching the news, actively for a change, and came to know that we have our first set of refugees. Not from a terrorist attack or an earthquake, but from climate change. Yes, the people of Sagar Island in West Bengal have lost their homes because the waters of the Bay of Bengal decided to pay them a visit.

Before I contribute to this debate, I must admit two things. I am a student of management so I must admit that an industrialized nation or a developed economy is going to help me much more, at least financially. Why I say this is so that all of you may understand that I know the gravity of the words I speak. The other thing I would like to admit is that I, myself, have never planted a tree.

But we are not here to discuss what we did or did not do. The topic here is not that whether “Should we have promoted industrialization and growth at the cost of environment?” The topic of discussion today is “Should Industrialization and growth be promoted at the cost of environment?” So from the way I look at it, there is a future element embedded in this topic.

While we are talking about future, lets start with the past, India has come a long way from being an agrarian economy, one which depends on the soil, to the first instance of being called the next developed economy, one which depends on what is actually built on that soil. But somewhere down the line, we forgot the matrix on which this whole development was taking place. As the building grew higher and higher, we forgot the foundation on which this building stands.

But to say that we forgot to conserve the environment wont be entirely true. We must remember that saving the environment and all its constituents was always a part of our culture. I am sure anyone who has read the history books would remember the “Chipko Movement”. So what went wrong? I say, Apathy. But to understand how that happened we must look at things in context.

30-40 years back, when India started its process of industrialization, it faced a very unique problem. It lacked the process, the patent and the technical knowledge but had lots of natural resources. So it compensated its absence of technology with the excess of resources. But can we give this same excuse today? No! Today if one wants, one can go that extra mile in order to do something for the environment. It could be something as simple as switching to CFL tubes instead of light bulbs or turning up the temperature of the AC to the ambient temperature of 24°C instead of that cosy 19°C. Even small acts like these can go a long way in conserving the environment.

That was about the past and the present, now let’s take a look at the future. Nature gives us two options. Either we take Preventive measures or nature will take Corrective measures. Now its up to us to decide whether we want rampant growth or sustained development.

Those in the audience who still believe that Industrialization should be promoted at ANY cost; I offer you my best wishes. Try explaining this to those villagers who lost their homes in Sagar Island. Thank you!”
__________________________________________________________

P.S: For the record, I WON THE FIRST PRIZE!!!!

I guess 'breathing' is a good enough title....

2007-10-14T16:40:00.000+05:30

Realizations occur in odd, various ways... a quiet distant relative of mine had come to my place today.... I had met him for the first time in my life.... Things started of slow.... but I did recognize certain mannerisms very native to my father's side of the family from the very beginning... but the actual show started post lunch.... and what a session it was!!...... certain excerpts, inferences and learning....

First of all, Are we breathing?? according to one school of thought (which is quite persuasive, i must add), we are not..... That's right.... what we thought that we were doing all our lives is something that we have never done..... let me try and explain how..... right now you must be sitting, right?? How can you say that "I am sitting"?..... you can say that you are sitting only because you had the option of standing, sleeping, kneeling, squatting etc.... and yet, you CHOSE to sit..... so you can argue that "I am sitting" only because you are capable of doing otherwise too... similarly, you can say that "I am going outside the room" because you can decide to do otherwise too and stay put in the room..... so if some one kicks you out of the room, its only but natural for you to say that "I am not going out, I am being forced to go out"..... So, keeping this logic in mind.... lets answer once again..... Am I breathing?..... can i decide to do otherwise? can i stop breathing?..... unless you are quite suicidal by nature, i guess the answer is no.... so what we are doing is basically allowing the air to go in and out..... Food for thought, isn't it?.... think about it.... I know that I am..... because, I know that I can do otherwise and not think about it!!

The purple thread...

2007-10-07T22:24:00.000+05:30

All my life, I have believed that I've been born to do things different.... Never knew that its conveniently termed as being a freak of nature.... it is said that we are all unique but some are more unique than others.... I've been that way.... since childhood, I was too South Indian to be a Gujarati and too Gujarati to be a South Indian... too linguistically gifted to deny my roots, too numerically challenged, to live up to it..... I've always looked different to other people... but never felt anything inside.... I had almost resigned to the fact that I am an anomaly of nature... a piece of jigsaw puzzle that has no place to fit....

But then, just the other day, I was watching Boston Legal (a series I love so deeply, that I don't follow it too often.) In one episode, the character of David Spader says

"Epictetus compared people who “fit in” to the white threads of a toga. Indistinguishable. He wanted to be the purple thread. “That small part which is bright, and makes all the rest appear graceful and beautiful. Why then” he asked, “do you tell me to make myself like the many? And if I do, how shall I still be purple?”

Its ironic how all our questions get answered when we stop searching.... I wish i could stop searching the answers for all my questions....

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star....

2007-09-30T08:55:00.000+05:30

Let me put it straight.... "We've stopped gazing at the stars"...... It may seem like a simple enough statement but the ramifications are immense.

Have we ever thought.... What was the need for the ancient star gazers to make complex calculations about the distance of the Sun from the earth?... Wasn't his existence on earth, filled with enough hardships, so as to dissuade him from undertaking such tedious exercises?..... The learned amongst us may answer using terms like Motivation, Need for achievement and self-actualization. But I'd simply say, they had the time and the inclination to look up at the sky..... simply put, they were star gazers, because they looked up at the stars....

Today, when we look up the stars, we may end up marveling a man-made sattelite instead.... but then again, there is no dearth of stars on earth.... People who have achieved what others couldn't even dream.... People who have taken human capabilities to the edges of possibilities and sometimes even beyond..... People from all walks of life.... Business, social works, entertainment, theology, philosophy and sometimes, even something as mundane as public administration.... choose any walk of life and you might find a plethora of stars making up the "Walk of fame"......

Media has made it all the more easy for us to take a closer look at these stars.... Media works as a long range telescope that brings us closer to the stars....sometimes, too close for comfort....... We see people winning awards, being gifted some of the costliest cars around.... buying some of the best indulgences, money can buy..... if we want to, all this can really influence us.... even to the point of positive influence.... motivation...... but that is where the catch lies.... IF we want to... The trouble is, we are more worried about the potholes on the road than the stars in the sky..... we are more worried about the garment selection process of the pretty-young-thing across the building, than the endless sky that makes a quiet background to that building......

We need to look up more often..... we are all, finally, a bunch of frogs in a well.... the difference between us is probably that some are looking at the abyss below, some are looking at the darkness around... while some are looking at the skies above..... it is a different story whether we'll be able to get out or not.... but at least we'd have lived a different life....

A Puerile Dream

2007-09-10T19:43:00.000+05:30

One day, a little hand will grasp my finger,

and will introduce me to my adult dream.

But until that time, I'll be a child,

frolicking without worries, in time's stream.

She'll make me realize that what I thought, right; is wrong.

she'll make me realize that what I thought weak; is strong.

She'll make me realize that a 'happening place' is not necessarily where the people throng.

She'll make me realize that my biggest wish,

is not her worth her one cry of avarice.

she'll make me realize that a simple smile,

can make me want any daunting task, to be reprised.

I'll realize that a penny saved today,

will realize one of her dreams tomorrow.

I'll realize that the day she leaves,

will bring me my greatest moment of sorrow.

One day, a little hand will grasp my finger,

and will teach me a new meaning of life itself...

but till that time, this waking dream,

will inspire me to survive.

Angels on earth....

2007-09-02T16:45:00.000+05:30

This past week saw the successful completion of a day dreaded by many Indian men.... that's right, Rakshabandhan!!.... The occasion has been a tumultuous one for me too... but for different reasons....

It is an unstated postulate that we all crave for something that we don't have (the inverse of which is that, we don't realize the true worth of what we have)..... So, just for the fact that I was not endowed with one, I had this yearning for a sister.. (all those guys who find this despicable.... press alt+left arrow)........ and and and...... one more sad unstated postulate is that, if you really wanna have something/someone, you have to prove that you don't need it/him/her..... so the loan always goes to the person who proves that he doesn't need it..... the Boy always goes behind the girl who neglects his very existence....and vice versa...... so for some strange reason, all the girls in school used to be gung ho about "catching" the most famous studs.... whereas the geeks were left to fend for themselves (case in point, being me)..... So I still remember all those years when my packet of pens used to return home in its original state (giving pens to sisters was a fad during those days.... ah! those cheap cheap times!!!)..... soon, I found better..... how should i put this.... hmmmmmm...... usage??..... of an image of a girl (perverted, of course!....good ol' days!).... and hence, alleviated my urge to get citizenship in sister-dom.....

Ah!!... But that's where the second postulate came into force..... Just try to imagine this.... (not for the weak hearted)....... I found all my sisters during my college days!!!!!..... yeah, I can understand the goosebumps you are having right now.....But, its been a happy experience for me..... I hope I don't get some fatwa for saying this, but I truly feel that sisters are the guiding angel for all us men..... specially elder sisters..... they are motherly, but from the same generation.... they are friends, but with no strings attached.... they are your confidante, who can, of course blackmail you every once in a while (you win some, you lose some!)..... They are everything that you want a woman to be..... with an added benefit of having none of the traits you wouldn't want in women... They are like the litmus paper who teach you how to react to women; before the more important ones come into your lives... They are always there for you (whether, you like it or not!)... and it is one of the very few relations that does not change during the course of a life time.. sadly, it is also one of the relationships which is under a perennial threat of being taken for granted....

Hence, I hope every man who reads this post looks at his sister in a more caring way... and every woman who reads this.... feels that much more special about being a woman.... God Bless you all..... So that you may bless us back.....

"Ok.....so I wrote what u wanted, didi.....
Can I please have my bike keys back now?"

The rearview mirror

2007-08-13T14:42:00.000+05:30

Every once in a while, we do the inevitable gesture of looking back at our past. And we are confounded with a myriad tirade of emotions. We are either glad that things were not as bad as they seemed, or sad that they were not so good after all. We are either happy that the tumultuous ugly-duckling phase of our life is over, or we lament over its continuance. We are either happy that our past played a pivotal role in shaping our future, or we are sad for pretty much the same thing.

I did something similar in the past 2 hours. I went through the old neglected sectors of my hard disk (ah! I miss those primitive days of a simple, humble shoe-box!) And I came up with some really puerile stuff. Here is a poem I wrote in the beginning of my first year of graduation. (I used to flatter myself by calling them poems... I hope you allow me to live in my sweet ignorance.) The poem is about the truth of college life.

It’s a transition encompassed, in a step through a gate:
A transition from a time when ignorance was a virtue.
When a modest past merges with an extravagant uncertain future,
To give meaning and form to words like aim, dreams and expectations.

The media’s mirage slowly crumbles, as reality floats before the eye,
To prove that all that was heard from “experience” was, after all, just a lie.
No maidens or angelic incarnations. No comedic sidekicks to while away loose time.
No song and dance at the drop of a hat. All considered to be an integral part of being sublime.

The “extravagant uncertain future” slowly dissolves so that only “uncertain” is true.
And the notion that life would start with a step through a gate, was just a case where mind misconstrued.
The transition after all was just a change of costume. The gate by its side had a moat.
And the freedom that the soul wanted to rejoice, was the freedom of a hapless scapegoat.

______________________________________________________

Such is the irony of life..... I still find this poem to be true..... lets give it some more years to cure... maybe it'll taste better.... maybe....

In conversation with...

2007-08-05T03:34:00.000+05:30

Its 4 in the morning and I've not slept a wink.. some guys are crashing in at my place for the night... so I got ample practice of being lonely in a group... It is so difficult to have a conversation nowadays.. People crammed into a single room can't come up with a memorable conversation... Let alone warring nations or burning factions... It is as if we all live a private life in a public sphere.. A wi-fi hotspot where many people are starting their messengers to chat with people whom they wouldn't have even seen.... but they just cant talk to people around them...

Sometimes i feel that it is a misconception that advances in communications, has brought people together... It has just become more convenient for people to ignore others... you meet some long lost friend and if you are in no mood to socialize.... you just blurt out... "you are on Orkut, right?... I'll catch you there."..... A yahoo messenger comes with a convenient invisible mode.... some people carried two phones till now.... so that they may segregate.... now that process has been simplified by new range of phones which accept both GSM as well as CDMA sim cards..... there was a time when even a phone call was considered an impersonal form of communication.... nowadays, even that is a rarity.... people send their apologies, appreciations and brickbats through the SMS.... Rather, take me as an example, instead of asking the people around me to strike up a new conversation; I am lamenting about it in a blog..

Thus wrote T.S. Eliot in "choruses from the rock".....

Where is the life we have lost in living?

where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

where is the knowledge we have lost in information?

The cycles of heaven in twenty centuries

bring us farther from God and nearer to the dust.

Schadenfreude

2007-08-01T22:46:00.000+05:30

Dictionary.com defines Schadenfreude as

scha·den·freu·de /ˈʃɑdnˌfrɔɪdə/ Pronunciation[shahd-n-froi-duh]
–noun
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
[Origin: 1890–95; < G, equiv. to Schaden harm + Freude joy]

I don't know about the rest of the world, but I definite say that India is reeling under a severe bout of Schadenfreude. A ten year old girl is allegedly eve-teased by a group of under aged boys driving an SUV, to top it off, they actually hit her and then drag her body for many meters. But what does the media report? Not those juvenile delinquents. They go on and on about the trauma of the little girl, actually showing the footage of her suffering in the hospital room. Who do we blame for this?...... in my earlier post, I squarely blamed the media.... but this time, I think its Schadenfreude.

Because, as the definition of Say's law goes in John Maynard Keynes's "The General theory of employment, interest and money"..... "Supply finds its own demand"..... if we discount for a minute, the possibility that these 'media' are reporting these sickening reports in an even more sickening manner just because they are mentally ill, then we can only conclude that these people are actually minting money on this. There are people out there who actually watch and digest this bull shit (pardon my french, i couldn't think of an appropriate term). People actually enjoy it when Sanjay Dutt's daughter is being called and asked "so did you tell your father that you are going to stick by him till the end?". People actually enjoy it so much that these media people actually spend money on a ISD call, for a question which even Rakhi Sawant might answer! In fact, I am surprised as to why Rakhi Sawant was not asked about her views regarding the decision in the the Sanjay Dutt case. But i'm sure that now that this idea is being floated on the internet by yours truly, some nincompoop assistant of an equally imbecile news producer will find and get Ms. Sawant's precious sound bites.

I hope you enjoy the telecast, as and when it happens. I am sure I will. Schadenfreude is a disease which is going to stay for a long time to come. I might as well enjoy it.

confusing, life

2007-08-01T22:33:00.000+05:30

I did something odd today. I went up one of the fly-overs of my town (one of the 3 fly-overs, almost a relic. People often forget that its a fly-over!) I stood by the side, took out my I-pod and started a nice slow song. After sometime, I realized something. My mind was in a state of confusion because what it was hearing was slow and smooth but what it saw and felt was anything but that. And queerly enough, I enjoyed this state of cognitive dissonance.

But we do this more often then we think we do it. Many times we restrict ourselves from becoming too happy, reminding ourselves that this moment of happiness will be short lived. And that it will be followed by misery which seems to be more or less, inevitable. Misery is necessary evil. Many times when we say something that we really wish for, we add "touch wood". In both these instances, we confuse happiness by giving the miseries, the dues it never asks for.

We try our best to confuse life. Because, we believe that in the time that life loses in confusion, we really live.

The News is dead..... Long live the News

2007-07-19T09:52:00.000+05:30

Any Indian having the tenacity to watch the news channels nowadays will know that the news, as we knew it, is dead. In the city of corruption and the footpath of populism, News has died unnoticed. The saddest part is that not many are even condemning this death (although some people are having "sleepless nights" over the predicament of the arrested terror suspects in UK and Australia!)

Yesterday, a 7 floor building collapsed in Borivali (W) of Mumbai. And the prime concern of all the news channels was, whom to be blamed for this act. Today morning, the news was.... "20 feared dead in Mumbai building collapse"......"200 feared dead in the plane crash in Brazil"...... "Amitabh Bachchan is no longer a farmer".......Yes, my dear brothers and sisters! that Mr. Bachchan is not a farmer anymore, is a matter of grave national importance today. That in some obscure village in Haryana, a Baba is able to do what any street magician could, is a matter of grave national importance today. That Ms. (or Mrs..... who cares) Rakhi Sawant wants to talk to a couple of conjoint twins, is a matter of grave national importance today.

The Press (pardon me for using the term but a more appropriate term has not been coined yet) has conveniently turned the definition of news. So much so that, after a point of time, we have even stopped complaining about it. It is like a daily soap for us now. So in the language of popular journalism today, "Who is to be blamed for this murder of News?"..... The answer is unfortunately, all of us. It is a vicious circle, you see. First, we asked so they provided. Now, they provide and we have learnt to consume.

The press is devoid of any discretion, soul or ethics today. They know what to report but not how to report it. They know where to start, but not where to end. In the land of the popular press, a defendant is guilty unless proven otherwise. And sometimes, he is guilty, even if proven otherwise. The press has its own parallel judiciary going on. The poor is always correct, just and victimised. The rich is always wrong, corrupt and the oppressor. Road rage and road accidents are not deemed news-worthy so long as a rich drunk kid is not involved in it. News, today is not that a rape has been committed. The news today is how the rape was committed. If possible, they may even reconstruct the whole scene.

The solution? Stop these 24 x 7 news channels. It is quite alright if they show the news only once in a couple of hours. Put on some movies or some TV serials in the mean time. Make the press responsible for what they publish or show. If they make a mistake or a wrong judgement then make them pay for it. Make them accountable. Let the press, not be the only one to ask questions. Make them answer too.

That's all for now, I just got the news that the News is about to be cremated in a municipality cremation ground. Without a post mortem of course, because that could make the whole sociaty stink. So the least that I can do is pay my last respects.

Be in touch

2007-06-03T21:21:00.000+05:30

It is said that during World War II, when there was a severe shortage of medication for the newborn children, the nurses were advised to just hold the child from time to time. It was believed that just a self assuring touch of a person would motivate the child to live through its toughest time. And it really did work. Today, in an age where everything needs to be named fancy in order to be accepted, we know of it as "touch therapy". Its a pity that we dont practice it that often.

Why do we believe that just because a child has grown on to become an adult, s/he doesn't need the self assurance of that touch any more? Haven't we ever noticed that sometimes, the best way to calm down a friend is to just give him or her a hug? If not a hug, even a tap on the shoulder or a soft rub on the back of the palm? I believe that all we need to get through some of the toughest moments of our life, is an assurance that we are not alone in this..... that there is someone to catch hold of us..... or at least to look at us as we go down in the battle of life... to cry for us or sigh for us as we die..

So go ahead... spread the touch.... irrespective of race, religion, age or gender..... You never know how easy you've made life, for the one you love or for the one you care..

Looking through the window from the hell above

2007-03-11T16:33:00.000+05:30

Since ages, Man has always been inspired by animals and organisms much smaller than him. An ant shows hard work, a spider shows perseverance, so on and so forth. Its like amidst all the worries, weaknesses, girl friends' birthdays and mother-in-laws, we get some time to look down towards these humble and simpler creatures, and we get inspired by the way they carry on with life. I have a completely different theory to this. You see, these animals survive through all those tumultuous experiences only because they do not have an option. A worker ant cannot go on strike saying that the load is too heavy, the spider cant say that it'll not weave the web because its so darn frustrating. They go on with their lives, because they don't have an option. As far as I know (which is, by the way, quite less), Man is the only animal who has tenacity to commit suicide. Only man is stupid enough to give away a life for which any other animal on earth would die for. And basically, most the options and preconditions that make our lives seem so difficult, come from this. We just give ourselves a lot of options. These options sometimes make man, an irrational animal. For instance: I have now been given an arduous task of choosing between two equally lucrative internship options. And I am so confused that yesterday I thought, I wish I'd just fail in one of the interviews. If I'm left with only one option, maybe my life will be easier. Is this rational? (Ok, that was a rhetoric question)

So once in a while, its always so much more liberating to just have an out of body experience. To leave the confines of skin and society and just soar up in the sky. Then just looking at one's life from the skies above. I'm sure the sight will be as inspiring a the sight of an ant on the ground. Which brings me to the topic of this blog. Why call it a window from hell? Because I too suffer from the syndrome which is gripping the whole of humanity. The Sour Grapes Syndrome. I know that I'll have to come down someday. So let me buckle up and call it hell from the very beginning. That softens the fall, a little.

The neighbourhood IT provision store

2007-01-27T20:31:00.000+05:30

I went to a local IT fair today. What I saw, sadly, didn't surprise me. It was just like any neighbourhood grocery store or a local vegetable market. People hawking their "High Quality" "imported" "state of the art" machines...(Made in China... I rest my case)... A market where quality is no longer a differentiating factor..... a market where the primary motive is to grab eyeballs.... because the goods are basically of same nature and stature (Good or bad, you decide).... It is a sad way for technology to die... a death not from neglect... but from too much attention.... IT has become an ugly two letter word nowadays.... Now, I know that IT really stands for Information Technology (was that the 15th question?)..... but you know.... IT seems to be so talked about that people today know what it is but don't know what it stands for. IT stands for propagation of Information through the use of technology. So, keeping in mind my wonderful concept of baby steps... lets first define Information

–noun
1. knowledge communicated or received concerning a particular fact or circumstance; news: information concerning a crime.
2. knowledge gained through study, communication, research, instruction, etc.; factual data: His wealth of general information is amazing.

The underlying concept in both these definitions (Long live, Dictionary.com) is the word Knowledge..... I don't know how you define knowledge.... but I'm sure that you'll also agree that today, Knowledge is just one of minor by product of the larger process of Information..... Today, Information means ability to pirate some software, rip some songs, realize some of the wildest "fantasies" known (or even unknown) to man..... where is knowledge?...... try to Google it... I'm sure you'll find it in the midst of some porn sites..... Sadly, Information today is going to where everyone came from....

I think I lost something...

2007-01-08T18:06:00.000+05:30

Major Edward A. Murphy, Jr. was a development engineer in the Rocket Sled experiments being conducted by US Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base in the later part of 1940s..... But we don't know him for that.... we know him for the famous "Murphy's Laws"..... A series of sayings or mis-sayings which are inadvertently attributed to his genius.....

It all started with "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong"....... then the series grew..... Everyone likes passing out wisecracks.... its like passing gas.... you just cant hold it in..... but when its out, this almost always results in an embarrassing situation.... so we start looking at the next available fat guy around us... And there is always a fat guy around!!!.....thats the case with wisecracks too... they have a tendency to boomerang....... so people conveniently, donate their illegitimate sayings to the parentage of poor old Murphy!!...... one such gem is "You'll always find what you are looking for, at the least expected place you expected it to be"....... so the documents you need are always the last one in the stack.... the coin will always roll to such a deep crevice beneath the refrigerator, that you feel that you'll reach China if you go a little further!!......We can generalize this to the people in our lives too.....

We always find the people we need, at the least expected place, at the least expected time and under the least expected situation...... it could be the nerd you see on the first bench of the class... it could be the bully, whom you may have only seen through the web of your fingers covering your face in trepidation..... you may find a hero in your Dad.... or your best friend in your mom.... you may find long life support in your no-good siblings.....

But there are certain rules to this.....You cannot preconceive the inevitable by looking first at the place you least expected.... because....... A) you never know your least expected place till you actually come across it... and B) because wisecracks stop working when people become wise!.......... So we are supposed to go on looking...... and hoping that the place we see next... is the place we least expected.

De ja vu

2006-12-29T00:17:00.000+05:30

Every once in a while, life seems like a bout of deja vu. You never know where your first day ended and where the second began... Life goes on like a cycle, a continuum of events... all seemingly random but yet a common thread binds it.... they all come within the purview of life... life; as we define it. I'm standing at the cross-roads of one such bout. I no longer care how my day ended or if it ended at all... sometimes I wonder, am I living life? or is life living me?... Am I consuming each moment to get to the other or are the moments slowly consuming me to get to the higher level of things? But yes, whatever maybe the answer, the fact of the matter is that I still exist... I still exist in a hope that sooner than later, this bout too shall pass. Sooner than later, I too shall take the reigns of life into my hands and live it the way I want to... not the way, it wants me too. I exist in a hope that this deja vu doesnt end the way, I want it to end.... like the way, I saw its end..... But then again, Dont we all live in a constant hope?

This way Ma'm

2006-10-20T23:14:00.000+05:30

Statutory Warning: The following blog contains information which may be appreciated only by a person who has travelled around in Mumbai. But if you dare to read between the lines and read till the end, I am sure that you will find the universal issue that this blog wishes to discuss.

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I'm in Mumbai for the time being. Every city has its attraction. Some have gardens, others have forts. Mumbai is interesting. The main attraction in Mumbai for me is the electric train and the ppl who slog in them! Trying to understand how the electric train system works is truly a logistical nightmare. But yet it works efficiently enought to give terms like "eight thirty three wala viraar" and "twelve forty two wala borivali" to the average mumbaikar's lexicon. And the people who travel (but I strongly feel that, voyage is a better word to use here) by these trains are also a sight to behold. I'll just narrate a smal incident.

I was going to Matunga Road from Grant Road today. Luckily, I managed to find a seat to seat myself. At Mumbai Central, a Sadhvi entered the second class compartment (Dont worry, this is not Star News. I'm not planning any blitzkriegs on any sadhvis for the time being). Every thing was going fine. Then she asked a person besides her for a direction to some obscure place which actually came under Central Railways and not Western Railways. The poor guy was just giving some direction when all of a sudden, another superhero came into the picture to save the day. He started rattling off various bus numbers and routes which the sadhvi a.k.a Damsel in Distress may take. Then another super hero dropped in. All this within a span 5 minutes! In the end, the poor woman gave up and got down at Elphinstone Road. I have no idea what she did later.

And now for the fifty lakh question: Were these supermen showing chivalry or chauvinism? I still cant understand as to what could have motivated these gentlemen to have such a heated argument in discussing something so trivial. But if we dare to generalize, isn't this problem seen in all of us? We discuss about the Indo-Pak peace process, The Chikungunya menace and the Indo- US nuclear deal(or nukular, depending on which side of atlantic ocean you live in). But we never discuss our dreams, our ambitions, our needs. We dont fear that ppl may see us as a descendant of Genghiz Khan if we take the side of Pakistan in a specific issue. But we live in a constant fear of "what if he laughs at my dream?". Why does the "trivial" becomes the "trivia" and the "issue" becomes a "taboo"?

Raison d'etre

2006-10-19T18:33:00.000+05:30

Simply put, the title means "the reason to live". Many lives have been consumed in the quest for extracting the true meaning of life. Even Science, after hundreds of years of research, defines life in a rather dull manner. It goes something like; a system capable of consuming, excreting, growing, developing and procreating. Everyone would like to believe that life is something more than this. Something that cant be defined or restricted in a single statement. But to what extent is life more than how it has been defined? Because even when we say sky is the limit; we should not forget that even sky has a limit.

This blog (I'm not comfortable using this term, if you have a better alternative then do let me know) is an attempt to give a new definition of life. My definition of life. This definition will not be statement. Rather it would be inferential in nature. I have trust in you as a reader that you will understand and infer what life is; through the experiences that I plan to share.