Center Shocked!

The hunger & the bugger

2012-01-05T23:43:00.000+05:30

The sky gave out a cry,

The wind began to tremble,

I sighted a plate of chicken fry,

Then my stomach began to grumble.

As the chicken stared at me,

I wondered what piece to eat,

Then I looked at the damn fee,

And my heart began to pound not beat.

Fee was high & hunger was nigh,

But I still walked in carrying nothing but a cent,

Having eaten it all & given out a sigh,

Washing of dishes came next & my energy was spent.

But hunger still awaited me

And the grumbling began once more,

In hunger, I searched for food that was free,

My efforts however no results bore.

I vowed to never let hunger go to my head,

I carry a dabba with me instead!

This is pair poetry done by Yashad Kirtane and me at Poetry Tuesday - 8. I wrote the lines in Yellow.

Shutterbug Soul on a chilly night

2011-12-26T08:25:00.000+05:30

Last night I picked my gear, put on some warm clothes and rode out in the night to get some photos. I parked the bike over the busy Cadbury flyover and started clicking photos much to the amusement of the other vehicles passing there. One guy slowed his vehicle down and was trying to make sense of me, a guy in the middle of the busy Eastern Express Highway at midnight, wearing a monkey-cap, headphones plugged in, heavily bearded, a big black bag on the shoulder, floaters over crisp white socks and a camera in one hand striking various poses over the flyover. I for sure must have looked like a terrorist doing a recce of the place under lights only to bomb it later. Hah!

The trail of the vehicles rushing by.

Looking towards Upvan - 1

Looking towards Upvan - 2

Took this shot couching over the divider.

The Korum car park in all its glory.

The service road, the trees and streetlights in the midst.

I disturbed this couple who were busy discussing something serious at this unearthly hour. I felt I was imposing, but my photography was more important.

A burst + panning shot of a tanker. Epic failure due to the bike in front!

The highlight of the night!

Although the photos are not "Skadoosh" types. It was a nice experience and the small much needed push I'd always wanted to get back to night photography. And ate a Maggie at night that was filled with red ants, I think that will help improve my night vision! *muhahahaha* Night photography FTW \m/

Question-IRE

2011-11-15T08:47:00.001+05:30

How often are we fortunate enough to have people in our lives to prove us wrong and yet feel delighted? Aah, that is a rarity. I had always thought I was the greatest hypocrite known to me. Well, I was wrong and delighted.

We always search for answers in life, but my personal observations says that we always have the answers in form of events. What we need to search is the question as to why it so happened. The irony of it is that most often our answers are one-sided; our vision cock-eyed. The other half eludes us for reasons known, yet unknown. Mostly the questions are found to hidden in more than one answer. I think I've put my pieces of puzzle together for that comprehensive question.

Now, towards Introspection!

Guest post # 1

2011-10-28T23:39:00.000+05:30

This is the 1st time am having someone write a guest post for my blog. Well it happens to be none other than my dear friend Manali Shah. I was bugging her to write me a guest post for a couple of days now and today afternoon she happened to mail me this small write-up she had written earlier this morning. When I insisted her to post it on her blog she reacted by asking me use this as my guest post! Well I did....

The post:-

A page from the diary of a Person Who Fears Being Masochistic

I want to feel pain, I want to feel loss. So far, my lifehas been one happy ride. Am I complaining? Yes. I want to feel the sufferingthat Adele sings about. I can sense her agony, her hurt, but not relate to it. Iwant to feel soul crushed. And then come out smiling, ready to love again. Confident,and with faith. Can you expect a person to feel true bliss without havingexperienced heartache and longing first?

So then I worry about whether or not I have a wide range ofemotions inside of me. Am I a cold person? Was I always one, or did I becomeone when I decided to toughen up, tired of being vulnerable and having my breakbroken, multiple times. I do not remember. I do remember being deeply saddenedby the plight of unimaginable poor people that actually constitutes the countryI am supposed to resonate with pride about, India. I do remember wanting to crybecause hardly anyone I could see was leading happy, honest lives. Sure, youcould say now to me, “Begin to change the world, one person at a time.” I am sorry,that is too slow for me. Too painful. Yes, I have given up, without eventrying. Given up on humanity and humans. Am I, then, indifferent?Unfortunately, I have not been able to not care.

What kind of a person does that make me? Too scared to jumpright into deep love, too weary of people, too angry at the world, too unableto stop giving a damn, too impossible to stay apathetic.

I suppose what I am saying is, I’m on the fence. And it neveris comfortable there, is it?

Comments:-

1) The starting lines of the post impressed me the most. I loved the strong beginning.

2) The statement "Can you feel..... first?", is thought provoking and so damn true. Made me realise only if you have the dearth of a thing do you actually understand its value.

3) The ending abrupt yet tantalising.

P.S. To check Manali Shah's blog click here.

The good life...

2011-10-27T14:43:00.000+05:30

Again today I've realised that it is 3 weeks since I've updated my blog. The time gap hardy seems that far away. My past weeks have been really eventful. I've been doing things I've not done before and thinking of ideas I dare not think before. This change in me baffles and excites me simultaneously!
A glance at my life in the past 3 weeks!

My personal dossier...

** Poetry Tuesday:
I'd actually subscribed to a person, who blogs only about the news in Thane that many big newspapers fail to notice. There I found about a poetry meet called "Poetry Tuesday" that takes place on the 1st Tuesday of every month at the Utd 21 Hotel in Thane. Was initially apprehensive about being there but once I went there it was fun!

** New friend(s):
The best thing that Poetry Tuesday did was introduce me to a circle of new friends who had greater inclination to literature than me. Among that was a person who has become one of my very dearest friends within a short period of time - "Cartoon sali" :P

**Indimeet:
I received a mail on the 12th saying that there was gonna be an Indiblogger meet in Bombay. I was pretty excited to have received the mail and was all raring to go. Manali also joined in and we had lotsa fun in the famed R.K.Studio in Chembur.

** South Bombay Trip:
After having got my camera, suddenly I was starting to ponder, if me buying that 30 grand piece was a waste or an investment! Then one fine day a trip to South Bombay materialised and viola I realised I still had the zeal for photography. It rejuvenated my love for random photography.

**Movie:
Am not a movie buff. Leave alone watching it in the theatre. I am just back after watching the much-hyped paraNORMAL - ACTIVITY 3. I was expecting some very scary stuff as it was going to be my 1st horror movie in a theatre. Dismal!

My professional dossier...

**Infy closing:
Am seemingly having fun at work. To enjoying working under pressure, having fun and at the same time get results is a rare combination. Got my 2nd career closure and my 1st big one and that too in a company like Infosys is a personal achievement.

**Appraisal:
My boss seems to be happy with my performance and said that I would have my performance appraisal from next month onwards; my 1st HIKE!! To be still in my training period and receive a performance appraisal is achievement of sorts I guess.

I've found my *purple* patch I guess. Looking back, it is actually almost 3 months since joined my work. It has kept me happy and busy. Things have just whizzed past me. But I've managed to captured most of those moments on my camera!!

P.S:- I've decided to try and use only my pictures from this post onwards..
P.S.S:- You can check my photography on Facebook or Tumblr

Take a hike, Mike!

2011-10-01T22:42:00.000+05:30

I've a very good friend of mine who was "pestered" by a guy. She liked the guy no doubt but she was not able to cope up the so called unofficial relationship. Things she did made me want to write this post. This article gives the basic tips to girls who are pestered by "their" boys. Now since we, the so-called-fairer sex are obstinate and persistent it actually makes getting rid of us difficult. While some of the boys have - "The grapes are sour" kinda attitude towards the girl that ditched them, others go into the - "Revenge is a dish best served cold" kinda mode. While the former is a harmless mode, the latter can prove to be irritating and frustrating if not dangerous for the girl. The best way out for a girl in this paradigm is to actually make the guy walk away, not wanting to come back. This has to be subtle because if the guy gets frustrated and feels cheated it may make him go into the "revenge mode". Some of the best tricks to do it.

Rub salt on his wounds:
The best way to make a person feel worthless is to rub salt on his wounds. The best part about this is that he will retaliate to the world, but if you say that to him all he can do is get dejected and actually feel worthless. If the guy has a past relationship what you can do is do something silly and when he tries to reprimand you turn the tables on him and accuse him that this kinda behaviour of his would have been the reason of the previous girl dumping him!

Make fun:
Make constant fun of his dreams and ambitions in life. When he tries to defend his actions don't give a SHIT to his explanations and turn a deaf ear to what he has to say. Stay Aloof!

Hide and Seek:
Play a virtual hide and seek with the guy. E.g. Leave him a message saying "Hi"; 95% of the times he will reply to you within 5mins of him receiving the message no matter how busy he is. Now don't reply. There is a high chance of getting a "reply!!!!" kinda message from him after your silence. Don't reply. Again after a couple of hours repeat the same. Do it till his tipping point and when he actually tries ask you in a very irritated mode. Tell him he does not understand you and you cant tolerate it. Simply install an application called GUILT v2.3:16 :P

Get that Hippocratic bitch out:
All the above points are gonna make him walk away from you. Now more often than not, most of the guys really take efforts to actually keep track of the girls who dumped them. Now they will make repeated attempt to reach you, ignore them. He will resort to social network to keep track of you. For those who want to torment the guys, go a bit further. Do precisely those things that you were against when you were with him. Esp the things he wanted you to be part of and you were against. Before you perverted minds actually start thinking lemme give few examples. Like he might have asked you to hangout with him for the entire day and you were scared that ppl might spot you guys. Do it now with another guy and make sure it reaches him.

Well all said and done, just be sure that he does not get into the "Aata mazi satakli mode" and screws up your happiness!! All are not decent like me.. :P
*Wink Wink* xD

Gimme a break!

2011-09-25T14:36:00.000+05:30

Gimme a break; I pray,

The patterns are disturbing I say,

Haunting me repeatedly,

at me they laugh.

Despite the efforts I take,

Everytime the same pain I endure;

Vowing to make it better ahead I forge.

For once I want to be stable,

This weary feeling is pushing me down,

Wanting to get out of this infinite loop I say,

Gimme a break; I pray!

Frown

2011-09-18T01:53:00.005+05:30

Another day; another dawn,

Life just has to move on,

I hate seeing you frown,

this sea of sorrow will make you drown,

Wanting to see you jump up and down,

for your last few days left in this town,

give me a chance to be your clown,

I sure will have your sorrows blown.

A 55 Fiction dedication to my best friend!

Infidel

2011-09-17T23:35:00.001+05:30

Am back after a hiatus. I was so regular with my post earlier that a reader actually asked me if I've left blogging after I got my job. That statement pricked me and now am feeling guilty for not paying enough attention to my blog. Well I've been busy with my work no doubt but the real reason of my hiatus was my latest and my most prized possession. My new Nikon D3100 DSLR.

I've always been a great fan of photography and over the years it has grown from an interest to a fad to liking and now more than that. Now what I fear is my interest in photography overshadowing my blog. And hence the guilt, for I just love my blog and I know I have not done justice to it for sometime now. Feels like am cheating with my camera on my blog. Feeling like an infidel!! :P

--oo--

I've had been wanting to buy a camera for almost 2 years. What kept me so long was that I wanted to buy it out of my OWN money and not anyone else's. I had garnered about 15 thousand rupees over these 2 years thanks to the cultural and literary events that I used to attend in my graduation days that supplied about 1500 INR per month during working days as my steady source of my extra income. I spend half of it on my parties and outings and saved the rest under the banner of camera fund. After completing my graduation I realised that if I keep waiting for money my dream will never be realised and so I bought the camera for 30grands under EMI!! People not that much into photography may find it atrocious that I've got such an expensive camera. But what I want to point out is that everyone does that like buying an iPhone just because of the brand name and not actually knowing how to use it. Getting a Nokia E-series mobile just to look cool and not actually using more than 90% of the applications that are built to be used. Second thing what people ask me is "What is the NEED of such an expensive camera?", and when I reply "Nothing"; they call me a fool. But the thing is that they are so confused with the logic in life. I don't NEED a camera but I for sure WANT it. All we NEED is food, clothing, shelter and the adequate money to get it. But we WANT so many thing in life, a mansion, lots of money, an attractive partner and the list is never ending. Then they tell me "That means your an excellent photographer now"!! Getting a DSLR and being an excellent amateur shutterbug are two mutually exclusively things. Done with part one, en route to the other!

For this paradigm am reminded of Saif Ali Khan's dialogue in the movie Race -
Race Gadi nahi chalane wala jeeta hai
Race is won by the driver not the car.

--oo--

Some of the random clicks of mine below. All the pictures were shot at 4608 x 3072 pixels but now compressed for upload.

Taken from the level 4 of Korum Mall in Thane of the Cadbury Flyover.

Raindrops falling on the steps.

Shot through the leaves of the streetlight.

The working of the welder in my office.

Traffic in low shutter speed.

Walk away

2011-08-21T11:07:00.002+05:30

Walk away; don't stay,

inevitable since thee had nothing worth a say,

was there always beside work or play.

The anger in me just doesn't die,

now that words fail to ply,

emotions betrayed; feelings crushed,

seems dumb; my body numb,

one day you will come back,

thou surely will get couple of nice whack!

P.S. This is the second of my Unique 55. A 55 fiction using a word only once throughout the whole poem..

P.S = Publicity Stunt xD

Freedom?? BALLS!!

2011-08-16T21:20:00.007+05:30

Yesterday I was sitting at home time-passing with my family. Suddenly my aunt asks me to pass the scissor. I give it in her hand but she refused to take it and asked me to keep it on the ground. She said that as it is we always keep fighting , I don't want to aggravate it so I wont take it from your hand. I was pissed at the superstition and said that India and its customs suck. I said that because my sister who is in her 10 grade always keeps saying INDIA ROX and I just wanted to irritate her. Suddenly all the heads in the room turned towards me, started shouting at me and I ended up being getting almost disowned by the family. Am sure had they been in power they would have deported me from India. So I wrote the following status on Facebook and look at the reactions I got...

Ghante ka INDEPENDENCE DAY :/

I cant even say out loud that INDIA SUX w/o ten ppl trying to inpugn my INDIANess :@

MORAL OF THE DAY:- INDIA SUX :@ :@ :@

Yesterday at 17:12 · Privacy: · Unlike ·

You and Ml Ranganathan like this.

Abhijeet Shinde Desh Drohi :P

Yesterday at 17:28 · Like · 1 person

Ashwin Kukreja so where do you want to migrate ? canada, australia ?

Yesterday at 17:29 · Like

Achuthan Raman Chari ‎Ashwin C C.. this is wat i was talking abt... I never said i wanna leave.. I love it here. But the fact is that it sucks. This INDIAN attitude of OURS that i dont like. :(

Yesterday at 17:36 · Like

Ashwin Kukreja indulge in constructive criticism by all means. No one's gonna object. But there are people who dont want to make even small changes in their own lives. These guys will go abroad, follow all rules and when they're back they'll spit on the streets. These kinda guys deserve to be kicked out of this country. So when you say India sux, in the same breath offer a possible solution. That'll make it constructive, creative and positive.

Yesterday at 17:45 · Unlike · 3 people

Ashwin Kukreja u also must understand that you cannot say "india sux" so loosely, you are touching a raw nerve in people who are grateful to this country for whatever they are. We are living here, earning here, we respect this country for whatever it is. Sure there are numerous things which suck big time but whatever it is, we are here. We must eliminate those things to whatever extent we can. There's a lot of talk going on about changes which shd happen but it wont happen overnight. BUt whatever it is, we cannot deride our country so casually .

Yesterday at 17:53 · Unlike · 6 people

Pratik Kambli Achutan u will get u Ass Kicked...!!

Yesterday at 18:15 · Like

Viswanathan Bala Fuck off dude.. If any true Indian heard u saying that, u would be updating ur status frm hell right now.

Yesterday at 18:19 · Like · 1 person

Pratik Kambli Vichi ....Howz u ?? Ill be the one to send him there....:X

Yesterday at 18:20 · Like

Viswanathan Bala bhej saale ko .. and dont forget to record the video of his death. We will post it here. Let us put an end to this bastards misery.

Yesterday at 18:21 · Like · 1 person

Pritesh Veera Thats sad...

I m proud of my india

Yesterday at 19:10 · Like · 1 person

Ml Ranganathan ‎2day people are celebrating independence day by putting badge and flags in hands.but tomorow the same badge will be kept aside,flags may b thrown in the distbins or road side.is this wht we call respect to india.i dont believe and agree in this.if u really want to respect ur country try to respect your flag first.

Yesterday at 19:13 · Like

Pritesh Veera Free your self from chain of impossed thoughts n experience d freedom 2 be free...

Achutan see want this nation has given to us....

If u hav a problem with attiude of people 1st we need to change our attitude n then may b expect from others....

Common bro bug up...

Yesterday at 19:17 · Like · 1 person

Achuthan Raman Chari ‎Viswanathan Bala I have the freedom to think and say watever i want..

Pratik saaale bol bacchan, u have still have the OPTION of UNFRIENDING me from ur list.. hehe :P

Yesterday at 19:27 · Like

Pritesh Veera So is that the solution

Yesterday at 19:29 · Like

Achuthan Raman Chari ‎Ashwin I aint saying the country is bad.. jus the way ppl have kept it all these 60-odd years... The epitome of it is that I at home just told that Indian superstitions sux and all pounced on me... I totally agree with wat u have to say..

Yesterday at 19:29 · Like

Achuthan Raman Chari ‎Pritesh Na.. we all very well know wats the soln and we sure know we aint implementing most of them.. :(

Yesterday at 19:30 · Like · 1 person

Pritesh Veera So true dude

Yesterday at 19:32 · Unlike · 2 people

Achuthan Raman Chari MORAL OF THE STORY: WE ALWAYS LOOK AT STATEMENTS AND ACTIONS AND NOT THE EMOTIONS BEHIND IT... :@

Yesterday at 19:32 · Like

Viswanathan Bala ‎Achuthan Raman Chari then wat kind of freedom are u talking abt ?

Yesterday at 19:32 · Like

Viswanathan Bala If u hate the country so much, but still claim to be patriotic. Then what steps have u taken to rectify the system ?

Yesterday at 19:36 · Like · 1 person

Achuthan Raman Chari ‎Viswanathan My statement/status only meant that we all are all talking abt freedom but when it come to GIVING freedom to others WE ALL lag behind and "INDIA SUX" was jus to lay emphesis and not ridiclue.. DUH am I justifying!!

Yesterday at 19:36 · Like

Viswanathan Bala Giving freedom ? i didnt get u .. be more specific

Yesterday at 19:37 · Like

Achuthan Raman Chari ‎Viswanathan chup re pakao... u want explanation; call me.. saala boring to type here. :P

Yesterday at 19:39 · Like · 1 person

Diana Titus den change ur attitude ...u mite love it >:(

Yesterday at 19:40 · Like

Achuthan Raman Chari ‎Diana please read it fully before commenting :@ *IGNORANCE IS NOT BLISS* :@

23 hours ago · Like

Siddharth Sampath ‎Achuthan Raman Chari : f*** off

22 hours ago · Like

Achuthan Raman Chari ‎Siddharth Sampath u fk off... MY WALL MY POST :@.. unfriend ur FKING SELF IF U DONT WANNA C :@

21 hours ago · Like

Siddharth Sampath ‎:P ur a traitor :P

21 hours ago · Like

Achuthan Raman Chari if by posting this am a traitor. so be it.. PROUD TO BE ONE.. \o/ :P

21 hours ago · Like

Siddharth Sampath ada pavi :( :( no words to tell u anything :P

21 hours ago · Unlike · 1 person

Inference:

We the Indians have just used and abused the country to such a point that we have absolutely no patriotism left whatsoever and Independence and Republic day have become just a festival. Just as we dont think about Diwali, Christmas or Eid the whole year but only on the particular day we wish others, in the same way we have 1000's of status updates and texts and then we comfortably forget about it for another year. Just as in the case of Diwali we find the crackers strewn across the roads, here we have our Tricolour down. If India was God and my comments deemed blasphemous then yes am an atheist. But one thing is certain that this much criticised atheist thinks about that very God and does more than much of His devout theist followers generally do. People say "Tune kya kiya hai desh ke liye?/What have you done for the country?", because it make them apparently cool in vox populi. But what they fail to understand it that it is no longer cool to just keep blabbering. In the recent on-going test series when India was 0-2 down, I wrote on my wall that Indian cricket was in the dumps and I was looking forward to a whitewash. All true Indian cricket lovers agreed with me and were with me in offering brickbats to the team (but all of us supported INDIA in the 3rd test) while the nouveau-cricket-likers were all up in arms against me. I see a parallel here. They think so much about country and end up doing nothing. We don't need to live 100years to be remembered for ages. Just living one day for others will make us immortal in the annals of history.

[] How many of the above commented self-proclaimed-patriots know the starting lines of the Preamble and when it was adopted? (for all u lesser IQ-ed mortals let me enlighten, it was done on 26th November 1949 and not 26th January 1950)

[] How many of us have ever thought about the surrounding?

[] How many never throw litter down but only in the bin?

[] How many of us give blood regularly?

[] How of us give our children/ young cousins value based TV viewing content like Jataka tales/ Panchatantra/ Ramayan etc. Instead of Shinchan and Doremon?

[] How many actually close the taps in public when they see it running waste?

[] How many give lift to absolute strangers in autos who we come to know are travelling to the same destination as us?

[trivia] I do all of the above except the blood donation due to health reasons [\trivia]

I have been in the receiving as well as the giving end of the auto paradigm and trust me it makes your day in both the cases. We don't need to give our lives to be patriot. Just make your surrounding a better place to live in and the country will be a better place automatically.

Highlight of the article: 65years on I still cant have my say on India and say am a proud Indian all in one single statement. (with only one person talking sensibly and trying to make me understand his point)

:'( :@

P.S. I wrote a poem on the Republic day this year that will i think sum-up the whole scenario. Click here.

Quik read # 06

2011-08-12T08:00:00.000+05:30

A man was walking along the road. He recalled his lost love and his soul grieved.

“Pity on those who know love,” he thought. “They will never be happy, with the fear of losing the one they love.”

At that moment he heard a nightingale sing.

- Why do you act like that? – the man asked the nightingale. – Don’t you see that my beloved, who loved your song so much, is no longer here by my side?

- I sing because I am happy – answered the nightingale.

- Haven’t you ever lost someone? – the man insisted.

- Many times – answered the nightingale. – But my love still remains all the same.

And the man went on his way feeling more hopeful.

Courtesy:- Paulo Coelho's blog

Polarity reversed

2011-08-02T22:41:00.002+05:30

Part - I

Last saturday it was raining cats and dogs early in the morning, and when I woke up I learnt that it was raining heavily all night. That meant only one thing:- "Water-logging". I was happy. That would mean we could take to the streets to play football in the rain. The phone calls started doing rounds and in no time we were out playing in the usually-busy-now-empty street. Suddenly there comes a voice, cold, rude, irritating asking us to stop playing. I was the goalie and happened to notice and respond first. I saw the person behind the voice and It was an old man; must have been 65-odd, retired senior citizen. I asked him what was the matter and he said that we would break the windows and dent the cars parked there. I told him we were not playing rashly and would pay for any damages. We also explained to him that this ain't the first time we playing here and if history has any say we were clean with our record. He was obstinate and was shouting on top of his voice. I went to him and asked him to speak properly; which he refused. I pointed out to him to it was his age and our respect for it that has kept us from back-answering and he should be polite as were also adults; hinting at the cliche "give respect take respect". He dint. And when I pointed out that the cars are to be parked in the parking lot and there was no rule as to park the car on he streets, he threatned to call the police. I gave out a chuckle. I asked him under which section of law will they take action against us; he knew he had lost the argument and he went off, rambling narcissisticaly as he walked back!

I turned to my friends and told them that I was sure at home he must be telling and yelling his grandchildren to get off the computer and go out to play, and he should be thankful that we are the few living examples left to show those children what outdoor activities really are!

Part - II

Yesterday evening when we were hanging-out asusual, my friend S happened to tell me an anecdote that had happened earlier in the evening. S was taking her usual evening stroll when another of our friend and her mother happened to meet her. S knowing them walked up to talk to them. After the exchange of pleasantries, that friend of ours told S that her mom also plays Cityville on Facebook and S could send her an neighbour request in the game. Her mom was very excited and S dumbstruck when she revealed that she was level 70-odd and S only some 60-odd! Her mom was very enthusiastic about the game and S told me. I could imagine the glitter she would have had in her eyes when she would have told this to S. Aunties today are cashing-in on the wow factor using social networking sites and Internet. Kudos!

I was like OMFG when S actually narrated the incident to us. I was amused and pleased for the fact that our friend's mom was so Internet savvy.

Inference:

My concern is that the present generations of kids are not much into outdoor activities but more into cyber-gaming and social-networking. I still remember when we were kids we used to leave the house at 5 in the evening only to return by 8. Full three hours of outdoor play. Now I find the streets empty and kids walking hand-in-hand in pairs! They are maturing way to fast and it ain't a good sign. I still remember, I got my email ID only after my 10th grade boards. Today 10year olds have a Facebook account. Well being tech/net savvy is a welcome move but what worries me is their obsession. The above two anecdotes are stated just to bring to the notice our current trend.

The adults sticking to age-old traditions and senseless practises (barring a very few like my friend's mom) and the children being utmost (read insane) technology aficionados. Its high time we took measures to reverse the polarity!

Yearns

2011-07-28T13:00:00.004+05:30

Shaking in the moonlight,

everyone endures walking alone.

Lost in the cacophonous labyrinth,

I found myself from the past,

I wonder if we could ever go back,

to the past when we were really clueless,

I know, of course we can't,

because the sky will fall down.

I definately will find it,

believing in something,

marching straigth ahead.

Everything looks beautiful,

the smiles from now itself....

am sure I and you saw it;

that nostalgic smile,

tonight am watching standing away far,

the last scene I can't remember,

it is different from what I wish to see,

it is a more happy ending,

dreaming of that last time,

we were truly together,

I close my eyes,

you're right beside me,

lets keep that happiness to ourselves!

Quik read # 05

2011-07-27T22:03:00.001+05:30

A very rich young man went to see a sage in order to ask his advice about what he should do with his life. The sage led him over to the window:

Sage: What can you see through the glass?

Man: I can see men coming and going and a blind man begging for alms in the street.

Then the sage showed him a large mirror and

Sage: Look in this mirror and tell me what you see.

Man: I can see myself.

Sage: And you can’t see the others. Notice that the window and the mirror are both made of the same basic material, glass.

You should compare yourself to these two kinds of glass.

Poor – you saw other people and felt compassion for them.

Rich – covered in silver – you see yourself.

You will only be worth anything when you have the courage to tear away the coating of silver covering your eyes in order to be able to see again and love your fellow man.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Pain and suffering are always required for the eventual bliss. Hence, when in pain or you feel your are suffering next time tell yourself....Pain is bliss... because only the select carbon atoms that have been under heavy pressure and heat for millions of years and later subject to cruel polishing regime become the most glittering of diamonds!

P.S. Still wondering why people cut and burn themselves without apparent justifiable reason?

दोस्ती ही साही

2011-07-22T15:27:00.011+05:30

गए थे इनती दूर थी वो खुदकी मर्ज़ी,

लगा था तुम्हे है दोस्ती एक वर्दी,

उतारो जब हो गर्मी; पहनो जब सर्दी,

आये हो मेरे चौखट पे आज,

लिए वो पुराणी यादोंका साथ,

अहमियत आई है समझ; वह क्या बात!

रखी है मांग दोहराने की वो संग,

शायद हो गए हो प्रबुद्ध...

की सब होते है अपने मन की दर्जी,

आये हो अचानक मेरे पास आज,

अब तो बताओ अपने जाने का राज़,

उस दिन भी मैंने ऐसे ही माँगा था तुम्हारी दोस्ती का साज़,

मालूम था तुम आओगे एक दिन वापस मेरे पास,

इसलिए है मुझे हमारे ये दोस्ती पर नाज़!

Transliteration

gaye the itni door thi woh khud ki marzi,

laga tha tumhe hai dosti ek vardi,

utaro jab ho garmi; peheno jab sardi,

aaye ho meri choukhat pe aaj,

liye woh purani yaadon ka saath,

ahmeyat aayi hai samaj; wah kya baat!

rakhi hai mang dohraneki woh sang,

shayad ho gaye prabuddha,

ki sab hote hai apne man ki darzi,

aaye ho achanak mere paas aaj,

ab toh batao apne jaane ka raaz,

Us din bhi meine aise hi manga tha thumari dosti ka saaz,

malum tha aaoge tum ek din wapas mere pass,

isliye hai mujhe hamare dosti par naaz!

Translation

You had gone far that was your wish,

You thought friendship is a dress,

remove it when its hot; put when its cold,

you've come to my doorstep today,

bringing along the accompaniment of old memories,

importance you've known; wow its a wonder!

placed a demand of repeating the company,

probably you are enlightned...

that all are the tailors of their own mind,

you've come all of a sudden to me today,

atleast now tell me the reason for the abscond,

that day also I had asked you similarly the harness of your friendship,

I knew you would one day come back to me,

That is why I am proud of our friendship!

Catching a break

2011-07-18T23:59:00.074+05:30

Earlier, last week I got my results and cleared my graduation with 70.59%. That was just a single node in the roller-coaster ride of emotions. Then I got a marketing job under my aunt in Thane itself. I was happy but not satiated because somewhere deep in my heart I knew I wanted to do HR. Then bang; on saturday I got a call form the concern I had gone to as my first interview exactly a month ago asking me to join on Monday. I had actually written it off. After I said ok to them I dawned upon me the fact of life. We always get the best of things when we're not expecting them. Also, applying reverse logic it apparently seems getting things that you expect makes them less special per se!

Coming from a Computer science people have always wondered as to why I wanted to pursue a field that has more to do with the social sciences and completely off-beat from what a normal Comp-Sci grad does. But isn't it home where the heart is? Seems I've finally caught a break from my otherwise irresponsible life as my dear critic mama(uncle) would quote! The fact being; I've always been more irresponsible than he ever perceived and wiser than he has ever deemed me to be.

Today was supposed to be my first day at work and I still remember how I was damn restless; clearly highlighted by the fact that I woke up 7 times during the night yesterday to check the time as I dint want to be late. 0015, 0055, 0135, 0158, 0245, 0320 and 0515 hrs I vividly recall. Duh!
I managed to reach on time.

Reception: Yes, how may I help you?
Me: Hi, This is Achuthan, Am to join today.
Reception: Oh Hi Achuthan, please have a seat.
Me: Ok, Thanks.

After 5 mins.

Reception: Achuthan, were you instructed on what task you're required to perform?
Me: I've absolutely no clue, I was just asked to join. You're the one who communicated with me, right?
Reception: Yeah, Am sorry Achuthan, Abhijeet has gone to meet a client in place of Yogesh Sir who is unwell today. He is supposed to be in charge of assigning you tasks. Please come tomorrow, same time! Extremely sorry.

Inconvenience regretted?? Ouch! I've damn traveled for 2 hours to reach this place I thought. But there was nothing anyone could. People don't fall sick purposely I said to myself. Atleast I got the practice of coming on time. I comforted myself. The very first day in my professional career starts with a holiday, am surely one in a million I thought. It is not a one you took, rather it is a holiday thrust upon you, you moron; the logical self of mine smirked! Fair enough.

Whatever, it is a new beginning from tomorrow. A new role in life, period! I just found this song to be amazingly apt!

D-Day

2011-07-14T22:26:00.001+05:30

Yesterday I officially became a graduate. The days running up to it as I recall, were hell. Searching for a job unsure of the results. Failure and the emotional turmoil with heavy mood swings. It was a bad phase; now distant in my memory. I got a call that the results are out online. My heart started pounding. I could feel the vibrations echoing in my whole body, legs went weak! That feeling has come only twice ever in life; ironically both on the 13th of a month this year!

Then the bliss; I was a graduate. ALL CLEAR.

All the years of hurt, pain and agony; both mental and physical seemed justified. In a jiffy all the memories flashed in front of me. Right from 9th July 2008 through 20th May 2011. This has not ended but just begun. Graduation life has died, the after-life awaits me with arms outstretched. Way to go....

After 3yrs am officially relieved from hostel life. Am back home. This song seems perfect!

The last call...

2011-07-13T12:24:00.003+05:30

Its been a year; yet I still remember her face vividly; 379 days to be precise. Raji.. yes Raji was her name. She was wearing a white top with crisp blue denim. I was lost into oblivion waiting for the train when she approached me and...

Raji: Hey, you are Akshay's friend Vishal right?
Me: Yes, Why?
Raji: Don't you remember me? We once met outside my college? .....Raji?
Me: Oh! So your Raji? Ya I know you. We have spoken about twice on the phone. He always keeps speaking about you..
Raji: Does he? A bit of misunderstanding between us. He gave me call I just ignored. I'll give him a call after some days. Just don't tell him you met me.
Me: Ya he gave you a call on the 3rd, he dint just call you, it was 5 times.
Raji: How do... (I cut her)
Me: Even if I wish I cant tell him now, He died on that day!

I said coldly with a hint of anger and sadness in my voice. She was dumbstruck!

Raji: What the hell are you telling me?
Me: Yes I was riding on a bike with him, I was pillion. We met with an accident and he died after an hour.
Raji: What? How? Where?
Me: He wanted to do shopping and we were on our way when the truck ahead of us hit the brakes suddenly to avoid hitting a careless pedestrian. We were not able to apply the brake in time and rammed to the back of the truck and he hit his head.
Raji: He always wears a helmet. What happened to the helmet?
Me: We were to buy a new helmet that day, so left the old one at home. We passed the helmet shop on the road but dint buy because he wanted a racing helmet. We'd have got it if we would have saved some extra cash on the way back from the shopping. I guess it was meant to be that way.

Her jaw dropped open. As I continued...

Me: When we hit the truck the bike was travelling at about 45 kmph. He tried to brake but could not due to rain and the tires slipped. He hit head first into the back of the dumper while I hit him from behind, pinning him further. The bystanders helped me get him to hospital. He writing in pain and out of the blue all what he said was "Call Raji from my cell!" It was then you got the call five times; you ignored! Of all he called you.. Damn it!

The anger in my voice was starting to show up now.

Raji: What? Why me? Why not his parents or anyone else?
Me: Because he was always clear with his life. He never faked, always talking out what is there in the heart with zero justification no matter what. When people feel they gonna die they called their loved ones to say that they loved them or to tell them unsaid things. But he didn't need to do that, he was outspoken and frank, he always believed this real buddies would understand him. He was right! He wanted to tell you that because he told you he likes you, you don't have to reciprocate the feeling. He had made a statement not a asked you a question. You didn't understand it, created a misunderstanding and ignored his calls. Hah! he was wrong in choosing you out of the millions.
Raji: Did he tell you all this? But how will I know?

I said, looking directly into her eyes defiantly, with a unwavering voice that held the cold subdued anger.

Me: Now, you never will! This is the exact difference between you and him. He never gave justifications; at least not to close ones. Probably somewhere deep inside he felt that you were not that close so he must have asked me to call you. He doesn't have to explain all this to me! I've known him since I've known things. I was his second conscience; he was mine. I've once heard "No-one is ever betrayed by true Love. Only deceived by infatuation and blinded by lust". After all its true...

She was standing in the crowd. I pushed her back into the same millions that Akshay had brought her out from. Eyes moist and grasping for breath; that was the last time I saw her! As I left her there, I recalled this quote from the classic V for Vendetta to be apt...

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. [laughs] Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me "V".

Improvisation - Need of the day

2011-07-06T21:24:00.001+05:30

We all know that necessity is the mother of all inventions. Well here is a hilarious proof to this proverb and the age-old cliché of Where there is will there is a way (Link to another topic on the same lines). A friend had mailed this to me long back. Just thought of sharing.

No spoon?

Well, I can fix it!

Seat belt broken?
Well, I can fix it!

Old TV cabinet small??

Well, I can fix it!

Electrical socket problem?
Well, I can fix it!

Stereo stolen??

Well, I can fix it!

Book shelf damaged??
Well, I can fix it!

GPS faulty??
Well, I can fix it!

No ice box for party??
Well, I can fix it!

Cant see the ATM screen in the sun's glare??
Well, I can fix it!

Car make of another country??
Well, I can fix it!

Satellite dish getting wet??
Well, I can fix it!

Coffee heater malfunction??
Well, I can fix it!

Exhaust dragging??
Well, I can fix it!

Need to feed as well watch TV??
Well, I can fix it!

USB cables falling behind desk??
Well, I can fix it!

Ran out of diapers??

Well, I can fix it!

Challenges are high,

the dreams are new,

the world out there,

is waiting for you.

dare to dream,

dare to try,

no goal is too distant,

no star too high...

Networking - The Google way.

2011-07-02T20:31:00.009+05:30

I've been watching the internet space for the past 3-4 days and in all of them the talk about Google plus hogs the limelight. Even Facebook status of many of my friends says they want an invite if anyone has a spare. My relationship with Google has always been special. I was invited to join Google by my friend Siddharth Joshi way back in 2005 when it was pretty new in India. At that time Google mail was invite only and Internet in India at that time was synonymous with Yahoo. I was given an invite into Orkut by another friend of mine while it was still new and in beta testing stages; and now Sreenivasulu Reddy Varikuti sent me an invite just under 20 minutes after me asking for an invite through the status in Facebook. While many of my friends still are trying for the past 2-3days for an invite. Lucky me!

First and foremost. I've always been a huge fan of Google. Can we imagine a day without it?

I tried out their G+ and I must say am impressed, as always. The interface is very light and very friendly. Even the newest of the users on the Internet can get around easily there. The circles option is the best part. The interface looks like the old style telephone wherein you have to rotate the dial to input a number. To remove a person you just drag a person out of the dial and it just shoots up in smokes, poof!! IMAO. To top it all, the friend suggesting algorithm is really great. More often than not it shows the right people in the right circle, wonderful. With huddle you can group chat with people via the android and even through SMS. Hangout lets u group chat in video with people, no need of Skype now. The plugin is very small and loads instantly. Sparks is very good for searching the latest news and killing time. All these not in Facebook are in G+

While G+ may be new and not as eye catchy as Facebook, what really sets it apart is the user friendliness, its move to make networking more real and bringing the whole of the internet on your dashboard. The best part is that Google makes everything accessible using one single username over the vast products they offer from searches to maps to images to blogs!! It makes the life of a user easy by not having to through ten different accounts for twenty things, makes more sense, doesn't it? I reckon G+ is not only a better networking site but also the future of networking. I wouldn't be surprised if Google would be accused of killing Facebook in the same way Facebook was accused of killing Orkut! It is vendetta and it is pay-back time..

G+ is here to stay. Way to go G+ make networking real from virtual!!

Note: They will be rolling out the official G+ to the public soon. They are just testing and also its a marketing strategy using the Demand-supply concept. It will eventually fetch them more users... ooh how much I love and admire those Google guys!

Remember me?

2011-06-25T12:12:00.004+05:30

Lo and behold,

am out there alone battling the cold,

fighting it am lying on the ground curled,

the memories in my head; they just swirl,

talks and promises out of the window you hurled,

killing me every moment; a new pain unfurled,

its all still here; but you are seen nowhere near,

the message, the letter, your scent on my sweater,

crying myself to sleep; an attempt to feel better,

my heart betrays me; to you it is so loyal,

still holds you as a princess whose is royal,

desperate to loosen on me your hold,

just wishing I could be like you so bold,

I was your silver, I was gold,

Remember me??

I was once your
World!

F.Y.I - The poem is written roughly in the shape of a heart. ( In-case you just failed to notice.)

Elusive template

2011-06-23T15:03:00.006+05:30

Life is a sequence nay you may say,

I stand with above; either work or play,

system of love,

and dirt it does shove,
struggle; pain; victory; rest; again eventual birth,

peace; happiness; joy; mirth then its dearth,

trying to judge pattern in hertz,

This was the best being expressed by fifty-five unique words.

This is my first attempt at writing a 55 fiction. Whats more special about this poem is that all the words here are used only once throughout the poem.

The illusionary orb

2011-06-20T12:08:00.007+05:30

Imagine getting a remainder on your phone about the birthday of one of your pal or your relative that you had almost forgot it. Just in time you managed to buy a birthday present and pay him/her a visit making them happy. Isn't technology a life saver?

You are lost and stranded dont know what to do; you just pull out the smart phone form your pocket and not only find the way points but also the bus number and the frequency of those buses! aaah elixir...

You are at home alone hungry and you have forgot the number to your nearest restaurant; just go to google and type the name of the eatery and if it happens to be just a tad moderately known you will have its number flashing on the screen.

You are apparently bored and you think to while away sometime with google instant; you are in for a treat. I just entered the words "how to.." and look at the results below. HAHA look at the 3rd and 5th most popular searches! What kind of loosers we have around.. IMAO!

But have you ever noticed? We say technology has simplified our lives; In fact it is the one that has actually complicated it in the first place. Image a world where there were no alarm clocks. You would have listened to your biological clock, slept early and trained your mind to get up in the morning with the 1st rays of sun. You would have not forgotten your pals birthday in the first place for the fear of actually forgetting it and not having a backup to remind you of this. We thank Facebook for helping us catch up with our long-lost friends. But in most cases they are long-lost because we don't have the time or interest to actually move out of your desk and meet them in person. It is uncannily analogous to the use of air-conditioners wherein man had actually raised the temperature of the planet by his mis-endevours and then invented the air-conditioners to save himself from the heat! Or the underworld which strikes terror into the hearts of the people, wrecks havoc and then asks for the hafta to protect people from itself!

To be honest; I absolutely enjoy playing Angry Birds on my friend's iPhone and thanks to technology for spotting my errors and the eventual spell-check! What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a hypocrite before??

न सही

2011-06-15T00:09:00.010+05:30

याद आती हो तुम रोज़ कहीं ना कहीं ,

जा चुके हो तुम इतनी क्यूँ दूर,

ज़ख्म दे गयी तोहफे के तौर पर तुम जो,

सहला रहा हूँ रोकर हर पल वो,

याद आता है वो साथ गुनगुनाएं गाने,

और सजाने की सोच रहे थे जो पल थे आने,

ढूंढ़ रहा हूँ तुमे रोज़ वही,

मिल जाती हो तुम यादों में कहीं,

उदासी है भरी की तुम पास क्यूँ नहीं,

ज़िन्दगी बस लगे न सही!

Transliteration

yaad aati ho tum roz kahin na kahin,

ja chukeho tum itni mujhse kyun door,

zakhm de gayi tohfe ke taur par tum jo,

sahala raha hoon rokar harpal wo,

yaad aate hai wo saath gungunaye gane,

aur sajaneki soch rahe the jo pal the aane,

dhund raha hoon tume roj wahi,

miljati ho tum yadon mein kahin,

udasi hai ki ho kyun tum pass nahi,

zindagi bas lage na sahi!

Translation

Am reminded of you everyday somewhere,

Why have you gone from me so far?

wounds that you gave me as gifts,

are soothed by crying every moment.

reminded of the songs that we hummed,

and the dreams we decorated of the moments yet to come,

am searching you every day,

finding you in my memories somewhere,

sadness fills on questioning why you are not here,

life is just not right!

Quik read # 04

2011-06-12T10:43:00.011+05:30

Most often when we don't do a thing its not whether we can do it or not, its just that the work/person does figure in our priority list! All that is needed is conviction to move things. We simply need to be motivated internally to do that thing in the first place before we actually get down to doing it. A classic example..

You are at your place and absolutely can't pickup a call due to people around and suddenly your phone rings..

Friend calls

You simply cut the call, hours later message him/her with a reason. (second part optional)

BF/GF calls

You run to the restroom with the phone, talk in a hushed voice and convey the message with a lot of "Sorry baby", "darling understand" kind of talks and then innocently join the group.

A very basic yet powerful example. So next time anyone tells you a work is not possible, more often than not, its not their inability to do the work but a lack of conviction that exists because you simply don't figure in their priority list. Rightly said, Where there is a will there is a way!
Always!!

Beyond the 11th hour

2011-06-02T13:13:00.007+05:30

Well its the month of June and all of the educated creatures belonging the subspecies homo sapiens sapiens are gripped by pangs of the "Go Green fever". The various types or media viz. Televisons, newspapers, the internet are all flooded with messages of saving the planet and reducing the carbon footprint. They suddenly realise the importance of World Environment Day! Well, I'll follow suit and try my bit in spreading the awareness! Here I've analysed some of the things we do foolishly, yet we're unaware of it. I'll start with the basic things and move on to bigger issues.

We in schools were taught time and again to not waste the precious resources of our planet. But as in the case of any school knowledge, we've comfortably forgotten the lessons and make rampant use of the resources. It starts with the wastage of a thing without which we will cease to exist today; Electricity. We dont care about the wastage of electricity and the reason is pretty obvious; it doesn't burn a big hole in our pockets. A normal tubelight has a wattage of about 60W, keep it burning unnecessarily for about an hour in a day amounts to the loss of just 60W, in a year just 21.9 kWh. Now lets translate that in terms of money, assuming a unit of electricity costs Rs 5, at max you could loose just Rs 110 in a year for a tubelight! It is this attitude of ours "what is the use of saving the wattage of just one tubelight?" that spells doom for the whole of mankind. Now let me explain, the more the wastage of electricity the more the power generation that is required, the more the generation the more the burning of fossil fuels, the more the burning the more the pollution and more the global warming! the worst part : The more the warming the more the usage of ACs which lead to more warming! Its a vicious circle!

The next resource rampantly used is Water. There are many people on the face of the earth who don't have access to safe and pure drinking water! If you have enough clean water to drink be fortunate that you are not amongst the 19% of the people who don't have clean water to drink! Ok, now you may question "What is gonna happen by my saving of water? Is it that am using their water? Anyways the water goes to the earth!" Well I've an explanation on why you should not waste water. The water that comes to our taps is drawn from the reservoirs, chlorinated, sent to our homes and pumped to our rooftops! The catch is that all of the above processes require electricity, and wastage of water indirectly is wastage of electricity and it is like giving impetus to the vicious circle of global warming.

Greenpeace India on 18th May 2011 exposed the diesel exploitation by the telecom giants in India. The government subsidy is about Rs 7-11/litre of diesel for running the generators of the towers! the report says
"In 2008, according to Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), telecom sector consumes 2 billion litres of diesel annually for running mobile towers which has grown to 3 billion in year 2011 with 30 % growth rate"
[F.Y.I] Burning a single litre of diesel emits 2.6kgs of Carbon into the air, multiply that into 3 billion, well that is just for a year from a single country like India! [/F.Y.I]

Watching the Formula1 races has always given people a high. The sound of engines revving, the speed and the breathtaking manoeuvres. On 11th of December Indian Grand Prix is set to take place. This serves as welcome news to all the fans. But have you ever thought? Is such a sport really required considering the energy crisis we are already facing on earth? So much of wastage of fuel just to satiate the human ego and prove who is faster! Well well! In most of the things we do, we somehow waste a lot of resources. Its high time now. They say we are at the eleventh hour and we need to take actions to save the earth. I just laugh at them, good sense of humour they have. Well, don't try to save the earth, the earth will continue to remain as it is, It is we who are going to perish. Lets save our asses as we're already beyond the eleventh hour!

Bare beauty

2011-05-23T01:03:00.033+05:30

For the contest "What does beauty mean to you?" on Indiblogger!

Beauty is a characteristic of a person that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction says Wikipedia. They even say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Well then what to behold would be the right question.

A thing of beauty is something that appeals to the emotions and makes you apprecaite it. So anything could be beautiful. You could find a song beautiful, a sculpture or a scenery for that mater of fact. When it comes to a person being beautiful, I believe that to be beautiful means to be comfortable with your true inner self and its outer image. Beauty is important on both the inside and the outside. Is a rose ever ashamed of its thorns? You need to accept your flaws and take pride in your talents in order to achieve beauty on the outside. It's all about confidence as well.

Being beautiful has to do with the mind too. If you are in fear or angry you simply cannot be beautiful. These are the emotions that are worse than useless. There must be peace and tranquility on the inside They radiate on the face and show in the eyes. The eyes are the index of the soul and if the soul isn't beautiful the person can never be! Every person on the face of the earth wants to achieve that immortal and eternal beauty. But what they fail to understand is that when they seek beauty as an end in itself they may achieve it, but for a short period of time. It will be temporary and it wont satisfy. But if beauty comes to one on its own, as a result of right thoughts and action it will be eternal. The path is important. A classic example of this is Mother Teresa, even at her ripe old age, with the fair wrinkled skin and her over-worked hands she was adorable. Her face was serene with a magical smile and eyes that had a mystical glint. She was not only beautiful, She was GORGEOUS!

For me Beauty is a delicate balance of the inner and outer self. It is an attribute that can be sought and caught; but never taught and bought!

Fall & rise...

2011-05-16T11:27:00.003+05:30

Indeed jinxed it is for me,

No, not just that; something beyond!

I seem to falter always but,

The same intoxicating feeling everytime I do I get,

When being driven around or being the driving force,

Of liking, of passion and of bliss,

Drifting into oblivion every single time,

Deliberately forgetting the past,

Looking beyond those wounds,

For it to happen again, not once I fall but twice,

Rising like a phoenix apparently feeling wise,

Wounds of the heart and flesh still afresh,

Promises I do make before the pains ebb!

Taking tips for future references,

But not the decision to shy away,

Such a decision never in the fray,

All the incidents and accidents worth,

For I know I love it,

So I can never stay away from riding that bike!!

The burning candle...

2011-05-14T11:57:00.016+05:30

Shiva was supposed to be her closest friend! She had none other she had confessed to him, once. It has changed now. He still remembers everything vividly...

"Achu dude.." he said "I met her brother and father on the way to Trichy from Nagercoil. I struck a cord with them and I eventually exchanged number with them da. [read daaa, Tamil equivalent of re/yaar.] Then once went to their place and came to know her. Then added her on facebook and we used to chat da."

I asked "Whats her name da?"

"Aparna" he said, "But I used to call her kannadi" [ Tamil equivalent of Dhapni/ Chasmish..]

"What do you mean by used to call her? She ain't dead!" I interrupted.

"Dai listen to what am saying, don't irritate with your irrelevant logic, they're not needed now!" he barked. I fell silent. "She gave me he number once during our chat da. If am not mistaken it was 10th of Feb."

He had such a good memory. I wanted to ask him how much he secured in the 10th standard in history, but I didn't want to face his wrath. I let him continue.

"We used to chat regularly via text da. Over the course of time we became really good friends, sharing each of our actions in daily life with accuracy, asking each other for suggestions and scolding each other for the mistakes. She started confiding in me the secrets from her past and the problems in her family. Once she cried on the phone saying about some problem. I consoled her, she was very happy. At 0030hrs on the 25th she sent me a msg saying that she was really happy to have me in her life and that she dint wanna loose me. I called her up, she cried again saying that she has always lost the people she had close in her life and she doesn't want to loose me."

I was all ears. I could see the sense of bliss on Shiva's face.

He went on "I was dumbstruck da, didn't know what to do so I promised her that I would never leave her. She said she was very happy, I was happy for her! Then one day she asked me isn't this more than just friendship? I dint know what to say da. Somewhere deep within my heart I knew she more-than-just-liked-me! We met on the 13th of April, Wednesday."

"Bloody ass you didn't even tell me" I said, furious by then.

"Dai macha, you were in Bombay at that time da!" he retaliated.

"Hmmm ok ok go on" I said.

"I met her at her place" He went on, "She told he mother that one friend of hers was coming home. Her place was empty all had gone to some damn relative's place. I went to her place and waited for her to speak. I was silent for almost 10 mins looking into her face. She was down looking just only at the bed. I held her hand lifted her head and proposed her da. In an instant she said yes! I was over the moon! I just hugged her, she hugged me so tight, I can still feel the warmth of her hug..."

"Dai dai, what happened then? huh? huh? :p" I wanted to distract his emotional barrage.

"Grrrrr, I can still remember the time, it was 12:12hrs. I can never forget that moment in my life..." he said with moist eyes.

I thought he must have had topped the state of Tamil Nadu in history with that kind of memory!

"But now, just after a week of our relationship she says she needs a break! She says she cant reciprocate the feeling of love! Didn't she come to know of it when she was roaming around with me? Didn't she get it when I was getting all romantic with the talks? She even reciprocated such talks! Why did she even say yes if she really didn't feel. Isn't this injustice? Bloody now she ain't even talking, not even responding to calls. I left her alone after some trying. I still keep sending her forwards as a testimony to my promise of not leaving her!"

I was bamboozled. She left him? For what? This is crazy!

"Did any fight break out between you two?" I asked.

"Ya a small argument, but that is no reason for her to act in such a way da." he continued. "Dude what ever it is, I supported her for almost 3 months and she just leaves without any reason. All the months of friendship vanished into thin air da. I was always by her side, when she needed a shoulder to cry I gave her mine; when she needed a hand to pat her, it was mine; when she needed a slap to remind her mistakes, it was me, how can she forget all this in an instant?? Where are the tears she brought out that night? Were they fake?"

"Buddy, firstly she seems to be a highly unstable emotional being. Secondly something big, something real big, has changed her mind da! She could be overreacting too" I reasoned out.

"But does that give her liberty to just walk out of the relationship? When she can tell all her unrequired shit to me, cant she tell me what is important?" He argued.

"Dai its almost gonna be a month and no call from her, do u still love her?" I intrigued.

"I don't know. I miss her thats for sure, love I don't! But I swear to you Achu, she will never find a guy who is so liberal, practical and came so close to her heart in such a small gap of time! Not even her husband I swear" He said.

I said "Shiva listen, Chillax buddy! U're better off without a creature that leaves you after u've given your everything da. She left you now for apparently a small issue, what is the guarantee that she would not have left you when something big actually would have cropped up in life? Good you came to know of the real self now! Don't be disheartened, see love in itself is not bad, people make it seem ugly. Am sure one day she will look back and say that leaving you was a wrong choice. Her conscience if she has any, will kill her! You will find a better person bro, for sure! Lots of good girls still around. As far as the using of the you goes, I would say be happy. It shows you are really worth it and you can actually make a person's life worth living da. You did so much for a person who gave you nothing in return. Imagine what you can do for a person who really cares for you. Am sure that you will give Rs1000 now for this caring speech am giving you now :p"

"Bloody ass.." He said with a smile on his face.

I continued "dai Dont mind when people remember you only in need. Feel privileged that you are a candle, which they need when there is darkness in their lives. Haven't you heard of the Sanskrit saying...

"Paropakaraya Phalanti Vrksa
Paropakaraya Vahanti Nadya
Paropakaraya Duhanti Gava
Paropakararthamidam Sariram ||"

(( It is only to benefit others that trees bear fruits.
It is only for helping others that rivers flow
It is only to benefit others that cows yield milk
It is only for helping others that you are given a body! ))

He hugged me tight and said "dai you're a good really good speaker da! Thanks for lifting my mood, come let me buy you a drink!"

I smiled! I was happy for him, more importantly for the drink!!

Quik read # 03

2011-04-17T00:19:00.002+05:30

Ever wondered what is the most addictive thing in this world? Cigarette... alcohol... drugs? Nope its Love. I've seen drug addicts cope up and come with something useful after rehabilitation, not heart-broken love-addicts! Do you have a love rehab? Yes, its Love again. Sometimes I feel people inflict these unnecessary sufferings upon themselves because of their own folly!

The term "Do you love me?" is a question but "I love you!" is always a statement, an affirmation; but never a question! Because when you truly love a person does it change the fact whether that feeling is RETALIATED or NOT?

IFs and BUTs

2011-04-12T18:18:00.004+05:30

At 1345hrs on the 27th of February as I was standing amongst the hundreds of students at the exam center I was one of the select few aspirants whose face bore a sense serene tranquility! That tranquility comes to you either when the question paper is revealed or when you don't have the pressure to perform. I was of the second case as I had decided that the CET-2011 was to be my mock exam and that I would give it seriously in 2012! The paper was tough and the results low. I got 91.76%-ile with 91 marks, six marks short of my self estimate. I knew I had faltered as I had marked 4 answers wrongly in that OMR response sheet in a hurry due to lack of practice and experience! I brushed it off lightly.

But life changed in the moment I got my result. I've now decided to not continue with my plans and to join MBA this academic year itself. But then the stark reality hit me hard; 91.76%ile isnt enough to get me a MBA-MMS seat in any of the top 10 colleges in Bombay! Now as every time my mind started working extra-time. What if I would have not marked those four answers wrongly? What if I had taken an ink-eraser with me? What if I had seriously studied without the idea of rewriting it in 2012? What if...? What if...??? But possibly, had I written it seriously I might have not scored this much because then I might have lost that tranquility and ended up erring even more under pressure! But I cannot justify myself or any of the above cases using theory-crafting, because I know for sure that the human mind is the least predictable of the things in the universe. In the past 24hours I must have done theory-crafting on about ten different cases on what I should have and haven't done. Probably I will look back after 10years and say what happened was good, who knows!

These IFs and BUTs are what make us realise that even the smallest of actions can have the greatest of impact. We realise then, that every moment no matter how small is important and life is like walking on the edge of the cliff where every step is to be taken with care, as each step we take is a calculated risk or else we are doomed! The cliff is actually a better place to err as atleast you know the worst thing that will happen is death! Now that I've erred with those four marks; although unknowingly, I'll have to pay a heavy price, and the price is to drink the bitterest of poisons - Regret. Now I've realised that "you'll seldom experience regret for something that you do. It is what you don't do that will torment you the most".

Tranquil tyrant

2011-04-01T21:16:00.001+05:30

India and Pakistan have always had the sense of rivalry. Is it the hype created in the media or the politics of the non-peace loving elements of the society? Ask any commoner from either of the countries and they will have the unanimous answer of "We want peace"! Then why the rivalry?

Tyrant on the field and a perfect ambassador of his country and peace Shahid Afridi won many hearts for this interview of his. When a person is at such a pedestal and all eyes on him, whatever he speaks ha got it own weight. He was the perfect idol of Aman ki Asha. Although I hate to see him on the field, my respect for him has soared beyond measure. I just wish all the dignitaries of respective countries show such mannerism!

So rightly said
"If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots!"
~Napoleon Bonaparte

Fakr hai!

2011-03-31T14:14:00.005+05:30

I got an SMS early yesterday morning that read:

Sydney 1992 fakr hai...

Bangalore 1996 fakr hai...

Old Traffod 1999 fakr hai...

Centurion 2003 fakr hai...

Johannesburg 2007 fakr hai...

They have asked us many questions on a Friday, repeated it on a Tuesday, and like always, we'll reply on a WEDNESDAY.

I was much amused as it brought a smile to my lips and made my day! Indo-Pak matches are always fiercely fought ones and have always been a highlight of the cricketing action in the sub-continent. A lot of hype and hula is build up on the run-up to the match and the whole of nations tuned on to their idiot boxes. Yesterday's match was no different. The ever present Sachin fan Sudhir Kumar Choudhary was in his usual best and his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Abdul Jalil a.k.a Chacha Cricket was also there to cheer their sides. Interestingly even the load-shedding in the hostel area was rescheduled from 1130hrs for 3 hours instead of the usual 1200hrs-1500hrs!

Walking in to bat after winning the toss was a wise decision made by M.S.Dhoni, which Sehwag later proved by his quickfire runs.He made a mockery of Umar Gul's bowling as he sprayed the ball around. As a Sachin fan I was deeply disappointed as he gave so many chances to the opposition. Such a great player shouldn't give such options for the opposition to make inroads. The review taken was a good move, but I felt Sachin was itchy in the crease which the Pakistanis failed to capitalize on. The others were not that impressive save Raina. Nawab Riaz was the man of the day with his five wicket haul. He was impressive. I felt the target was achievable. But Pakistan faltered. They started off very well but lost steam somewhere in between. The bowling attack seemed unexpectedly well and the fielding impressive. Yuvraj was impressive with the bowling, only in the end was he belted by U.Akmal. Nehra and Munaf held their nerves and Bhajji found his purple patch. Although the Pakistan lineup looked formidable they lacked the consistency and failed at the time when most required. Misbah was left as the lone man to fight as he kept running of partners. The team that held its nerve won!

The usual thing that was missing form the Indo-Pak matches was the aggression and the heated exchanged of words; the verbal volley. Afridi and Sachin had some friendly moments so did Saeed Ajmal against Bhajji. Bhajji once again proved to be immature trying to charge down the track after the intimidation. I missed Shoaib the most. I wanted him to be torn apart by Sachin, a repeat of 2003. He will have lots of time post retirement to contemplate on his folly of bowling to a legend like a school boy on that fateful day. The event was star studded as lots of celebrities came to watch. I particular feel that the Paki Prime Minister was kind enough to come and personally escort the team home. And BTW I guess it was held in Mohali so that they could cross the border directly from there instead of splurging on the flight tickets! xD

Now that Pakistan is out, Shiv Sena can watch the Finals feeling relaxed! Will the 1.2 billion unanswered prayers be answered? Only time will tell...

VSOP. Mera # 1

2011-03-28T19:37:00.003+05:30

The awareness of the little use of my past and possibly my future came to me after an agonising semester. Agonising to such an extent that "I didn't want to live with myself". The thought kept repeating itself in an infinite for loop. For(i=0;i>-1;i++) it seemed! And once my internal journey to discover my "real" self began, my sufferings and agony seemed to vanish! I wanted to stay and complete my graduation here. I was in joy. The thing was I was carrying it all the while without realizing it. To explain let me quote a parable. A box was the permanent sitting place of a roadside beggar. He would ask for change from the people. One such passerby not having anything to give him asked him how long he was seated there. Having lost count he replied negatively. The man asked him what he was sitting on. He replied "nothing", and to just please the persistent man he open the box. To his astonishment it contained gold coins. Looking back I feel like that beggar in the story during the first six months of my stay in Trichy!

Then on it was a smooth journey. As the journey of my graduation comes to an end with today being the last working day of my college and graduation. Only the formality of exams are left for me to depart! Here are the few things I would miss from this place during 9th July 2008 - 25th Mar 2011!

#10
My "Recognised" status in my college. I was probably one of the very few students who was known in all of the college (for the right reasons ofcourse!). As I was associated directly of indirectly with all the departments atleast once in the three years. I was in my modest opinion "The best amongst worst of students" of my place, who is otherwise just an above average student!

#9
The hostel. All through it may have not been the best place to stay as far as academics is concerned, but I vouch that it is one of the better places to stay with a lots of freedom and good amenities (not considering the food though). Had lots of fun with seniors, pals and juniors. Taking lots of memories home.

#8
The amount of competitions that take place in this part of India is enormous. An inspiration that kept me going with the urge to outperform myself! Be it the Rotary competitions or those organised by other colleges. They were great.

#7
BARD Fest. The annual cultural fest of our University was always an event I looked forward to with a lots of anticipation. It gave me immense pride to always represent my college and representing my University in last year's South Zone cultural festival was an all time high. The events gave me lot of contacts and some BFFs!

#6
The staff of my college who more often than not have really helped me and always been a place I could fallback in case of need. They have been a wonderful support.

#5
The times I used to get to stay away from college owing to the steady flow of competitions I used to attend. No one used to question me. Not that I was a very good student, just that they knew "a known devil is better than an unknown angel"!

#4
My dear friends who for most part of the year used to write my assignments and records. To be honest more than 99% of my paperwork was done by them. Not that I imposed it on them just that they were too eager to do it for me. This reinforces the already known fact of me being dead lazy when it comes to writing anything.

#3
My class friends who were ever supportive in all the initiatives I undertake and provided wth lots of good memories.Good or bad, looking back now it seems fun.

#2
My college lab provided with some very amusing incidents with students and staff alike(Hehe). Lab was always fun because of friends around and second year onwards I've always managed to finished the whole of my programs in a couple of lab sessions while the whole lot used to sit with it for the whole semester. Latea vandalum latesta vanden :P

#1
The feeling of standing near the window outside my class and having my ID card tag wound around my hand swinging it to and fro, instead of having it around my neck. Then scanning the horizons to be on the lookout for the staff!

Am sure ten years on when I'll look back, these will be the special memories and the people associated with it
my....
Very Special Old Pals

The Hindu!

2011-03-23T11:40:00.003+05:30

My blog covered by The Hindu and a small paragraph written about me from the telephonic conversation they took. A special thanks to one of my friend without who it would not have been possible.

Although this is not a great achievement, a modest step forward. But all great voyages start with a few small steps!

P.S. To read the whole article published in the paper Click here

Indignity galore

2011-03-20T21:11:00.008+05:30

The path en route to realising the great Indian dream of a "developed nation" is ridden with thorns. One such prick being the rampant caste system and the INDIGNITY OF LABOUR followed. How much ever we may say that it has been eradicated, the harsh fact is that it is still prevalent in not only the small-time villages but also in the nearby towns!

The caste system in ancient India was conceived with the idea of classifying people according to their profession. The Brahmins were invariably priests, the kshatriyas the warriors and so on. But somewhere in the between the real meaning of the caste system was lost and it became hereditary. In ancient India this was not the case as a person could move to a caste higher, on the basis of his merit or knowledge! Every profession was respected. A washerman was as respected as a sage. Classic cases of it being the great Veda Vyas who was born to fisherman, sage Valmiki who was a hunter and the great India poet and dramatist Kalidasa who was a shepard. Somewhere something went terribly wrong in between.

Sometimes it really pains to see educated people getting into the act of degrading a person on the basis of his caste or social status.

I study in the temple town of Srirangam in Tamilnadu. The famous presiding deity of the temple Lord Ranganatha a.k.a Nam Perumal(our God) on his traditional route to another place stops by in a college. The Lord coming to that college is celebrated with great pomp and with the whole college being decorated with banners. The day is known to all and the staff and student take the blessing of the lord. Locals also come for the annual event. As we were all standing in the line suddenly a sound and a man was shoved back-

Ne ellam inga enna panra?

[What are you doing here?]

The man was dressed in crisp white dhoti and a spotless white matching shirt. The man was a watchman. He had come there early that day only to catch a glimpse of the Lord and take His blessings. He was taken aback as were we, dumbstuck! Poor guy denied the opportunity! All this done by a man who looked pretty educated. why? ...is it because he was just a watchman and came form a lower economic strata of the society? Is it a sin to be a watchman? Where is the dignity of labour taught to us in schools? Imagine a day without these type of workers? We'll witness the roads littered, the toilets smelling, the gutters overflowing and the thieves roaming freely unquestioned. These people may not be like the beautiful music that appeals to everyone but they are like the silence between two musical notes. Sound of music will have no meaning without the silence. In fact the silence is "eternal" and the sound of music "perishable"! They are like the space in which a beautiful piece of art exists but everyone sees only the art and not the space. But that does not mean it does not exist!

Ironically the watchman's name was "Perumal"!

A guilt ride!

2011-03-09T19:13:00.008+05:30

"Teet teet - Teet teet", Ashwin heard the familiar sound of his Nokia 1100 mobile Handset. Involuntarily he opened the message by the ritual of unlocking the cell phone keyguard. A ritual he has so often done to the extent of such expertise, wherein he could unlock it even with his eyes closed, single handed!

An unprecedented wave of shock passed from his head through his spine to the last muscle in his feet. A Tsunami of sorts, as he read the message on his cell.

Is this just friendship?

The timing on the message showed 22:30:36. He checked to find out that it was just sent.

Had she really found out? There was something strange he had felt about her, the very first moment he had seen her in the back of the bus during their Industrial Visit. He had never noticed her before that in the college. Eyes that bore a greenish tinge, bespectacled and hair long and straight. She seemed reserved and quiet, responding to the questions only with mono-syllabic answers. The first time he'd seen her speak he instantly registered in his mind that she, Brinda was an above-the-rest-girl.

As they came to know each other better, the bond grew and within the short span of time, became really good friends. And on one casual talk, she confided in him about the love of her life, a guy called Dhruv! Ashwin was breathless as gasped for air, twitching uncomfortably in his chair and trying to appear normal. After her disclosure he stepped down on his plan (to proceed further and take their relationship to the next level) and stuck with her, as "just friends". She all the while being unaware of his "innocent plans" and its "decommission"!

But now the message! Had she somehow sensed his intentions through his non-verbal actions despite his sincere efforts to camouflage his feelings and getting used to seeing her in a new light? Hands trembling he answered to the text message:

As: y the sudden ques?

Br: Sounded pretty absurd? (22:32:17)

As: ofcourse it did!

Br: I'm sry.. got a li'l confused.. (22:34:44)

He was still in the pretty jovial mood. He typed a message and left a loooooooong gap after the first part!

As: I jus <3 [love]............. disturbin u!

Br: yu serious? (22:40:22)

He calls her, she cuts the call!

Br: I'm wit mom.. (22:46:35)

As: k. tel me

Br: This can be amazing friendship..right? (22:49:05)

As: It is, wow y da ques?

Br: And let it always be nothin more than friendship..pls? (22:50:54)

As: bt y u sounding idiotic?

Br: Jus wanted to be sure. hope yu didnt get offended (22:57:51)

As: np, bt u sounding un-BRINDA lyk :|

Br: ok wait.. can we jus forget whatever happened? And make a new beginning? Cos i feel terrible..(23:19:29)

As: r u gone bonkers? terrible 4 wat?

Br: i feel terribly guilty and yu know y. so is it ok of i cal yu after a few days? need to get a li'l clear! (23:22:44)

She had once confessed during one of their usual post-dinner chit-chat, the he was the only other guy save Dhruv with whom she has been so close, speaking with such frankness and sharing such intricate details about her life devoid of inhibitions. That too after just two days of knowing him. And now the guilt! She was feeling guilty for being close to a guy other than her "love"! Ashwin was desperately trying to pacify her and reason out with her that being emotionally close to a person of the other sex does not mean transgressing the line. Brinda was guilt-ridden and he couldn't understand why! He told her to speak to Dhruv, but she rubbished the idea by saying that he was way too possessive to understand it. Ashwin was taken aback, head whirling he asked her where is the love without trust? She was speechless! He felt like slapping her and telling her that she should have thought about it before getting all "friendly". He kept his clam though. His conscience clear, he replied,

As: ok, bt i stil cant figure out y?

Br: pls understand.. giv me a few days. Trust me.. we'll always be good friends. rly (23:32:22)

As: :)

He had clearly understood one thing, that Brinda was a complex mixture of high IQ and low practicality! She was into a guy who loved her yet could not trust her on the contrary intrigued her under the lame pretext of "possessiveness". She was confused she said..... for what? Was she confused between Ashwin a guy she had met barely 3 days ago and Dhruv her longtime "lover" who she was happy with but somewhere deep inside her heart wanted him to get better! Only Brinda knew the answer. But all Ashwin knew was that he loved Brinda with all his heart but kept away form professing his love for the only fact that she was already committed. He realised at that very moment :-

Lots of things go unquestioned,

lots of things go unanswered,

some words go unsaid,

some go unheard,

few dreams are born dead,

few are buried alive,

THAT IS LIFE; where everyone has

an unspeakable truth,

an irreversible regret,

an unreachable goal,

AN UNFORGETTABLE LOVE!!

Morning madness

2011-02-27T02:06:00.003+05:30

The other day I got down at Kalyan station from my express train on my way back home and boarded the 5.26am slow local for CST. Don't know what prompted me to not take a fast train to Thane. But that decision proved out to be good indeed, unaware I was of the entertainment coming up!

As I boarded the train I went to the opposite end knowing that the train would come on platform no.4 in Thane. I was loaded with bags. I kept those bags near the door on the side and was standing near the doorway as usual. As the train passed Dombivli, I heard a familiar question from a man in his mid-50's

Oldie: Diva utrayache?

[Want to get down at Diva?]

Man: Nahi, Mumbryala!

[No, at Mumbra]

Oldie: Mag side de na.(arrograntly)

[The give side (way)]

Man: Thamba zara, Vel aahe. Kopar cha nantar yenar na.

[Wait a little, time is there. After Kopar only it will come]

And they started arguing. At first it was amusing, but then it started to get monotonous as the man was constantly asking for "side". Suddenly involuntarily I muttered,

Me: Konta side pahije, right ki left?

[Which side you want, right or left?]

That impromptu remark brought smiles to the lips of people standing around me. Those two were busy fighting oblivious of the comment though.

Oldie: Ha train kai tuzhya baapacha aahe?
[Is this train your father's?]

Man: Zasta bolu naka, tumi loka gavatun yeta ani amcha jeev gheta!

[Dont speak too much, you people come from village to kill us!]

I was pretty pissed by then. 05.30 in the morning and people start fighting like small children fighting for that extra candy. I mean, how can you even get into the mood to argue in the morning when you have some many plans running in your head for the day ahead? I said then audibly, sounding bored :-

Me: Chala khup zala bolun, maar-peet suru kara!

[Enough of the talking, start the blows now!]

People all around started laughing and there stopped the argument. At-last peace restored!

Angel...

2011-02-25T07:11:00.002+05:30

Fair, bright and white,

I found her sitting to my right,

Some power had those eyes,

She seemed for her age very wise,

Lips as pink as pink could be,

Her speech seemed to set all sorrows free,

Cold at night it was that brought her close to me,

Slept on my lap; she with glee,

As I was just about to flee,

I could hear those moist eyes' plea,

Now for you, that is Aarti, aged three!!

1.2 billion unanswered prayers!

2011-02-19T13:54:00.002+05:30

Come any great sporting event and everyone turns a aficionado, an expert, with people in every nook and corner trying to predict the outcome of the event! Suddenly there is an adrenaline rush and people are pumped -up. Ask any person on the streets the importance of today and he will instantly reply about the inaugural match of Cricket WC 2011 is to be held in Dhaka between India and Bangladesh! Hardly anyone will remember Shivaji Jayanti.

Come any World Cup season you cannot fail to miss the build-up and the hype surrounding it. Months before the actual event, inflation in electronics forgets to rise and there is a sudden drop in the prices of televisions and home theatres as they start self-replicating and automatically jump on to the shelves for sale!

Every other person you meet becomes a statsguru and starts predicting the outcome of the contest with seemingly uncanny surety. Editorials all around are filled with tips for the players as everyone tries their hand at being a team manager. Sports column overflow. The attitudes of my fellow Indians towards our ever "PIECE-LOVING" neighbour seems to have changed. Even the most aggressive person around seems to mellow down and take a emotional backseat. Take for example our very own loving politician Bal Thackeray. He has always been taking a non-PAK stance in mumbai, but now feels bad that he will be missing the Pakis till the final, i.e. if they manage to come all the way. He also added that they must come to Mumbai nevertheless, be recieved with great pomp and be made to stay in their much loved hotel, The Taj Mahal! I just love this man for his unpredictability!!

India had last lifted the coveted cup under the captaincy of perhaps the best all-rounder ever produced in the sub-continent, way back in 1983! The men-in-blue now are riding on real high hopes of 1.2billion Indians and many more around the world. Time for the No.1 test team to become the No.1 in ODI. Let's get going!

Peace NOT p i e c e s!

2011-02-14T21:05:00.004+05:30

"We make war that we may live in peace!" This famous quote of Aristotle comes to my mind daily as I read in news of the blasts and killings. Anger, skirmish, battle and war, all these have just two reasons to show their face on earth, difference in language or religion!

What makes a language, a language? The phonetics or the script? Take for instance the sound "Aa", can u distinguish whether it is a Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi or a Bengali "Aa"? The distinguishing factor has always been this script and we humans have always fought over this for god alone knows what! Take the case of our own India, where the states were originally divided on the basis of language for better administrative and communicative purposes. But now they have probably forgotten that they belong to a larger group called India and a even larger group "Humans"! Classic cases of the rifts are the Cauvery water row between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the Belgaum issue between Karnataka and Maharashtra, the internal rifts in Andra Pradesh and the list is in-exhaustive.

The next thing what we humans clash over is religion. The only religion that existed in prehistoric times was humanity. It was a binary value. Good or Bad, and nothing in between. But somewhere in between things took a turn for the worse. But the irony is that since all the religions in the world ultimately say the same thing, just as in the case of the phonetics we cant say which religion said what in the broader perspective. The paths may be different but the all reach the same place!

The problem in my opinion lies in the fact that we humans sometimes as educated fools are not able to distinguish between the feelings of fondness and fanaticism! Loving a thing is good, fanaticism is fatal. Had Aristotle been alive today he would have written "We make war and we lie in PIECES!"

Here is an anecdote:-

There was once a man reading a book and his child was asking him lot of questions and irritating him. To make his child quiet he took a paper and tore it into pieces. On the paper was the world map. He asked the child to join the pieces of the map and then ask him questions. The child came back in a matter of 5mins and showed him a perfectly joined map. The man was puzzled and asked how he managed to get it right as the child was very young to know the placement of the countries on the map. The child showed his father that on the reverse of the map was a human face, the child has just joined the human face and the world was perfectly assembled!

Game, for life...

2011-02-10T21:11:00.001+05:30

"Stop playing games like a kid!", gone are the days when you used to hear the comment as a reaction on finding someone playing games. Gone are the days of Mario, Dave and Contra. The term gaming now is associated with playing on a PSP or computer or a X-Box with highly sophisticated controls and commands.

The games that are developed now by companies like EA, Valve and Blizzard cater to all genres of game lovers from simulation to strategic games to first person shooting. These type of games also come with the option of playing online through a dedicated platform with like minded gamers across the globe with real-time stats! The best known among them are Steam for CS, Garena for Warcraft etc. These gaming servers/ platforms also maintain a forum of their own where they provide troubleshooting service and also discussions for the game play takes place there. The monthly active members on these forums and their servers exceed a million. And more often than not a player is willing to part away with a major chunk of his pocket-money to enjoy special privileges on these servers! When seen most of the games are in the age group of 15-30 years, the youth.

The sites/forums in turn are making money by selling these privileges and by advertisement. The sun is shining brightly and the hardware companies are making hay, big time. Specialised gaming consoles, keyboard and mouse are on every gamers' wish list and u bet, these don't come cheap! Graphic Processing Units(GPU) which were a luxury has now become a necessity. The major brands like Nvidia and Radeon are even willing to sponsor for the tournaments.

These games have always been criticised for being a diversion to the minds of the youth, the pillars of their respective economies Another point drawn flak upon is the amount of obscenity and violence in those games, unsuited for younger gamers! But the point is that these games are not made for them! These games are in my opinion a boon in disguise. These draw the attention of the youth of the nation for anti-social activities at least! These games are played in real time so these require a lot of hand-eye co-ordination and improves the reflexes of the gamers in turn. The strategy games improves the resource management and improves the analytical ability and makes the mind sharper. Thats why is say, "Game, for life!!"

Real, yet surreal

2011-02-06T18:05:00.008+05:30

She lies in the bed staring at the ceiling, mind drifting miles away, eyes moist! She's been through a lot in the past couple of months. She glances at her mobile, it says 10:07pm. She was out with her friends today, happy and gay with moods in high spirits. But that one thought was enough to push her into nadir! Just a few months ago she was happy, just as every other girl, high on hopes and with big dreams. She wanted to be a web developer after completing her post graduation. She also wanted in her life a prince, a prince who would sweep her off her feet.

On a technical symposium she met this guy through their mutual friend. The meeting was pretty ordinary, just an exchange of greeting in the canteen over some snacks. The symposium was a three day affair and since their city was quite far they were accommodated in the host college itself. Her event ended prematurely and she accompanied her friend and him to the other events. Their friendship gradually grew and by serendipity had dinner together on the final eve and the bond grew. She was impressed by his simplicity and straight forwardness. They exchanged their numbers and bade farewell on the closing ceremony of the symposium.

She called him the following weekend and they spoke for what seemed 10 minutes but the call log said 57mins 13secs. He called her after two days and this became a habit and ended chatting for hours at night. Her hostel friends were amazed at her 'cauz she never spoke to a guy this much leave alone talking at night. One night she gave the phone to one of their mutual friend, her fellow hostel-er and went to talk to her matron. He and her friend ended up taking for about 40mins. When the friend brought back the phone she said in a rough tone that she was not interested in speaking, he probably heard it and cut the call out of anger. Her phone rang again after five mins and his name flashed, the next instant it was on her ears, as though through bodily involuntarily reflex action. As though a response to a stimulus!

He: Why are you upset?
She: Why are you asking me this? am normal. (poker-face-tone)
He: Then why did you say you don't want to speak? That too in a tone never used before?
She: you chatted with her while I was waiting inside the room waiting to speak to you. That too for more than half an hour!
He: So what? She was just going on speaking. Don't you know what kind of chatterbox she is?
She: I don't know, am just pissed. Why did you talk to her for so long? I just told you to say "Hi"!

He sensed the apparent jealousy in her tone. He had been more-than-just-liking her for quite some time now. The metal was hot, the time to strike was now, to give it the desired shape. He was waiting for the right moment, this was it, probably! Taking chances he spoke...

He: I find no reason for you to be pissed. Okay, think, why is it that I give you a call and not her? I've been knowing her for years now. Still I call you. You're special to me, why are you upset? Why the jealousy?

He spoke all this in a single breath and now realised that he probably went overboard. A 20sec silence over the phone. "Jealous?", yes she had heard it right. He 1st reaction was anger but then she was drawn back. Yes I was probably jealous. Why? What reason have I got to be angry? She is...
Her thought process interrupted by his voice.

He: Hellooo, you there?
She: A meek-yes!
He: Speak up!
She: I don't know what to say.
He: Ok listen, I wanted to say this to you in person at the right time, I like you and want you to be more that just a friend. I want to take our friendship to the next level. And by judging your reactions in the last 10mins, I think your sub-conscious says yes. Now what do you say?

She was dumb-struck. Although she liked him she didn't expect this. Her head was whirling as she spoke..

She: I like you, but am confused!
He: Just close your eyes and listen to what your heart has to say. Am on the line.

After a silence for about 70secs

She: Yes.

That was the start of their many days to come as a happy couple. They shared everything. Spoke about everything under the sun, pampered each other and were the best of friends. Until one day a problem rose out of nowhere. A matter very trivial for a couple-much-in-love like them. He was away on an industrial visit to Bangalore and he said that he will come back in two days and speak to her. She insisted on speaking, suddenly his balance ran out. She tried to reach him but could not owing to zero balance while in roaming. He could not recharge.

He comes back after two days and speaks to her. The issue was solved long before he reached but her anger on him refused to subside. They argue and like a dormant volcano blow off on each other. In the spur of the moment she insists on a break-off! He just says okay and keeps the phone down. He calls back after 20mins and asks her if what she spoke was really what she wanted, as he knew that words spoken in anger are seldom what we really mean. But he was wrong this time! She wanted to break-off. He tries to convince her but she refuses to budge, obstinate as usual! He calls her back after two days to the same effect. He calls her best friend and tells her to get to the root of the problem and to convince her. She fights with her best friend also and refuses to speak further on the topic. He calls her after about a month for Pongal/Sankranti wishes but she ignores the call and forgets about it.

But today she saw him in the market. With him was another girl, laughing and smiling, they seemed to have a great time together. He was too engrossed with her to even notice her as she walked past her. He has moved on in life she thought!

Suddenly a faint glow filled the room, catching her attention and bringing her back from miles away. She realised it was the glow of the cell phone that was on silent. She saw the time it was 10:49pm and wondered who is calling her at this unearthly hour. She picks up the phone to hear a rather familiar hello. In an instant she realises its him

He: Hey its me, How are you?
She: A-nervous-hello!
He: Saw you in the market today, thought of calling you.
She: You saw me? I thought you were very busy with that girl of yours!
He: I saw you long before you could spot me. Just ignored you to check your reactions. Saw you turning back twice to check on me through the mirror of the bike in front of me.
She: Who was that girl?
He: She was my school friend's girl, we were shopping for a gift for his birthday! the jealousy factor still remains huh?
She: What?
He: Nothing, are you still angry with me, I still cant get over you. What do you say. Do you still like me?
She: Idiot, yes.
He: Okay, I call you in the morning. Take rest. Am out with my family.
She: Sure, bye take care!

She keeps the phone down and still cant get over it. Did he really call, was it a dream? She checks the call log. It was really him, it says last call 10:49pm, duration 1min 44secs! Her head was spinning and she thought it would burst now. She had found her prince charming after all. If not anything, now confirmed that it was him, and him only! She was feeling happy that he called and how much he loved her and at the same time angry with her self for the unnecessary mis-understanding she had herself created. Tears rolling down her cheek with a smile on her face, she was being torn between agony and bliss. The feeling was real, yet surreal!

Black

2011-02-04T17:03:00.005+05:30

They say am jinxed,
They see me and always draw flak,
Never I see them; by me clothed,
Is it because am the colour black?

Black is the colour that has always been perceived as inferior and degrading. Very few prefer writing in black ink. People don't wear on auspicious occasions. Black is considered evil and bad while people want to go to white and right!

Black has always been my favourite colour and I did some searching to why people refrain from using it. And came across some of the following findings.

Whenever we say that something bad has happened the colour that comes to our mind is black, e.g. "Black Magic". It is because in our ancient Indian history Anjana/Kajal/Collyrium was used in black magic practiced using Atharvaveda. And since collyrium is black in colour, Black is detested!

Another being that according to Indian astrology the colour black is the colour of Saturn or Shani. And Saturn is presumed to have control over all the negative things that can happen to a person or thing according to Indian tradition and hence the colour avoided. But black is a recommended colour for saturday as Saturn is the deity corresponding it and black pleases it. And since most of the auspicious days do not fall on saturday it eventually became a trend of not wearing black on saturdays.

Black is supposed to pertain to infamy and make the wearer infamous. It is also said that since the burning of a thing leaves behind black residue or the thing is charred, in the same way black is a harbinger of calamity. Also the colour of the deity of the graveyard is always potrayed in black. The colour of buffalo, the vahana of Yama is black! So the general phobia towards Black!

I always believe in science and it has to say that just as white light is a mixture of all the basic colours in the same way darkness is the absence of them. While an object that is white reflects all the colours, an object is black 'cauz it absorbs all the light falling on it; thats it nothing more! And no matter how many people and things go against it, Black has and will always be my favourite colour!

Test of faith..

2011-01-26T20:03:00.002+05:30

Ever wondered why?

Twice a year our patriotism touches the sky!

Days before each of the events, to our friends;

Tens of "Jai Hind!" messages we send,

Up we look at the flag near the cloud,

And say we Indians are to be proud,

Bi-annually these emotions run very high,

In between where do these feelings fly?

Quik read # 02

2011-01-22T21:12:00.005+05:30

In the past 1 year I have personally know 2 people who have committed suicide, the latest in this week! Stats say that every 4 minutes a person commits suicide in India. Out of every 10 suicides 7 are done by students.

The reasons are myriad ranging from love to depression.

Imagine wanting to hurt yourself! I wouldn't even cut myself; leave alone dying. When I hear these news it just makes me wonder if only they could muster 10% of the guts required for the suicide and channel it towards their problem, they would rather face the problem!

Life is like having a cup of coffee,
You sit by the window,
lift the cup; take a careless sip and find no sugar,
Too lazy to go for the sugar,
you somehow manage with that sugarless cup,
On finishing you discover undissolved sugar crystals
settled at the bottom.
That’s how life is…

dont look around; look within,

May be the sweetness you are looking for is closer than u think!
When life gives u hundred reasons to die,
show it u have million reasons to live!!
Everyone is gifted, very few open their packages...

Open yours, u'll find life is beautiful...

CHUCK SUICIDE ! life is beautiful, indeed..

Love & Beyond

2011-01-18T21:42:00.009+05:30

The symptoms exhibited by the teenagers in their so called "love" and its transition form Sin(90) to Cos(90)! xD

Part - I :
Love..

Zombie-ness:
This symptom is usually exhibited in class while sitting in a boring lecture or visiting a place boring like a distant cousins wedding where the specimen doesn't know any one. They walk around the town as a zombie without paying much heed to anything around them.

Melodyo-philia:
The person becomes an avid listener of melodies and instrumental music. The person's play-list may be full of melodies; many-times a decade or two old and sometimes sans all other raunchy tracks/ item numbers. The tune/beat of such songs are reproduced during lectures with seldom rapid swings of the hands and jerks of the heads in tune with the beat!

Fashion Guruness:
The specimens pay closer attention to their apparel and get their wardrobe redone in compliance with that of their mate. They also identify themselves as a fashion guru and go on to the extent of being a self proclaimed critic of the people and their fads. Sometimes the illness becomes so severe that the specimen goes on to try something new and in the process becomes the laughing stock of the town.

Excessive smiling:
The victim will suddenly start smiling without any apparent reason in the middle of a lecture/conversion and when you ask the reason:
      a)35% of the times:-
          Answer:- Nothing. And a looking away/down smile
      b)65% of the times:-
          Answer:- Dont-you-know-what-am-thinking-about sly smile

Communo-mania:
The specimen will have the strong desire to keep communicating their every move to the other end and will have the craving for such communication as replies to their message. It is also accompanied by a smile on the face when looking into the mobile and a "POKER-FACE" as soon as the gaze is out of the mobile.

Renaissance (a guy thing):
"Mein sudhar gaya hoon/ Nan thiruditen da/ Am a better person now" will be the reply to actions such as asking the specimen to join up for a round of drinks or a smoke. It could also be followed by the specimen starting a lecture on philosophy and eventually getting bashed up by his mates!!

Part - II :
...Beyond

The state of a teenager just after breakup!

Devdas-giri:
The victims generally go into the shell and then wear the ever present glum on their face and any attempt to converse with them being futile and ending with in mono-syllabic replies. Guys generally become tobacco and alcohol loving.

Mode - revival:
The specimens more or less go into the mode revival where they are gripped by pangs of insecurity about future and start concentrating on their studies and professional redevelopment. They may also want to divert their attention and get back in touch with long lost friends.

Foxy-ness:
About 80% of the observed victims showed signs of bitching about the other half of their "past"-relation and blaming him/her for the end of the relation and self denial mode shows prominence. The specimens bears striking resemblance to the fox that said the grapes it could not reach are sour!

Moral-ness:
72% of the jilted lovers start spewing out the philosophy of Socrates or Chanakya-niti at regular intervals. It is usually followed by a long lecture and boasting that they have grown apparently mature by their past relationship. This condition can be cured by slaps form friends or by hooking them up with a new person.

Credits:
My sincere thanks to all of my friends for being the specimens mentioned here, in varying degrees :P

Quik read # 01

2011-01-08T01:10:00.002+05:30

"Global warming", "Carbon footprint" and "Go green" are the words in vogue today. We all say that we have to conserve the nature and not destroy our planet by changing the equilibrium, since we are the species that has the power to transform the nature.

But the irony of it is that the whatever we do, our planet will change itself, wipe us all out of its face and continue to exist along with its siblings, as it has been doing for the past 4.6 billion years.

So next time when u come across the word "Go Green", just remember one thing; it is to save us, not the planet!!

Tomorrow

2011-01-07T08:26:00.003+05:30

Today It is cacophonous and unhygienic,
Tomorrow it will be calm and healthy,

Today I am hungry and angry,
Tomorrow I'll be satiated and happy,

Today I am disillusioned and lost,
Tomorrow I'll be safe and sound,

Today I am cramped and stamped upon,
Tomorrow I'll be free and looked upon.

Today I am in traveling unreserved in a train,
Tomorrow I'll be at home without any pain!!

[trivia] This work was done by me when traveling in a train.Of course I needed a timepass and a diversion![\trivia]

Bath

2011-01-03T20:52:00.001+05:30

A usual attribute to my sundays; sitting in the so-called internet "Hub" in my hostel the whole day; yesterday was no different. The bell rang for lunch at 12.30 P.M

[trivia] We have a stupid rule in our hostel that one must not access either the T.V or "Hub" during food time [/trivia]

Out came our hostel warden shouting in his seldom-used-unusually-high-pitch...

Tambi enna innum off panalaya?

[haven't you turned it (computer) off yet?]

Illa sir! (pat came my reply with a devilish smile)
[no sir]
Sir 2 O'clock light pogum! (I cried)
[Sir light will go @ 2] (I know, I know. Light instead of current sounds illiterate-ish]

Adu pogatam, ippo neenga ponga! (he replied angrily)
[Let it go, u go now]

I shut the computer down and sat in the same place to give him the impression that I haven't shut it down. When he came to know that I was joking he was pretty pissed and I had to face his music, which I did with my usual innocent smile.

I went on to take bath and had food. I came down after have food and my friends started teasing me as usual and asking me if the sun had risen form the west as I had taken bath.

[trivia] I usually take bath daily at night and not in the day, with occasional breaks from daily baths. The average usually comes to about 0.98537 baths/day. Dont know how I got that stat :P [\trivia]

There came sir form lunch still in a pretty bad mood and one of my friend caught him and asked:

saar mumbai-a enna solli thittunega? avan depress agi suicide attempt pannan!

[what did scold and tell mumbai?(well, that is my name in hostel), he attempted suicide!]

enna? (asked sir with confusion)
[what]

amam saar avan kulichutan, tanni avan mela padarthu avanku suicide madiri!

[yes sir he took bath, water falling on him is like suicide for him!]

And sir burst out into a huge laugh. All this while I was sitting inside abd listening to the conversation outside my room. Am sure his mood must have been good for the rest of the day! :)

Perception...

2011-01-02T09:57:00.002+05:30

Perception; one of the most beautiful words in the English language! Our whole world almost always revolves around perception. All the adjectives are based on perception. How would a thing "small" be small if there wasnt anything bigger than it?

Here are some example of the normally distorted perception with reactions; may seem totally weird but are absolutely true!

01. INTRIGUING ABOUT PERSONAL LIFE:

normally : Who is this person to even ask me such questions?

in the BAR : MAN! He is so caring a person!

02. YOU CALL; PHONE NOT ANSWERED:

ur BFF : He/She IS so busy yaar...

ur CRUSH : OMG am being avoided!!

03. TELLING YOU NOT TO DO A THING:

parents : What the hell? don't I have any sort of freedom?

ur LOVE : Such a darling; he/she is really into me!

04. RS 100:

SMALL : When shopping in a mall.

HUGE : When depositing it in a donation box!!

2010 : A walk thru

2011-01-01T13:58:00.017+05:30

An SMS early on 2010 said.”coming October 10, 2010 at 10 AM,10 minutes and 10 seconds, the time and date will be ”10.10.10.10.10.10″. You might have smiled at that one. So what was 2010 like? A perfect 10? On the contrary, it was perhaps a very event filled year,with many ups and downs. Take a small look on the past yr "2010".

10.FREE AT LAST
Myanmarese opposition politician Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest stepping out of her lakeside house, at 54 university Avenue-a picture of dignity and courage!

09.MIRACULOUS RESCUE
An event that gripped the world was the very dramatic and textbook like rescue in Chile of 33 miners at San Jose Mine after a 69 day ordeal, one of the miner later went on to participate in the NY marathon!

08.NATURE'S FURY
Nature continued to rumble... Volcanic ash from a moody Eyjafjallajökull an ice cap in Iceland finally became a threat and world air traffic was severely disrupted. Thousands of travelers were grounded as they camped in airports waiting for the situation to improve. A Similar situation almost happened nearer home with dormant volcanoes near Indonesia threatening to do the same,but eventually calmed down. The Haiti earthquake gave a sad start to the year 2010 with a magnitude 7.0 jolt leaving thousands dead.

07.INTERNET
The Facebook bug caught up people as it officially murdered Orkut's status in India. Most of the users ended up deleting their dormant Orkut account; myself included! It was the most visited social networking site as published by google Zeitgeist. It launched its mobile posted facility in November 16 and became ever more popular.

06.WIKI
Wikileaks shook up the world with its cables and Julian Assange being arrested. The activist of the so called "freedom" hacked the Mastercard site with the "Operation: Payback" after the company stopped taking donations for that site.

05.NOBEL PRIZE
During his 4th prison term, Liu Xiaobo was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, for "his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China". He is the first Chinese citizen to be awarded a Nobel Prize of any kind while residing in China. Liu is also the first person since Ossietzky to be denied the right to have a representative collect the Nobel prize for him.

04.TELEVISION
The stepping down of Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King from the show after 25 years of hosting Larry King Live. King's last show was aired on December 16, 2010. He will continue to host special shows though :)
Waka Waka - the song of the year!

03.ON THE FIELD
The 2010 FIFA world cup was held in South Africa and won by Spain. But for India New Delhi in October 2010.In the final medal tally,Australia emerged on top with 74 gold and overall 177 medals followed by India with 38 gold and overall 101. Lots of new sporting face came up to the front. But the games marred by the corruption allegations! :(
In cricket Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to score 50 test centuries and to scale Mt.200 in ODI's.

02.SPACE
ISRO GSLV failed for the second consecutive time after 15th April. The failure of the GSLV means INR.125 million down the drain. It was to replace INSAT-2E which was sent a decade ago.

01.GOOD BYE:
There have also been those who have left us and we must remember them:
Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Japanese dual atomic bomb survivor.
Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish sports official.
Jyoti Basu, Indian politician.

And at last a year is gone, hope 2011 has something good in store for us...

My kids will do it differently...

2010-12-29T21:17:00.002+05:30

Some years ago I was a kid and it was Christmas vacations for me and my friends from other schools. The day used to start with we cycling and jogging with out friends in the morning at about 7. Did it till we were hungry and came back home for a quick snack and off to play again. But now it is still Christmas and school children are nowhere to be seen but on Facebook. The essence of childhood lost; perhaps redefined!

Back then the only account I knew was a bank account and the word "mobile" was an adjective and not a noun. I first saw a mobile when I was in my 11th Std that to a Nokia 3310. Now people don't even know it existed and those who knew it know it is prehistoric now. Kids now have phone with GPRS and EGDE; almost 3G now!

Travelling from Mumbai to Pune used to take a gruelling 3hours without traffic that too. But now we have the expressway and it hardly take 2hours to cover those 195 Kms of best road in the country. Bandra-Worli sealink didnt even exist and we didnt know whats load shedding. Now we know what is load-shedding and its already history.

15 years back there we no private channels and only DD1/DD2; watching on TV sets that had no remote but a knob to change channels. I grew up watching Ramayan, Mahabharat and Mogli. Now we have at least 5 channels in each of the vernacular languages of India. Hockey and Cricket were the only games the country watched with great fervour. Dyan Chand, Dhanraj Pillai, Sachin and Ganguly were our Gods. Still the fervour has not subdued but we have taken new pride in following Saina Nehwal, Somdev, Narain Karthikeyan nad Force India. Petrol was 20Rs/Lit and call cost 15Rs/Min. Now petrol is 60Rs/Lit and STD call cost is 0.36Rs/Min. Inflation growing at a steady pace while cost of services falling. Has the harbinger of runaway-prices shown its face? No it has just indicated to us that we're living in a world where resources and we have been using things for our greed rather than need!

The time it took for the Radio to reach an audience of 50 Million was 38 years; TV 13 years; Internet 4 years; iPod 3 years and Facebook 2 years. More words have been added to the dictionary in the past 10 years than in the last 250 years. The amount of information a person comes across in a week of newspaper is more than what he would have come across in 18th century. Times are changing really fast and so are the social norms. 20 years down the line Christmas trees will be there but will be made of holograms instead!! :P

Thru a journey called "Graduation"!

2010-12-23T16:57:00.007+05:30

It started as a vague thought; never in the wildest of my dreams had I thought it would come true! But, here I was 1300Kms away 4m what I called home.

I still remember the baby steps I took towards my college, legs shivering with uncertainty and head spinning with the thought of being jailed up here for the next three years. As it was to happen the 1st three months were the toughest, both physically and mentally. The environment totally weird, the people alien, the food unappetising and the culture primitive. I had come to a place where things are seen from the narrowest of mindsets; where people seldom know more than a language; where movies are watched with more fervour than cricket and respect demanded rather than earned.

Time started to crawl; seconds seemed minutes; minutes seemed hours with a totally new world around me in totally unconducive surroundings. It was then that I realised that the best way to kill a person is to give all the time in the world and nothing to do! I still remember how I used to spend time calculating the RPM(rotations per minute) of the ceiling fan; noting the time it takes for the water to get filled in the overhead tank and watching the birds fly in and out of the room.

Then it started; my participation in the BARD Fest '08. Quiz, Debate and Speech were in which I represented my college. It was just the start of what was to become my solace and time-killer. I started spending more time in college culturals and less in hostel. Life seemed better; time seemed to fly. Roamed near and far for competitions and in a quest to prove that i could do something better with my time rather than kill it. In the meanwhile made friends dearer than I could ever make here. But, the real purpose of me coming to this place a.k.a studies was lost in the transition somewhere between Mumbai and Trichy.

After all this I see a silver lining. I've changed, for the better! Grown more mature and serious towards life. Got to know what family, friends and home mean. Met new people, learnt how to form new relations and the toughest part of keeping it together. Learnt the important lesson in life; to "Love people; use things" on the contrary to what most people do "Love things; use people"!

Two-n-half years and 5 semesters have passed since that fateful day and as I step in to the last semester of my graduation, I've come to realise that none of the analogies about this place have changed. Grown just a tad better. As I start rejoicing that my 3yr ordeal is about to get over in a matter of months, I take along with me some very beautiful memories of experiences, events and some special friends whom I was fortunate to make during my course of stay. The only regret being that I will be far away from them and will not be able to meet them as and when I wish. They had created for me a home away from home.

Overall a journey worth remembering with a few edits ofcourse :P

Paichan Kaun!

2010-11-30T18:55:00.004+05:30

Sometimes I ponder and it makes me wonder,

why am i mad; why am i sad?

do i deserved to be this, am i really so bad?

I raise such queries, an attempt to end my worries!

I keep my ears open; but there are no words spoken,

the deathly silence is much harder to face than violence,

I've changed a lot, is this part of a secret plot?

I need to forge ahead and mourne,

Still sometimes i ask my self "Paichan Kaun...?"

Paichan Kaun myself I asked...

My heart started beating really fast,

Thoughts ceased to fly and i seemed to die,

Something told me I need to start and go,

I've people to who I owe,

Leaving behind me what does not matter,

Now is making me feel better.

The future seems bleak as I feel weak,

I need to forget my past so to not get lost,

I must make a move as I've go a lot to prove!

Now when I ask my self "Paichan kaun...?"

My heart instanly answers "Mein hoon Don...!!"
:P

Death is not the end...

2010-10-31T13:27:00.003+05:30

Time flies real quick. It just seems as if it was yesterday that I went to my school in small pants(the size of my undies now) playfully, my frequent trips to the temple, my playtime, my friends...

When these pangs of nostalgia grip me, the 1st thing that comes to my mind is "my Grandpa". He was always there, right from the day I could recognise people, always, always there.Be it waiting inside the school campus sitting under the tree near the school canteen or taking me to play grounds in the evenings and buying me all the small-small goodies I used to point at. I still vividly remember the times I used to nag him into telling me stories. His stories were my favourite pastime. The amount of patience he used to exhibit every time (I hated a repeat of stories). Now to think of it, those stories in a silent way described to me how the world really works. Mythology, Folklore, Shakespearean... you name it and there the story was. He always had a solution for every problem. Highly Intellectual.

The greatest "Test of Faith" comes when we are away from people whom we love and how often we think of them in our busy daily life and the way their influence changes our lives. Now to think that I cant re-live those moments with him makes me sad; to think that I wont be physically having him around me. Still cannot get over the fact that if at all I want to be with him now, it would be in my memory where he has a booked a special berth for himself for eternity.

I just comfort myself by saying - "Death is not the end, it just the beginning of a whole new kind of journey!".

<3 u

Back to basics

2010-08-14T15:46:00.003+05:30

They say that the "Pen is mightier that the sword". But the problem India faces is that 31% of the population does not know how to use the pen. We have a literacy rate of 69%; well below the world average of 84%. The southern states fare better compared to north.

The education system in India has gone to the dogs, worse still; to the street dogs! The educational system in ancient India was Gurukula. There an individual learnt all the things necessary for his life contrary to the popular belief that only religious scriptures like the Vedas and Upanishads were taught. Although this my not be practical today considering the professional environment; the present education system in India was designed by the erstwhile British colony for clerks. Indians were supposed to do clerical jobs for the "White" back then. We have just improved on it. Theory based education with very little concentration on the practical system is the order of the day. BusinessWeek denigrates the Indian curriculum saying it revolves around rote learning and ExpressIndia suggests that students are focused on cramming.

The educational system which we have now lacks the goal of universal which requires constitutional directive which has become a distant dream, the gains we made in terms of enrollment are set to nil by the high drop out incidence. Hence the ultimate result it has brought is that the number of illiterates in the country continue to remain the same. The extreme inadequacy of infrastructure facilities; as few reports on education have shown the pathetic condition of many of the schools in the country, from which it is evident that the resources available are not enough as in the present scenario it is highly difficult to provide even the basic or minimum facilities to such schools, as the allocation made for education still remains the below recommended average of 6% of the GDP. The public expenditure on education has actually declined from around 3.23 percent of GDP in 2000-2001 to 2.88 percent in the recent times. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), India has the lowest public expenditure on higher education per student in the world.

The system needs a serious facelift. The problem lies in the grass root level. We live in the same country that boasts of premier institutes like IITs, IIMs, IIS on one hand and on the other has one the highest school dropout rates in the world. The graduates today dont know what to do after the completion of their education even if the manage to gather the knowledge required for their professional life. Apart from this the real problem we face is not that of unemployment, but of unemployability. Only one in ten young people have access to tertiary education Out of those who receive higher education, only a quarter of graduates are "employable".

The government on its part has been trying it best to educate the masses by implementing the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan - (2001) and now the Right to Education Act - 2010. But do we have a judicial system competent enough to keep a tab on whether these initiatives are carried out as per law ? Now this is a point worth pondering. Even if those are implemented it wont be of much use as there still gender bias prevailing in the curriculum with the females generally being shown as weak and helpless, and poor facilities in the schools. Also most of the technical education imparted is obsolete which is of no use in the present scenario.

Education is not filling the brain but training the mind, for this the teachers play a very important role. The teachers must have the potential to invoke the interest in the minds of the students so that they are motivated to learn more and more in their quest of knowledge. For this the firstly the teachers must take interest in their profession and must update their knowledge on a regular basis. Until these happen I can assure that India will still be a developing country 100 years from now!!

Impossible ?? LoL !!

2010-08-10T17:13:00.003+05:30

It actually started off as a joke...
First lecture of the day and boring as usual; couldnt even take out the mobile to fiddle as I was sitting on the edge on the aisle in between rows.
I just told my friend lets have fun and start writing with our left hands. So it started. We all were in giggles by looking at our writing.

That lecture passed real quick. I was feeling bored and started doing it the next lecture also. It became a habit. I kept doing it for a week to the frustration of my friends who kept asking me what I wanted to prove. My handwriting started getting better with the left hand and now am on the road to becoming ambidextrous.

The point I would I like to bring out here is that the reason we fail is because we give up after a singe attempt does not fetch the desired result. How many times have we failed in life ?? 10 ? 20 ? 30 ? heh !! We must have failed for thousands of times in life, remember the time when we were learning to walk n talk ? we failed; but never gave up because we didnt know what is to give up. Now that we have grown up, we tend to become more conscious of the people around us and what they would say.

After this I've realised that when we say that we cant do a thing it is not our inability to do it but our lethargy. When we dont achieve a thing its because either we really didnt want it or we have bargained for its price. I've learnt the lesson that i would remember for a loooooong time to come; Impossible is nothing !!

I miss those days..

2010-05-24T17:32:00.005+05:30

I miss those days of uniform, class test, unit test, semester, holidays, more class, more unit tests, one more semester and holidays only for the cycle to start again !!

I miss those days when I kept praying for some more holidays in a week, searching the calender on the 1st of every month to look at the number of holidays.

I miss those days when every person I met was a friend, in the building, outside the building, in the bus, in the train, in shop where ever i did a hop.

I miss those days of singing "happy birthday to u, may god bless u..." in chorus every single time a classmate has his birthday.

I miss those days waiting for the recess bell to ring and rush out of the class to the canteen and jostling there to get the first piece of the snack.

I miss those days of fighting whether the ball hit the stump or missed it only to be chased down by the PT sir saying that the break time was over.

I miss those days of eating bhel for Rs 2/- outside the school gate oblivious of the dirty water that guy used to make bhel in.

I miss those days of waiting for the sun to down to come out of the house to play with friends, a gang of 20 roughly.

I miss those days of "Hide-n-Seek", "Lock-n-Key", "Kho-Kho", "Cycle Chor-Police"...

I miss those days of carefree life where I never thought about the past or the future, just living in the present and hellbent on enjoying it out like there was no other.

I miss those days of innocence when there were no hidden motives behind any of the work I did, those days where I never had to bother looking around if anyone was watching me.

Those days are gone, gone forever never to come back. But what still remains vivid, is the beautiful memories of THOSE DAYS called CHILDHOOD!

Guts I say...

2010-05-23T15:43:00.012+05:30

Generally we humans, specially in this part of the world have the tendency to accept things as they are. We probably mask it behind the excuse that we are very flexible and adapt very easily (remember the Theory of Evolution?).

Even when we feel that something is wrong, we pacify ourself by saying that its just a matter of time before we GET USED TO IT. Sometimes we feel the injustice around us but are passive in thinking the someone else will fix the issue and go around with "lets save our A** till then" attitude. And once in a blue moon when our conscience is awakened and we really are burning with the desire to fight (read: fighting with the back against the wall), we suddenly find the whole world turned against us, because all the others are just like what we have been till now.

Then we require a commodity that is in great paucity 'GUTS'. Guts is when we stick to a thing we do even when he world is against us. Now here is an example of guts.

I have no words to explain his guts. Think the PM can act? He would not be allowed to act. The country has already gone to dogs. I don't think we have anything else to lose.

*/LETTER OF EDITOR OF TIMES OF INDIA TO PRIME MINISTER/*

Dear Mr Prime minister,

I am a typical mouse from Mumbai. In the local train compartment which has capacity of 100 persons, I travel with 500 more mouse. Mouse at least squeak but we don't even do that.
Today I heard your speech. In which you said 'NO BODY WOULD BE SPARED'. I would like to remind you that fourteen years have passed since serial bomb blast in Mumbai took place. Dawood was the main conspirator. Till today he is not caught. All our bolywood actors, our builders, our Gutka king meet him but your Government can not catch him. Reason is simple; all your ministers are hand in glove with him. If any attempt is made to catch him everybody will be exposed. Your statement 'NOBODY WOULD BE SPARED' is nothing but a cruel joke on this unfortunate people of India.

Enough is enough. As such after seeing terrorist attack carried out by about a dozen young boys I realize that if same thing continues days are not away when terrorist will attack by air, destroy our nuclear reactor and there will be one more Hiroshima.

We the people are left with only one mantra. Womb to Bomb to Tomb. You promised Mumbaikar Shanghai - what you have given us is Jalianwala Baug.

Today only your home minister resigned. What took you so long to kick out this joker? Only reason was that he was loyal to Gandhi family. Loyalty to Gandhi family is more important than blood of innocent people, isn't it?

I am born and bought up in Mumbai for last fifty eight years. Believe me corruption in Maharashtra is worse than that in Bihar. Look at all the politicians, Sharad Pawar, Chagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, Bal Thackray, Gopinath Munde, Raj Thackray, Vilasrao Deshmukh all are rolling in money. Vilasrao Deshmukh is one of the worst Chief minister I have seen. His only business is to increase the FSI every other day, make money and send it to Delhi so Congress can fight next election. Now the clown has found new way and will increase FSI for fisherman so they can build concrete house right on sea shore. Next time terrorists can comfortably live in those house, enjoy the beauty of sea and then attack the Mumbai at their will.Recently I had to purchase house in Mumbai. I met about two dozen builders. Everybody wanted about 30% in black. A common person like me knows this and with all your intelligent agency & CBI you and your finance minister are not aware of it. Where all the black money goes? To the underworld isn't it? Our politicians take help of these goondas to vacate people by force. I myself was victim of it. If you have time please come to me, I will tell you everything.

If this has been land of fools, idiots then I would not have ever cared to write you this letter. Just see the tragedy, on one side we are reaching moon, people are so intelligent and on other side you politicians have converted nectar into deadly poison. I am everything Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Schedule caste, OBC, Muslim OBC, Christian Schedule caste, Creamy Schedule caste *only what I am not is INDIAN.* You */_politicians have raped every part of mother India by your policy of divide and rule._/*

Take example of former president Abdul Kalam. Such an intelligent person, such a fine human being. You politicians didn't even spare him. Your party along with opposition joined the hands, because politicians feel they are supreme and there is no place for good person.

Dear Mr Prime minister you are one of the most intelligent persons, most learned person.. Just wake up, be a real SARDAR. First and foremost expose all selfish politicians. Ask Swiss bank to give names of all Indian account holders. Give reins of CBI to independent agency. Let them find wolf among us. There will be political upheaval but that will be better than dance of death which we are witnessing every day. Just give us ambient where we can work honestly and without fear. Let there be rule of law. Everything else will be taken care of.

Choice is yours Mr Prime Minister. Do you want to be led by one person or you want to lead the nation of 100 Crore people?

Prakash B Bajaj.
Editor Mumbai -Times of India,
Chandralok 'A" Wing, Flat 104,
97, Nepean Sea Road,
Mumbai - 400 036,
Phone : 98210-71194 98210-71194.

But the action taken always comes with a price, sometimes to high to be paid; The outcome, sometimes not worth the risk taken personally. Yet some do it for the greater good. Lets tread that path...

My First Blog

2010-05-23T01:03:00.006+05:30

Its 0100 Hrs on the 23rd of May 2010 and i just bugged my cousin bro into helping me understand what a blog is and how do u get started...
and yippeeee am Blogging !!