Reflections of a soul

A day in college life

2011-06-28T22:31:00.016+05:30

Disclosure: The below is NOT fictional :)

There is this saying – we have our moments in life. That was one day I had ‘multiple moments’ one after the other.

It all began with a desire to feed our fasting stomachs some genuinely nice food. Those were the days of the fasting month – Ramadan. Kilakarai Buhari Aalmim's Men's Hostel is not the best of places for you if, like me you also enjoy having good food. That weekend, I was really hoping to have some great stuff. I wanted to munch on lovely kerala Porottas and savor some spicy chicken curry and open my nose to the real taste of food. Having spent all my schooling at home, the hostel days were a test of my patience. I am very particular when it comes to food. But when it comes to hostel, you are offered with little choice. So I said to my roomie

“Issam, let’s go to Tambaram for Ifthar (for breaking the fast)” – Tambaram being the nearest town where you’ll get anything decent.

“Sure” – he replied readily.

After a few seconds, he asks “will we be able to make it in time”

Now this guy is forever thinking far too much. To arrive at a decision he’ll think some hundred times. Hopeless I tell you. How can you live life this way? Anyway, I had to convince him.

“yeah man. We definitely can. Let’s leave now.” – I reassured him.

“Hmm.. okay. I’ll hit the loo and come then”

All geared up, I wait for him outside the hostel. Our hostel’s topography – a good mile away from road and ten more miles away from the next good restaurant was worrying me.

“Why can’t they have these colleges right in the city? Why on earth would you have it in a jungle so far away from civilization?” – I keep asking myself all the questions. Just then I see Issam come.

“Shereej is joining us.” – He announces

There I had my first moment of the day!

Now this character needs special introduction. A carefree reckless soul who I believe is testimony to the fact that anything is possible in life. His popularity transcends every department of our college and in hostel; he has a sole contender – his dad. I think I’ve seen his dad far more regularly in hostel than the guy himself. It strains my imagination to think of how his dad managed him till then. And it doesn’t help that his dad keeps checking on his son by calling on Issam – the official caretaker – according to his dad.

Aargh… anyhow, I control my emotions and keep still.

With luck, we get our bus quickly. Once inside Shereej says he needs to go the A.T.M. which is a good mile away from where we’ve to get down.

“Why didn’t you tell before getting into the bus? We could’ve taken from the one right outside the college?” Issam asks him

“Well. That one almost always never works. So I didn’t bother”

“Didn’t you see me take the cash from there Shereej?” I ask him now.

“you did? Oh I didn’t see man.”

“God – why? Why are you testing me like this?” – I curse my luck.

Now sprinting towards the end of a fasting day is not the wisest thing to do. But these guys with me, as I was about to realize, had a completely different sense of sanity! Finally we reach the nearest mosque. I am exhausted by now. To make things worse, we were late and they are done with their Kanji (the elixir with which you quench a parching throat and fasting stomach). We manage a gulp of water luckily.

I am the first to get out of the mosque. I can’t wait to feed something hot and spicy to my craving tummy! Ahh the taste – it’s almost teasing my tongue now! I am controlling myself; calming myself down saying only few more minutes.

Out comes Shereej. There began my series of moments of the day. To dwell further into this character – My dear friend Shereej is notorious for changing cell phones (coz he keeps losing one every now and then!). This time around, he was using his sim card in Issam’s cell. The last I saw was him texting someone over the phone when we got down from the moving bus. And now he claims he doesn’t have the phone with him!!!

I am beginning to lose my control. “Why today God? Couldn’t you have saved this tamasha for another day?” – I cry to myself.

“Shiras, did you try calling the no:” – Issam queries

“No luck so far. It’s ringing but nobody is picking”

“Are you sure you had it with you when you entered the A.T.M?” – This time he queries Shereej

I told you, he thinks too much!

“Positive” – retorts Shereej

“If only you had a tinge of positivity in your sense man” – I say it in my mind.

“All right then, let’s check the A.T.M first.” – Issam concludes.

The second sprint begins; by now I am totally exhausted. And sure enough, there was no phone there. We keep trying his no: from my cell but no luck. Just when we are about to give up, someone picks up my call. All I hear is tidbits of Hindi. As much as I try to make sense, I fail. I cut and call again but this time around no answer. My repeated attempts are in vain.

“I’ll tell you what, let’s try from a different number” – suggests Shereej

I remind him we only had two cells and he just lost one.

“We’ll get a landline”

“HMMM.. this guy is just impossible.” – I mutter to myself

“We’ll try the medical shop – they’ll help. I mean they are supposed to help right?” – saying that he goes straight into the med shop.

I am sure no one can beat this character now!

Luckily they get to use the phone. And Eureka – they get a lady on the phone.

“Yes they have our phone!!” – shouts an excited Shereej

He seemed as though he won a lottery. It’s after all a silly cell. That too some stupid dumb model; I control my emotions.

“What? Kidhar? Okay… got it… Hum aa rahein hain…” he bangs the phone and almost kisses the chemist.

“Guys, they are in some kovil (Temple) in East Tambaram – that’s where they are.”

“The other side of the track you mean?” I ask him to be sure

“yes. Let’s go”

The next thing I know Issam and Shereej are running.

“Wait”. I shout. I am just done with sprinting for the day.

Am I to be blamed for coming with these guys now? – I try to introspect

Before I get an answer, my stomach poses another question and I quickly grab a puff and water packet from a roadside shop and jog behind. These guys are running like mad. They show little respect to all the vehicles riding like racers, blaring their horns on a paranoid street. I somehow drag my feet and trod along. I am on the verge of fainting by the time I reach the railway track. I see it closed and sigh in relief. But before I can calm myself, I see the two of them trying to cross.

“Wait. Don’t. Train coming” - I try to scream

“Issam… Shereej…” No avail.

I can understand Shereej, but I thought Issam will have some sense in him. I see the train, I hear the horn. I am at a distance and all I can do is watch.

It’s after all a silly phone! Why make it a life saving event?? – I can only speak to myself.

“Lord – let me not see this”

Since there was no sound, I assumed these guys crossed over. The train finally passes. I was half expecting them to be beaten up by the people around for trying such acrobatics. I look around. No signs of any crowd gathering.

Safe – I say to myself

Now where are these guys? Did they just hit into somebody else?

I walk to the other side and look around. No trace of them.

The water I drank must have evaporated by now. My brains refuse to even think. I don’t know where to start now. I try the number again. No answer.

I decide to ask someone about the Kovil and look for people around. I see a truck parked at the side. I slowly walk toward it. Before I could ask, I realize people are trying to push the truck from behind. Having gone thus far, I am also asked to join. I go behind and lo, there I see my beloved friends. Pushing a truck!!!

What on earth is going on man?

This day is just killing me now. What on earth is happening!!! I want to bang my head against the truck now.

Having started the truck, I remind them it’s not to push a truck that we came this far.

“Yeah. Let’s find out about this kovil now” – saying that Issam goes to the nearby shop

He comes back and we learn that there is no kovil, rather it’s a street named after a kovil! We try Shereej’s number but now they are back to the eloping game. No answer!

So we have in front of us an entire street. We decide to do what we can. Get into each house and enquire! The first house is locked so we are saved the torture. The second one is a little big. It has this ancestral house sort of lay out with a big courtyard and all. Issam is worried there will be dogs inside. I tell him since we came this far, no dog will come in our way! The portico door is open and from the distance we can see someone at the other end. We go a little closer. We figure there is more than one person but they simply refuse to come forward. Enough is enough I say and go closer to ring the bell. That’s when I realize it’s a mirror at the other end! The house owner must have been a Mani Ratnam fan – I think to myself.

An old lady comes when we ring the bell. We have a tough time explaining what a cell phone is to her. So we stop it there.

The next and next, we are almost on the verge of giving up when I receive a call from an unknown number.

“HELLO. THIS IS SHEREEJ’S DAD. WHERE IS SHEREEJ? WHO IS HE WITH? WHY IS A LADY ANSWERING HIS PHONE? IS HE NOT IN THE HOSTEL? I WANT AN EXPLANATION”

He demands quite a lot from me. Not knowing where to start, I hand the phone to the chief protagonist. After a few minutes spent in convincing and compulsive listening, he hands the phone over to me with a neat smile.

I didn’t even bother smiling back.

“Look there’s a guy standing at the gate. We’ll check with him” – says Issam

We go to him and try explaining the situation to him. All of us are thoroughly exhausted by now and we are cribbing something or the other. The worried man asks us to come inside. Makes us sit and asks us to calm down.

Now he probes us with questions, one after the other. The guy claims he is a retired police guy. I doubt if he is just trying to act smart and get away with the phone himself! I am continuously trying Shereej’s number all the time. Suddenly Issam screams – I hear it!

We are all looking at him now.

“I hear it! Do you?” – He is on his feet now.

We all hear it now! It’s the bloody ring tone. Issam’s ring tone. The stupid unfamiliar ring tone of a Siemens phone. We ran outside and we hear the ring tone even more clearly.

“There”- Shereej screams and runs

We follow him and almost fall on the family walking outside.

There. A dumbstruck man, his wife and children are staring at us.

They were in a fix. They had to give the phone to us. Apparently all the while they were trying hard to switch the thing off but with no luck. I have to admit – Issam is a genius for using that godforsaken phone!

“I knew it. We would find it!” – claims the oracle Shereej

What can I say? Can you even comment on such prodigious remarks??

I gather all my energy and shout out - “Can we have some food now?”

Story, screenplay, Narration, Art direction, editing, supervision: Shiras

content writer: Issam

P.S: If I were to think of adventures in college, this one would be one of the best. In terms of characters I encountered, this one will be testimony to the varieties I had around me.

A Plot

2011-06-04T14:35:00.005+05:30

Disclaimer: The plot is purely fictional.

Flush, Flair – great leaders of two lands plot to wage a war as their popularity is shrinking and their economies are in chaos. A war and defeating the villain, they believe will restore credibility to them. They want to rope in another nation far away from theirs for all the blood work. They scout for friends who will quietly agree. They chose Dumbistan as their leader is a military leader who is increasingly becoming insecure owing to civilian pressures and militant rebellions in his land. Their leader - Militraff agrees provided there is a cut for him. He wants the latest weaponry and latest fighter jets for free for his own security coz he doesn’t even trust his personal body guards.

As a prelude, it is decided to create an atmosphere of dissent and skepticism. Militraff suggests they use the tension in his geography to flare things up. He contacts Sindhia - Dumbistan’s neighbor. Sindhia is headed by a poet who is lost in his dream to create a magnum opus. Militraff just can’t understand the poetic language of Bijlee who is heading Sindhia. He tries explaining the plot to Bijlee, but Bijlee continues to talk poetry. Militraff concludes Bijlee is not ready to be a part of it.

Militraff then sparks the idea of using a former war hero. He thinks that guy has the right credentials. Flush and Flair agree. But he says we can’t tell him war as a reason. Anyhow, I’ll take care – he says.

Militraff contacts Bombama and tells him of a plan to create a country in Swargmir which he can head. Bombama is not pleased. What is with heading a country – he asks. Militraff tells him his name will be immortalized in history as a leader who founded a new country just like the Hews. He can be a role model and thousands of people will want to be like him. Bombama is pleased now.

All of them brainstorm over a weekend in the Balamas for the initiation of the plot. Finally flush and flair comes up with an idea over their mating session. They ask Militraff to instigate Sindhia. They agree to supply whatever he wants for this. Militraff likes the idea, but he agrees only after settling for half of what they provide to be used only for his personal protection.

Militraff then proceeds to occupy a part of Sindhia. Causes a few wounds and takes a few lives. The result is as expected. Bijlee is awakened from his slumber. He orders his troops to march to the border. He tells them to take all that they want with them. He writes a poem for all his soldiers and admonishes them to march into Dumbistan singing it.

They manage to capture the attention of all. All thinks of this as a major crisis. Sindhia says she’ll nuke Dumbistan. Militraff retorts by saying he’ll nuke them first. Tensions are peaked and just before it explodes Flush steps in and calms Bijlee down. Flair advises Bijlee to write another poem with which his soldiers can come back home. After much persuasion, Bijlee agree. The war is called off. But the tensions remain.

All decide that its time for Bombama to enter the plot – he begins by causing small scale explosions around the desert land. Desert land is dumb and completely under our protection – assures both Flair and Flush. Slowly slowly he manages to rise to popularity. Yes – you are almost there – assures Militraff to Bombama.

As he gets over the small pleasures, he realizes he’s a cannibal. His taste for the blood multiplies. He demands much more of the blood. Flush and Flair try to calm him down. When nothing works, they ask him to use airplanes to fly around and scout for victims. One fine day he loses control and dashes into two towers mistaking it to be piles of flesh. Nevertheless, he loves the result and relishes the dessert. The towers turned out to be sand dunes in the middle of the Sahara. Beside them were an oasis of few people.

Elsewhere in the world, two flights crash into the twin towers of Dreamica – Flush’s land. That causes much panic and causes wide spread havoc. Now the world is on a different level. The stage is set for a massive war. Flush announces the greatest war in the history of mankind to flush out whoever did the crime of pulling down the twin towers. Militraff advises Bombama to own up to the attack.

But I couldn’t do that. I was in Arabia then feasting on the oasis – claims Bombama

Never mind. This is your chance to eternal prominence – assures Militraff.

Bombama agree and sends out video messages claiming ownership of the attack. What happened next was beyond his wildest imagination. He shot to fame like no other person. He was an instant celebrity. He began to swim in adulation and praises. He got all that he craved for. Now he wanted more and more of it.

Flush and flair then asks Militraff to take care of Bombama while they attended to some pressing matters. They said its important for Bombama to stay underground now. In the meanwhile, they claim to have found Bombama to the world; they said he is developing nukes in shiraaq – the land of the shark – khaddam. Khaddam they claimed was Bombama’s partner in crime. So they set out to liberate the people of shiraaq from Khaddam. In the process they laid their hands on the vast reserves of juice which shiraaq possessed. Khaddam was completely taken by surprise. Before he knew he was captured. Celebrations erupted and Flush got reelected. Flush claimed to have eradicated Khaddam and along with it the hopes of Bombama to take on the nukes. Flush gave all of the contracts to rebuild Shiraaq to his second in guard – Cheenee and others of his land. He made sure business flourished in all respects.

Flair on the other hand had to step down. Things didn’t go so well with his people.

When time came for Flush to move out, he signed a pact with Bomma – from the opposition party. I'll give you a boon - when you are in trouble and your popularity is sinking, come to me and I'll advise you. Bomma agreed.

After taking over the mantle, Bomma found it extremely difficult to manage the resources. Things were slowly slipping out of his hand. When he could go nowhere else, he went to Flush to remind him of his promise. Flush told him Bombama is with Militraff. But by then, Militraff had escaped from Dumbistan to Flair’s land. But Militraff had placed Bombama safely in the military heartland of Dumbistan.

Bomma leaped into the act. He created drama, tension and climax – all after he killed Bombama.

And with that Bomma leapt to popularity and is assured of his second term.

Kiss of Life

2011-05-06T23:52:00.002+05:30

Disclaimer: Below is purely fictional

The first kiss… I thought to myself…

…It was perhaps the whiteness of her dress or maybe the jet black hair let loose that caught my attention that day. Since we had games hour, we were dressed in white and white. On that day her white made her look pristine. Her figure suddenly caught my imagination and her face stirred different emotions in me. All this while she was sitting right beside me, in the very next row and we talked as casually as friends of same class would talk. But on that day, she seemed different to me.

The next day when I saw her, my eye transformed into a mini x-ray machine. Details of her which seemed inane and plain began to strike me. Her tightly pleated skirt, short socks, the red hair band across her wavy hair and most of all the red neck wear which she claimed brought her magical charms;

Then came that fateful last day of school. People were exchanging slam books and autograph books with promises to keep in touch. Hell, like I cared. But care I did of one person. She was going to Chennai in all likelihood. She wanted to pursue medicine. She wanted to help alleviate people’s sufferings. I always thought she had a big heart, big enough for me; but big enough for so many people – I didn’t think. I asked her if we could go for a movie that night. She was hesitant. I said all of our friends were going. She was thinking. I said her best friend is also coming. She smiled. I tasted my first victory.

“You remember the movie we went to?” I asked her

“You mean the one where you tricked me into coming saying the whole class is coming?”

“Well… depends on how you want to look at it. To be honest, that was my last shot at getting you. If I lost you then, I thought that was it”

“Like the world would come to an end”

“Not the world, but maybe I” my teeth shone with a mischievous smile

“Funny guy!! And I must tell you, your first kiss tasted like crap”

“What?? Really?? I thought you enjoyed it? You said that was the sweetest thing you ever tasted!”

“That was coz I hadn’t kissed before”

“And how is it now? Has the years done any good to the taste?”

“Yeah. I guess you are improving”

“What about the College one?”

“Which college one? The one in the train?”

“yeah. That only” I said.

She smiled in response. That was truly a life changer for both of us.

… it was a beautiful evening. I still remember every detail of that day. I was waiting for her in the suburban train station. She was having some sort of an assignment at the medical college which she swapped place with her class mate. I was in Chennai as part of a college tour which I organized for the sole purpose of meeting her. After school, we were in touch but we never thought we would meet again. When I finally told her I was coming to her place, she replied with an eerie silence on phone. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. In any case, I was there sitting idle, chewing gum in the station.

The station looked a little deserted. I wondered why she insisted on meeting up there. After what seemed like eternity, I saw her come. The same figure; the years did nothing to change that. Wearing a white salwar kameez with an orange border, hair swaying as she tried to adjust her shawl which was a fusion of orange and red; her loose bag hanging on her shoulders; she was walking at a brisk pace and I was feeling guilty that even after three full years, the only thing I was noticing about her was her sexuality. Her dress was not revealing but I could follow her figure with surgical precision. As she came close and gave me that melting smile, I couldn’t help but adore in amazement.

We spoke for some time. She said she had to get back quick. She had chosen that station coz it was mostly deserted with no chance of any prying eyes. We spoke and like they say time simply flew. As she was about to leave, I suggested we use the lift right opposite rather than use the stairs. She agreed. To this day, I think it was a brilliant move, a decision I will pride myself for life.

I owe my heartfelt gratitude to the Chennai Corporation for their lift was absolutely fantastic. It was slow, got stuck, was dim, and had only space for two. I couldn’t have asked for more. Though we only had to go two floors down, it took us forever to reach there. Partly because I first told her we had to go to first floor. It was pitch dark in there. Then we went back to second and back and forth. In the process, we had our second kiss. Don’t ask me how it happened. But it did and it was magical.

We met at the same place the next day as I was there for one more day. This time it was heavenly.

“That I really liked. I don’t even know how I agreed to the kiss. I liked you all right. But meeting after so long and all; Well.. whatever.. I liked that one”

“Ha ha… So I was good. I thought I was bad with girls. “

“That you were. Whey else did you never approach me during school? And in college you had to wait for three whole years? “

“Ahh.. what do I say.. I cannot really answer that… But thank God I got posted in Chennai”

“oh yeah thank God for that. And then your kiss also improved”

“Haha.. of course… it had to.. with such regular practice… “

“yeah.. And it was during the ones in the restaurant that I really fell for you”

“Oh yes.. the restaurant. That’s when I liked Italians.”

Those were the days when I worked with an MNC in chennai. When I got to choose my posting, there was little doubt in my mind about the location. It helped that very few of my colleagues wanted Chennai. Most thought of Chennai as some primitive land where sun shone all the time and people were dark and ate only idlis and Dosas.

God bless their thinking coz I got to be with my girl who was still romancing with her medicine. Here our love blossomed. Meeting became regular and the direction of our life became clearer. The meeting place of our choice was a small roof top Italian restaurant. The lady who started it on the sea side had a lovely sense of romance. For by the side of her restaurant, she had an open terrace which was literally sealed off from the rest of the building. It was like a perfect den where you had a huge building on one side, the wall of the restaurant on the adjacent two sides and the sea on the other side.

Whenever I think of the kisses there, emotions sweep me down. For there we indulged in one of the most mesmeric lip locks of our lives. She would come up with this flavored lip balm. Strawberry, cherry and other berries – it was pure bliss. We explored every inch of our lips, and let our tongue discover the beautiful opening of our face. Entangled and intertwined, we lost ourselves in that little space.

Those were the kisses. Those were the times. Ahh..

“But you know which I liked the most” I asked her

I replied, without waiting for her reply coz I sensed even she knew what I was going to say.

“The kiss after I got your hand from your father.”

Value Of Life

2011-03-18T16:43:00.005+05:30

Disclaimer: The below piece is purely fictional. Views expressed are Personal.

Ammu was born on a beautifully bright Sunday. That Sunday changed the life of Sneha and Saarang. Their joy knew no bounds. Till then they lead a different life but after Ammu , their routine changed. Their priorities changed. All that they did had ammu in the center. With her in their life, every day was pure bliss.

They went out for outing and picnics. They went out for tours and holidays. They visited their relatives and friends. They made sure they did everything with Ammu. All that she wanted was hers. All that she dreamed, they made it a reality. All this love never spoilt Ammu though. She was a girl with a pure heart. Her teachers loved her. So did her neighbors. She was the pet of her grandparent and the darling of the family. She was loud yet soft. Childlike yet mature; mischievous yet adorable; she was the life of sneha and Saarang.

Years passed with great speed and finally it was time for her to tie the knot. As much as they loved to see their daughter wed, so much it hurt them to part with her. After school, when she went out to do their college, they were literally heartbroken. She insisted on doing her masters outside. They let her go. But then they comforted themselves by telling each other she will be back in a year. But now she’ll be gone away from their life.

They were reluctant yet they had to accept it. Proposals were pouring in for Ammu. She was tall and slender. With her wavy hair and fair complexion, she was the much sought after girl. Her eyes were round and hazel brown and her lips delicately matched her trim face. Her cheeks were not chubby but neither was it skeletal. On the whole, it was impossible to not like her. And if one knew her, then there was no way one could ignore her for she was sweet and smart. She also knew how to carry herself. She was bold and outspoken and knew how to hit the nail on its head, especially when any smart romeo tried his tricks on her.

“Sneha, Ammu is still not home?”

“I think she’s gone to her friend’s place”

“ohh. Buy why so late?”

“Well, I’ll just give her a call.”

Sneha tried Ammu’s cell. When she couldn't’t get her cell after repeated attempts, she gave her friend a call.

“Hi Neethu. This is Ammu's mother. Is Ammu there?”

“No Aunty. She didn’t come here. She left straight for home.”

What began as a casual call turned out to be a brewing storm; Sneha and Saarang tried reaching out to all of Ammu’s friends. None seemed to know of her whereabouts. They had all gone to the beach together. Being a Sunday, it was a little crowded. After spending some time joking around, they had left from there. That’s all her friends could tell them. Tensed and worried, they went to the police station

to file a complaint. After giving the police her photo and other necessary details they were asked to go home. The Inspector in the station was a friend of Saarang and he assured him all the help.

That Sunday changed their life forever. In the middle of the night, saarang received a call. The police found her and had taken her to the hospital. They were asked to go the hospital.

‘Is she alive?’ – That was all what Saarang wanted to know.

“Yes she is sir” – was the reply.

They rushed to the hospital. What greeted their eye was something they least expected. In the Intensive Care Unit’s bed, entangled by wires all around was a girl darkened with bruises who looked pale and lifeless. Her heart seemed working but she seemed deprived of something more vital. She seemed robbed; as though she had lost something critical.

The doctors confirmed that there was an attempt to rape her. All she managed to say was daddy and mummy. Nothing more would she utter. From medical examination, her clitoris was badly bruised. She suffered injuries all over her face. It appeared to be a violent and forceful attempt to enter her. She suffered injuries on her arms and legs as well. Probably as she attempted to defend herself;

Police found her lying behind a tree. They found her dress torn and her scooty damaged. They were not sure for how long she was lying like that. Her phone was lying in her bag and she seemed too shocked to even move.

Their lives changed for the worse. Not in the wildest of dreams did they think of something like this. Their only daughter, their life, their everything was lying in front of them like a used fruit, helpless; deprived; engulfed in sorrow; it all seemed too tragic; vengeance, pity, horror, anger, hurt – the emotions they went through were multiple. They couldn't cry beyond a point.

Days changed and their routines changed again. Where once she was the darling of all, now she became the much spoken about girl but in the wrong sense. Her relatives initially expressed their sympathy but with time they distanced themselves from the family. Her friends, barring a few completely disowned her.

It was beyond what Saarang and sneha could take. Yet they knew they should fight. They had to live for their daughter. Ammu, the never silent girl had her lips sealed. She could never come out of the incident. Grown in the loving care of her parents, she couldn't handle the whole violence. Her physical injuries were healing but her mental scar was too deep to even feel any remedy. Doctors advised her complete rest. She seemed lost in a delirium. Every now and then she would wake up from her sleep with a loud cry. Images disturbed her. She refused to go out. A certain fear had enveloped her. Her mother tried hard to give her all the protection, but she still felt insecure. She found men very intimidating. She was living, but perhaps a life which had lost all aspects of dignified living. She was breathing but her organs were behaving as machines to let her perform biological functions.

Not able to see their daughter as such, they took her to a completely different place. They shifted their residence. They made a new start. But nothing helped. They themselves couldn’t come over it, they couldn't imagine her state. After much thought, Saarang made up his mind. He wasn’t going to let the rascal who killed his daughter Scot free. He decided to fight it. He had to give some justice to his daughter.

He hired the best of lawyers. He used all of his resources. They went to courts. They took tests. And with the help of his contacts, they nabbed the victim. The fought the case with valor. Saarang left no stone unturned in his quest for justice. Dates after dates, hearing after hearing, court took its own pace. At the end of it, the judge delivered the sentence.

Found guilty. Seven years of imprisonment to the victim.

Saarang was flabbergasted!

“My lord, my daughter has ceased to live. My wife and I have lost our only heir. We live in a
world of darkness. Our dreams have crashed and hopes have died. Our friends and foes look
at us differently. Society refuses to even consider us amongst them. It’s as though we have
committed a crime. We three live a life of abandonment. Dignity was one thing we had, now
that’s irrevocable snatched away from us. In return for all that, you hand this lad a few years to languish in prison? Is that what you call justice?"

"Tomorrow, he’ll do the same to another girl. He may destroy another family. He may cause
unknown miseries. Do you even recognize that?"

"How can you deem his life fit for survival? This pervert of a man surely deserves something
more sinister. How else will he know the pain he has caused? How will he realize the state we
are in?"

"And what signals are you sending to all those men of his kind? Is there no such thing as
deterrent?"

He cried to himself. But of no avail. Such is the state of affairs!

PS: Indian law treats rape as a criminal offence. It falls under criminal law in India. An offender
is liable to be punished with an imprisonment of minimum 7 years to maximum 10 years and
fine. Further, if the offence is committed in custody or on an expecting woman, or a woman
below 12 years or gang rape, the punishment will be minimum 10 years of imprisonment.

http://www.legalindia.in/indian-law-on-rape-as-a-criminal-offence

P.P.S : Every year thousands of such cases happen. Majority go unreported. Of those that are reported,very few are convicted. Most never gets a judgment. And the convicts are in prison for a few years at the max. Is it not time for India to raise the quantum of punishment? What is seven years in prison against the destruction of so many lives?

An ode to womanhood

2011-03-08T19:37:00.003+05:30

Crystal like eyes and heart as gold
you are the most precious item sold
Sadly, Neither the buyer nor the seller knows the value you hold

To the ocean of misery, you bring joy
Yet all happiness they attribute to boy

Kindness is what you define
Sweetness is in the way you shine
But all they do to you is whine

You become the cure
To their ugly lure
Yet they call themselves pure

You bear the pain
For them to gain
But at the end, they treat you with disdain

Silently you bear all their doing
only to listen to them cursing

Woe be to the world and to all of them
For You deserve far better.. Truly You are a gem

One of a kind,
Amongst the creations of the Most kind!

Mother, sister, wife and more
All the roles come to your shore

Lame Duck, sitting Duck or...

2011-03-04T22:03:00.002+05:30

Opinions expressed below are purely my own. They may be amateurish, uncorroborated, and purely satirical. I do not incline to any political org as well. Read on…

The union of India is going through perhaps one of its craziest years since independence. We have the economy of a billion people growing at 9% on one side and the unearthing of scams worth billions on another. Investors cannot be blamed if they are left confused as to whether they should be privy to the Indian growth engine (by of course paying their dues to the babus) or stay out of the mesh completely for fear of instability.

Last week Pranab da, with a smile on his face congratulated himself on containing the fiscal deficit last year. He prided himself on the increasing money in the coffers (on paper that is – planned deficit of 5.5% of GDP turned out to be only 5.1% for the year 2010 - 2011). In lay man’s terms, he said that he managed to reduce the government’s losses in spite of the rising expenses last year. Obviously thanks to the measures undertaken by his ministry; A day later we had an interesting article in our national daily about how the perceived gain was purely due to inflation!!
http://www.hindu.com/2011/03/02/stories/2011030255461300.htm

And inflation is something every Indian is aware of now. Thank to the spiraling prices of almost all commodities, we all know now that it’s all due to inflation. But why are the prices increasing? Well.. no clue on that front. One would think the Prime Minister being an economist of repute might have some clue. But well as my colleague remarked, he seemed as clueless as any when onion prices went for a toss sparking food inflation to record highs. And if the purchasing power of money has gone down, then we have our black economy to further complicate it – apparently worth 50 Lak crore or as some say about 50% of the GDP. So that would mean, as the Govt tries the fancy measures of interest rate hikes and Repo rate changes, the money supply in the economy would be well beyond the reach of any policy formulators. Unsurprisingly, even as the prices of essential commodities soared, we had luxury car makers reporting their highest ever sales in India. We had all the major luxury car makers growing at over 70 % last year !!
http://www.thehindu.com/business/companies/article1077894.ece
Definitely encouraging signs. Only if we can discount the fact that we still house hundreds of millions of poor destitute on our streets. Either these will have to die out or resort to some other means. And some other means they definitely are resorting to; that brings us to Maoism. The recent kidnapping of the Orissa collector seems to project them in the right light, showing clearly that while the capitalists have gained out of the mineral rich states, their own people have been left high and dry. They have been deprived of the riches exploited all around them.

Talking about environment, the Environment Ministry has finally got someone worthy I believe. Mr Ramesh seems a worrying factor for many industrialists. Finally we get to read of projects halted or stalled and at odd times threatening to be broken down (of course just for the record; nothing can really happen) . While we are on the topic of development, I think it’s important to talk about the black swan. Many of you might not have heard of this amazing story cocking. Think of this – what’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Bihar – A sleeping Lallu, lots of fodder or simply the word Bimar? Well, change all that coz Nitish seems to be weaving his magic now. His second term as the state’s CM seems to be on the right track. Their growth story has been an aberration of sorts. Considering the fact that they are set to outgrow our national growth rate in the coming year, one should stand up and give him a bow now!
http://www.news.biharprabha.com/2011/02/bihar-growth-rate-to-be-10-05-per-cent-in-2010-11/
And to think of it, lallu who became world famous for converting the railways into profit ruled this same state. Not only did he rule, but he made sure this was not fit to be ruled by anybody else too! It is perhaps the paradoxes of life that we had him presiding over the railways, which now seems like the boom years. Sadly not many remember that it was the same old Nitish who decided to set the railways right when he was the R.M just before Lallu!

Anyways, not much can be gained talking about it now. But talk we can of the Bengal tiger. Mamta didi seems to be roaring now with all her might. The determined lady made sure she chased the Tatas out of singur. Lest any of you forgot, she caused thousands of crores of losses – not to the economy per se, but to all the multitude of small and medium enterprises which were due to set their plant in and around the TATA plant in Singur. After all the mayhem, she now talks of a railway factory in singur! Of course she will know how to handle the land issue this time around. In her desperate move to woo the people before the WB elections, she has presented a rather populist Railways budge this time around ensuring that the railways will only go the wrong direction; announcing a plethora of new initiative, not forgetting that the ones she announced the year before and the one before that still remains on paper due to lack of funds!

If one were to ask about all this to our beloved gentleman – Pradhan Matri ji, he will quietly blame it on coalition dharma - “ boss, We have to make compromises”. But how much do we bend before breaking the back completely. Raja looted right in front of his eyes and instead of punishing him outright, he had the legendary Sibal come out and defend him!!! Not a single paisa was lost to the excheaquer it seems. Mr sibal, the shrewd lawyer was of course taught a lesson by the highest court asking him to behave himself. Rather what was he thinking of himself. After the CAG comes out with losses to the tune of laks of crores, this gentleman in suit comes on media saying “boss – all wrong. Nothing was lost”. Hello!! We are not a banana republic here!

Talking about Raja, one is reminded of Radia. And the whole array of journalists whom we mistook to be above any wrong. Our very own Barkha was caught cupid. To be fair to her, she did her best to convince people of her innocence – well, sorry for using the word; there was no crime she was guilty of actually. Just that its only that we opened our eyes to journalism and the way they report the so called breaking news from “Sources”.

We can maybe bear with all this. After all politicians are bound to be named and renamed. What we cannot bear is the way the judiciary is taking shape. A former CJI, currently the NHRC chairman is being accused of accepting bribes! After which every now and then we have reports of one or the other justice having accepted notes. Now this is what we call the red signal. Justice delayed is denied. That has been the case in our country so far, but when we realize there is no justice as such, we lose all hopes in the future!

As if all of what’s happening was not enough, we had our beloved P.M appoint a corrupt man as the head of the Anti corruption Unit of the country. Now what was Mr Singh thinking. That we would all get up and say – what an idea sirji!!! There is a limit to goofing around and this Govt has done enough of it. From adarsh to CWG. From 2g to S band. It’s all going overboard now!

Yet, the economic survey reveals that our economy has shouldered the recession bravely. The macroeconomic factors indeed seem pleasing. But for it to remain so, we need to make sure governance is not deteriorated any further. Mr singh, though soft and timid did show us that he knows how to get what he wants. The Indo – Us nuclear deal was a case in point. And to give him credit, the fact that we have Raja already behind bars – at least for investigation purpose, is indeed a remarkable feat. Not any time in the recent history of our country did we hear of a serving cabinet minister being pushed behind bars with so much speed. If he can carry on with the same fervor and determination, we can show to the world that we are serious about our country.

Mr prime minister, you have it in you to show the country the right way of governing. You owe it to this nation now. Though you may be ruling without any of us electing you, you do have the blessings of many. To make good of that, you will need to make sure all the allegations against your government is brought to light at the earliest. Kalmadi is being raided. Raja is being probed. But these are not end results. For once show us that this country can deliver in justice too. Let the world know that a country of such brilliant minds are indeed capable of maintaining order. Like you said, you are not any lame duck. But please be the golden duck now and give us results. We need to see the culprits indicted. Not after they die but while they and we are living.

The country wants this from you now!

Caught cupid

2011-02-16T23:33:00.002+05:30

I still had to make sense of an obnoxious looking report on trading surveillance. Try as much as I could, my senses would not oblige. The fact that EOD (End of Day) was fast approaching didn’t help. With the clock fast ticking and my evening prayer pending, I just couldn’t concentrate.

I decide to take a tea break. Just as I exit from my wing another thought strikes me. It’s supposed to be the day to celebrate love. Indeed a funny concept. If you ask me, it’s purely a business driven agenda. Make an occasion out of everything and celebrate it. Of course gifts have to be bought. That’s the whole bloody point. Getting the flesh out of your wallet! That’s how I see every occasion as; merely a reason to get money rolling; helps the economic cause, but definitely not mine. Now I need to buy a gift as well. Thanks to the ubiquitous advertisements on radios and papers, television and internet, going home to your loved one empty handed on this day is considered blasphemous! All secularists will be united in this now. Sigh!

Coming back to the gift, I rush to the odyssey store in my campus - my only rescue point. I realize there that I am not alone. I see the full might of my campus there; hardly any space to move. All are busy shopping for their loved one. Hard pressed for time and at the mercy of love, I struggle to find something worthy of my wallet.

Finally I settle for a photo frame. Not the best of gifts, but with our photo in it, the appeal will definitely be there; or so I think. I hurry with it to get done with the updates for the day. Quick mails sent and I sprint to the bus bay. In the train I think of the pic. Before long, I meet my senior. All the time in the train, which I thought to make better use of is lost in conversation.

On reaching my station, I make a dash for the auto, praying with all my might for the studio to stay open. The auto moves for about a minute before it’s stuck in unending traffic; the perils of development. I decide to make better use of my legs and start walking towards the studio. Just then I get a call from her saying she's out and has left the key with our neighbour.
"How about dinner honey" I ask with all sincerity.
"I have cooked and kept. You can warm and have", comes the stern reply.
"How about a drive after dinner?"
"Why are you overdoing it? It’s just one silly day"
As much as I was glad to hear that, I also recognized the tone of sarcasm.
"Well, at least something I am getting for her" – so I console myself.
To my luck, the studio is open. I quickly transfer the photo and ask him to put it into the frame. After what seemed like eternity, I got the stuff.
"Neat" - I again comfort myself.
Not a diamond or ruby, but a photo for my baby. I thought of writing that line which struck me then, but decided not to for my better.

I am almost near the apartment when I get a call from an unknown number. Turns out to be my college mate; and the first thing he has to ask
"What plans for valentine’s day"
The hell! Is there nothing else to talk about or what!!
“You are no more alone my friend. You have a companion now. You should do something for her.” Guy goes on and on and on like an energizer battery.
I slowly walk my way upstairs, phone in hand and thinking what best I can do before she gets home. I walk straight in and as I go past the hall, I notice red flowers adorning the dining table. I go closer to inhale the fragrance. Now I am genuinely feeling feel bad. This guy on the line is only making it worse. Not just about the day, but perhaps I could have simply considered this an occasion to express myself to her. I begin to chastise myself now.

Darkness greets me as I enter my room. To my surprise, I see a flame at a corner. Not one, but two. An aromatic mix of flowers sweeps through me. Suddenly the room looks eclectic. On all three corners I see candles. And on the study table, I see a small heart. By now I have cut the phone and am trying to figure out what’s on the table. Two glasses of drink and a cake which says ' you are the best' surrounded by candles. I drop my office bag. Before I can digest the enormity of it all, a romantic Hindi song begins to play in the background. I turn and I am stuck by one of the best scenes my eye has ever seen. Clad in a lovely red sari, my companion is staring at me.

Ebullience and excitement engulf me! I am spell bound. Floored and swept away.
For the next few moments, I immerse myself in joy, of infinite love and absolute peace! Not simply has God said – “we have created them (your spouse) as clothes for you” (Not the exact translation)
Only reaffirms my belief, that marriage makes life complete.

I think we should all try and make our life complete at the earliest :)

Abstract Talk

2010-10-10T14:42:00.002+05:30

For long I thought on what I should write and finally I concluded with ‘abstract talk’!
It’s been really long since I last blogged. Not that my mind was blank; been having quite a few things in my mind for the past few weeks but never really got anything penned down, or rather typed down... So here’s a hit at all the randomness in my mind!

Ayodhya:
With all the hype that went by, it was impossible to not think of this. A place, a phenomenon, a nation’s predicament- Call it whatever you want. For over 60 years(actually few hundred or shall I say few laks) we went all around it; Of course ‘we’ would mean mostly the political leaders. Like a guy I met from Varanasi said, “the local people are very practical. They live with love and just that! It hardly matters what structure rises in what part of the town”. I am sure this is exactly the sentiments most of the people share but for the larger than life image that this issue has been depicted in our media. That the judgement did not provoke further uproar is a matter of great relief to all of us. The justices at least for now seems to have done what they were expected to. Of course it would be naive to expect true justice out of mortals. More so what authority do they possess to deliver upon immortals! So yeah.. so far so good on that. Lets hope better sense will prevail in the long run.

Common Wealth Games:
Finally the games are on. Suresh Kalmadi might have had a whimper of relief at least on the opening day. The multi crore balloon did fly and indeed high! Never mind that it came after a few thousand crores whisked away in day light. Hygiene standards, commotion and pollution - Delhi has been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. Now with India making a mark with the medals tally, lets hope the sporting extravaganza ends with the right spirit.

I.T Outsourcing:
The Indian I.T juggernaut finally had to face the nosy big daddy. And this time around it did not let Uncle Sam snub her. Makes me laugh at times - the entire outsourcing debate makes one wonder if it was some generous act of humane magnanimity that brought about the concept of outsourcing. In one of the T.V shows, the ohio state Govt representative had this to say -
“If there are people here who can do the same job as someone who is in Bangalore, then it makes perfect sense to employ him to do the job”
But like my Manager says -
“if we take all the tier I and II Indian I.T companies together, then that’s servicing almost all of America. Now the problem is with their current population they can’t make up for all these jobs. And moreover, not all of them will be willing to do these kind of jobs.”
So all these talks of protectionism and end of outsourcing are really unfounded. But of course I believe a new model has to emerge. We’ve maturing as an Industry and if all the big wigs have to continue growing, it is imperative to find newer growth models. Merely servicing the I.T needs will not generate much. Moreover for an industry that considers knowledge as its primary asset, innovation will be the key.

So much for the randomness...

A New Beginning

2010-07-28T22:04:00.005+05:30

After a long hiatus, I am back again! This time for sharing something very personal... :)

The winds of spring; blossoming of flowers; arrival of monsoons; the touch of rain; the feel of beauty! well.. all that and more. I suppose being in love is a little above words :P
I have never opened myself to the blogosphere; Many of you I don’t know personally. Yet many I know, rather very closely. But to open my innermost thoughts is something what I’ve never done before here. However this time the occasion is indeed special.. :)

It began some time ago. Like droplets dripping from my eyes, slowly clouding my vision, blurring my senses and taking me along untrodden paths, making me listen to unsung tunes, and wander like a meandering river about to open into the mouth of an ocean.
To start a new phase in life is exciting. The thought of joining two lives and making it one is beautiful. As I learn to crawl and steady myself on this new path, I am beginning to realize and see different things.

Beautiful indeed is the way of the creator; to have created all creations in pairs! To infuse so much of emotions and feelings within our hearts. With every beat, intensifying all of it, making it run red through our veins and letting it multiply with age!

Don’t intend to make this long. But its a beautiful feeling to be in this trance, if I may call it that.
I am sure all of you will experience it. And when you do, enjoy the moment! its a blessing! :)

Love - To You

2010-05-10T20:57:00.009+05:30

On the enticed path of love, I set my foot

seeking the blessings of all, hoping to find the loot;

Dancing with fate and flirting with destiny, I seemed to do all right

in the beginning, when all that was on offer were pleasantries in light.

As I trotted on, I discovered a newer me, full of ideas not rife

The hidden desires, seeking the pleasures of life

all came to life, with a longing and yearning unseen before

I let it loose, to wander in coy, letting in sin with candor

My path I thought, I could see it unfold

Alas, only a fool I was being. For the path of love is not all of gold.

When the sun set and when the moon faded, I didn't know

Without me knowing, my spirits took me with it for a heavenly blow

I let my soul sink, in the ocean of elixir, or so I thought

But not long, before I realized the folly of it

In darkness you can't travel; directionless you cant proceed

helplessness came over me; I wanted to turn back and recede

The speed with which I came, the eagerness that prevailed

All of that gave way to emptiness, for I saw only darkness entwined

A state of confusion; an array of thoughts all seeming to overpower me

I though to myself - is this what I set for? losing my heart's lee?

Vicissitudes of life; just as seasons, thoughts change

A moment of bliss, another with sorrow making one lynch

learning and unlearning, life forces us to learn

The best of teachers, it sets us right and makes us sane

As the wheels of life turn, so does the rim gain strength

making us able to withstand all roads, dirty, muddy of varying depth

After all, what is a journey if there be no adventure

without any takeaway and lessons to capture

just as the flower, I withered; only to bloom again

with the rays of the sun, I woke up in pain

To face the new world with renewed vigor

full of energy, yet again ready to savor

For to be cowed down is not befitting of men

And what be life, if left unscathed; full of ken?

The sheath of life did leave me naked for a while

leaving me unarmored, to life's caprices, long as the Nile

Not long before I gathered myself and set foot again

To conquer love and to let not life be in vain

In earnest I made my prayers, to the creator of love

for the next time it darkens, I want to be with her to walk hand in glove

History - a commentary

2010-03-01T00:23:00.002+05:30

History has always fascinated me. Social science was my favorite subject in school. I used to spend a lot of time in my study room going through all the varied guides CBSE X had to offer me on the subject and would somehow feel empty after going through them. I would read the history sections of every guide again and again, somehow yearning to learn more every time. Not for the grades, but just to satisfy my curiosity and inquisitiveness. I thoroughly enjoy the subject. The only trouble I had in answering the paper was in not knowing where to stop. I would go on and on when answering questions on this subject. Whether it was the French revolution or laissez faire policy of the government, the Indian fight for freedom or ancient civilizational stories, I loved them all.

All right I am no historian and I have no intentions of showering self praises. I’ll get to the point straight away. An article today and a documentary yesterday provoked me to pondering over history in a completely different sense.

The article was about three figures of Indian history – Salim, Khurram and Khusrau. While the third one maybe a little unfamiliar, all of us know the first two – albeit with different names – Salim as Jehangir – the successor of Akbar and Khurram as Shah jahan – he who epitomized love with his monumental Taj Mahal. Khusrau was another of Jehangir’s son who posed a threat to his own father – Akbar it seems was more in favor of handling over the throne to this young lad than to the lad’s father and Akbar’s son Jehangir. And Shah Jahan took great troubles to ensure this blinded man (blinded by his own father when he rose in rebellion) was kept out of bounds when his own turn came to seize power. The article I am referring to is “Khusrau – the shadow of power” which appeared in “The Hindu” dated Feb 28^th 2010. Can be read here - http://www.hindu.com/mag/2010/02/28/stories/2010022850020100.htm

The author brought forth an insightful account of history’s leading figures and I was spell bound. This man should have occupied the cover pages of our history textbooks for his bravery and courage and his unflinching love for his wife. On the contrary we are taught of a man who had the dimmest of respect to love as the man who stands for love. Well, I do not wish to comment on history. My point is different.

The documentary I watched yesterday night on the history channel was Saddam’s tribes. An account of Saddam’s life and family leading to his capture and torture by his own daughter – Raghad Saddam; Check the video here - http://latifyahia.wordpress.com/2008/04/01/saddam-tribe-this-film-95-minutes-by-raghad-saddam-hussein-and-latif-yahia/

it was another interesting account of a piece of history offering a completely different paradigm. Having gone through the gulf war with my sister barely few months old, I can truly relate to the horrors of Saddam. I was brought up in Kuwait and every now and then we would have these funny threats from Iraq. Of course, every time Uncle Sam would be there to help. All the while the image of saddam – the character I held in my mind was one of utmost cruelty and ferocity. Stories were circulated in plenty to affirm such an image into my mind. I had no reasons to question them as well. History of course would etch him out as an evil who occupied our times and from whose threat a savior of lord rescued us through divine premonition. This documentary however portrays Saddam as a completely different person – a kind father and a King who thought of his nation and who made decisions in the best interest of her people. Well, let me not make him seem as a hero. That he is not. Of that I am sure. Just that the documentary showed his as a different person as well.

The two incidents made me ask – who writes history? Can history really be unbiased and unprejudiced? Frankly, what is the incentive for a person recording history to speak of the events the way it happened? In any case, the person himself might not be present in all of the situations, so it’s only through the eyes and ears of different people that he would record his own version of history. And much would depend on the publishers of the work for the records to go unedited. A work coming out of such a process; can it be taken for absolute truth?

Look at the two situations above. Both seem to alter the image of the characters. The more popular version would seem like a cruel joke. If you went through the first article, the fact that a mausoleum on love should have been created by Shah Jahan would appear to be a monumental joke. And all of Saddam’s crimes might perhaps weigh down when compared to the happenings to the nation post the savior’s arrival. Looting and killing, endangering living; let me not speak more;

My father used to tell me – don’t trust history blindly. Every historian would only give his account of history. The textbooks you read and the popular sentiment you hear is what the powerful want you to know. Whether from religion or politics, every character would be etched out by their many followers and it would be literally impossible to get to know the real faces of men if they have been carved out by their disciples’ or loyalists.

Well – a thought I could so well relate to… Not that I endorse any of the above. Not that I have done any verification of the above two stories. Just a thought I wanted to pass, to let it sink into the minds of my readers so that you can digest the stories you hear with a touch of realism and then pass on the good to your off springs . J

And this is not a political commentary. I would never want to use this space for anything of that sort J

Reflections on Love

2010-02-18T23:20:00.003+05:30

I love you – I blurted out.

My mind blanked out after that. I watched her face, the stillness in expression. Joy or confusion, I couldn’t tell. My mind began to wander elsewhere. I tried hard to focus on her, to help her see the image she was looking for, and to aid her repeat the words I had just said.

I could feel her hair. Her breath so close to my ears, arms tightening around my neck. She was uttering something. I was not sure if I wanted to listen. I was struck by a wave of emotions. Winds were blowing in all directions, taking my mind along.

She was smiling. Nay, she was joy personified. I wanted to cry.

At least she’s happy, I comforted myself. The moment – that is what is important. Live it. Don’t lose it. Joys of life are not meant to accumulate. They should be seized every moment.

Nothing… nothing seemed to work. The moment I uttered it, the moment I saw her eyes, I knew it. I shouldn’t have said it.

I tried hard to gain composure, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t escape the fact that I didn’t. I didn’t really mean what I had said. It was only to be nice to her; to please her for the moment that I said; I loved to see people happy and I knew she desperately wanted to hear this from my mouth.

Fired bullets and spoken words are the ones you should fear the most. Apart from the fact that they can’t be taken back, they could end up taking a life.

P.S: purely fictional... :)

Debunking the myth called Economics

2010-01-23T23:30:00.002+05:30

Recently I came across an interesting article in which the author takes heavily on all the proclaimed economists of the world. He laments their overdose of advise precisely after everything is over. Like one economist himself wrote "Everything in retrospect is obvious. But if everything were obvious, authors of financial debacles would have been millionaires." Such are the caprices of the field, that the best minds fail to realize whats coming. In the words of some of LSE economists "It was the failure of the collective Intelligence ...", to the question posed by the queen on why none of them(the best minds in the field) could predict the economic crisis which overtook the world.

Economics is a brilliant field. One which closely tracks our everyday living. But alas, it is made so complex with a myriad of numbers that the common man simply cannot seem to decipher the science. I have always been dumbstruck by the variety of figures that keeps coming every now and then. Whether Inflation or Interest rate, the CRR or reverse repo, Its all like a fancy theoretical figure. Sometimes, it is simply difficult to comprehend the underlying meaning. I am no economic major, but I like to know what all these figures talking about my day to day dealings are. I do try reading articles, but most of them make it seem so complicated.

Then I came across some very interesting literature - the types of freakonomics - where the authors Lewitt nd Dubner, who call themselves as rogue economist and who admit very honestly that they can tell you nothing about stock market movements or profit margins, but that they can tell you stories; they analyze numbers and give you some very interesting conclusions. And they make economics seem so relevant that you can relate to the field. The amusing anecdotes coupled with their witty style of writing gives you a rare pleasure. So when you read about crime rates and the relation it has with one lady who fought it out for abortion rights, or how the grading system makes the teachers corrupted, or how the whole system of Sumo wrestling makes it so vulnerable to bribing, you gain a whole new range of insights. In their more recent sequel, superfreakonomics they bring on the same style to even more interesting themes.

One which will surely bowl you out is how television and more importantly soap operas transformed the lives of Indian women,empowering them much better than any other goodwill initiatives ever taken in this direction. Yet another equally unbelievable story is about the greatest threat Industrialization brought about in New York city - horse shit. Oh yes, turns out the modern automobile was an innovative improvisation to address the grave concern caused by the enormous equine problem. :D

The killer of all the story is that of global warming. With all the gung-ho made out in the run to copenhagen, one can be forgiven to think of doomsday to dawn upon us very soon with our current carbon emissions. They give you some juicy figures and turn the whole argument upside down. Of course this is not to say that there is no cause for concern, but only that there's a whole lot to the story than the Inconvenient truth that Al gore wants us to know.

The authors go into some radical experimentation mode too and in the process, among other things, helps us understand the altruistic nature of human behavior. They show you a whole new world of behavioral economics and in the process bring out the fundamental trait of every homo sapien - they respond to incentives. Incentives govern human behavior. Now incentives could be very different. For some it could be money, for others social stigma. But in this rests the universal solution to every existing human problem. They get underneath every imaginable problems and explains it with a whole new dimension. Whether its with cold blooded murder, or raw prostitution, we are governed by the incentive system. Any policy decision of any body, government or otherwise is made keeping in mind the incentive system. Given the right incentives, human behavior can drastically change. They even extend their games to our closest resembling species - the monkeys, and find to their amazement, that much like us, even monkeys are governed by incentives and motivated primarily by food and sex. :D

Well, I thoroughly enjoy reading this sort of economics. One which is simple, lucid and understandable for a common man like me. Most importantly, one which we can relate to.

If only we had more economist to bring out such interesting stories rather than cry foul over some undecipherable data!!!

Pongal, Al-Barak and Nandan

2010-01-14T23:11:00.005+05:30

As people geared up to celebrate the harvest festival, it did not bring good news to us. ‘Us’ would mean me and my roommates – with our cook going on a long leave and all nearby shops closed. Now, I don’t live in a place to boast of hospitality choices. So it was a major blow. And with the government mandating an obligatory holiday, we were homed without food L... By the way an interesting article on the history of Pongal can be found here. Seems it has its origin from the Sangam ages, during the ruling of Pallavas during 4^th – 8^th Century A.D - http://www.pongalfestival.org/history-of-pongal.html

Coming back to our food woes, lazy that we were, none of us wanted to cook; so we thought of hitting out at one of our usual place – Thattukada – A popular Keralite restaurant in Tambaram – the closest suburb. Sadly, they were exhausted of all their supplies. A surprising wave of customers swept all their food supplies. That’s how we land in Al-Barak – a newly sprung Arabic restaurant serving multi cuisine food. Well, an Arabic restaurant on the outskirts of Chennai is surely an ambitious project. Speaks about the changing dynamics of the city; with more and more companies being set up in these areas, there is a growing demand for quality services, especially in foods.

We walk in cautiously to their first floor (they don’t have anything in the ground floor J). A freak looking lad from the eastern parts open the door for us. All around, we see only people from that part of the world which left us wondering if we were in a Chinese restaurant. Then lo, we see a mallu right in the middle. When I ask him of their speciality, he promptly replies grilled chicken – “It will taste very different sir”. Well, we decide do try that out. But not with the usual khubboos but with kerala porotta prepared by Bengali cooks. A truly Indian restaurant- wont u say? Thanks to our hunger we order for mutton masala as well. In the next few minutes, we were served with one of most delicious grilled chicken I’ve ever had. The shawahi, as it’s usually called, is one of my favourite dishes. I’ve had that in almost all the Arabic restaurants in town. But this one was special. Absolutely mouth watering; together with the kerala porotta, it melted in our mouths. The mutton was so soft that we dint feel the need to chew . Just to add on, we order for crispy lamb as well. Though not as great as the chicken, it adds to the variety.

Now this is one place I would recommend to all my friends living anywhere in the vicinity of tambaram. And for my readers living outside, you could try this if you happen to land in Chennai anytime. It’s relatively close to the airport; it’s in a place called Tamabaram sanitorium. Ask anyone in the city and they’ll ask you if its in Chennai. J Trust me, Chennai is a really big city.

After that sumptuous lunch, none of us even bothered to think of dinner. Burp!! I can steel feel the gas inside. J J

Another good thing about today – I finally managed to complete Nandan’s book – Imagining India. It has taken me so long to complete this. The size and the hard cover would not allow me to carry this book with ease. And the content required some hard reading as well. So I ended up reading this only at home and when I am completely relaxed. I must say – a thoroughly informative and interesting book. Nandan explores various aspects of our country – Starting from his own journey of ‘accidental entrepreneurism’ to exploring a new paradigm in India’s demographic shift – he gives a wealth of information. As you walk through the pages, you can gain amazing perspectives on a wide variety of issues. The enviable positions he held till now – as co-chairman of Infosys(which he relinquished recently to head the National ID project) , President of National Council of Economic research, member of Knowledge commission, member of the review committee of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, member of the National Advisory group on e-Governance, Chairman of Government of India’s I.T Task Force of Power gives him access to people like few others can. And he has used all of his powers to paint the canvas with his imaginations. He has put in the books views of stalwarts of various fields – from Sam Pitroda to Ahluwalia to Joseph stiglits to numerous reformist civil servants.

All this coupled with his impressive narrative makes this a jewel to own. He speaks with passion on the importance of English and the powers it has in opening up employment. He gives an insider account on how I.T came into governance right from the time of Rajiv Gandhi. And then goes on to dwell on the power it can play in governance. He sings the Friedman song on globalization and takes you through to the various swings our country took towards opening up to the outside world. His account of how the government viewed entrepreneurship, immediately post independence – as a profit thirsty wicked soul ( got from the East Indian experience) to the more later realization in the power it could create, which showed up post the economic reforms Mr singh took.

What has amazed me is the deep insights he provides on every topic. He has got expert views on every subject he has touched. His research assistant has done a brilliant job too. He makes a strong case for a uniform ID and rightly got appointed to head it. He speaks for more reforms in tax, pension scheme and vouches for sustainable development. Lastly, he speaks on the importance of how our optimistic views of the future can transform our present. He gives a brilliant example too – jugaad – which literally means ‘everything put together’ (this is an innovative car which many people in rural north India use to travel, built on whatever they can lay their hand on. Check this pic out http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zfDuy4-yDB8/Skh5niraKLI/AAAAAAAADi8/DPBrtDAezHw/s400/jugaad_cheap_pick_up.JPG ). He rightly points out that in our people lies our strength. And a bottom up approach is what can transform us. For too long, the government has played a paternalistic role, always looking at the masses as needing pampering and care and thereby creating ineffective policies which do no good in the long term. And he minces no words in lashing out at the politicians for their election time freebie offerings.

Anyway, this space is too small to write a review of a humongous work as this. I only wished to share a few thoughts. I can assure you, after reading the book, you will feel invigorated. You will feel enlightened and glad to have learnt of the nuances of policy making. Of nation building and governing;

I would recommend this to all my readers...

On that note I’ll call it a day wishing all of you a happy pongal and Makr Sakranti ... J

Excellence in all that we do…

2009-12-25T00:20:00.004+05:30

Last month, my company garlanded the heroes of the company, setting forth role models for others to emulate. It’s called the Awards for Excellence – an event to proclaim and applaud the mighty ones who have done more than the ordinary, stood taller than others and achieved a distinction not wont to many. And for an organization spanning one hundred thousand, to be among the chosen few would definitely be something.

What does it take to get there? To stand out and be known as the achievers; to deserve special mention from the lot; and if you are not amongst the top ones, does that mean one is under performing? That one is not working to the fullest potential?

I once asked my colleague – What motivates people to work? Apart from the obvious monetary benefits; he said people are responsible. There is nothing that is motivating them to work. It’s just the sense of responsibility that makes them finish the work assigned. It’s more like they do it for the sake of it. A deadline to meet; questions to answer; that’s basically it.

To an extent I will have to agree with him. Imagine doing the same thing over and over again. I am not in the manufacturing sector. I belong to the servicing sector. Now if the kind of services your company is offering is just the same, what reason would excite you to do your job? Apart from the obvious sense of duty, work could get mundane, frustrating and often lifeless.

Where is the question of excellence here? How does one differentiate another? Everyone doing what they have been asked to. Nothing extraordinary, just the ordinary gets repeated. Not surprising then that most of the youngsters will be seriously dejected with work.

The fact that an event recognizing excellence from over a hundred thousand could only attract the attention of a few hundred speaks a lot of the mindset people have towards excellence.

I feel its a problem with our surrounding. Our environment. Our education. Our school. There is a fundamental problem that usually plagues all of these. Think of this - when someone speaks of their son/daughter making into a prestigious university, what do you think makes them so happy about it. Leaving apart the social recognition, it is the assurance that the lad will walk out with a secure future on completion of his/her degree that gives them utmost peace. The focus is only on securing a future. On getting a good job. That is the primary concern of every parent. That is how we are brought up. Any career other than the conventional ones are frowned upon even today.

The child's interest is the last thing in the minds of people. I remember my father's friend who went berserk when I told him I didn't want to do an MBA. He scowled at my ignorance. That I didn't want to take a laid out path made me look stupid and idiotic. And he heads a career guidance cell in my town!!!. This was the same person who told me that only a fool would choose I.T in engineering, when my father told him I had opted for that. That time, the dot com bust had just happened and he was almost certain that I.T was just a spike and there was no future in it.

The essence I am trying to bring forth is that our concern with the buck spoils our attitude. We are never encouraged to love anything. To chase our passion. Or to even kindle a passion in subjects that interest us. Our schooling system dumps loads and loads of information. Our college repeats the same with outdated content.

And then we complain that there is a huge gap between academia and industry. That there is a serious lack of employable talent and so on. How can you? No one ever studied to learn. Studies was only to earn - marks, certificates or jobs.

When the noble laureate Ramakrishnan was in IIM, someone asked - how do you get a nobel prize. His answer summarizes it all - "to go for a nobel is a sure recipe for disaster. Nobody goes into research for a nobel. Its their love for the subject that attracts them. It is the change they can bring about that motivates them. Not the nobel"

No wonder then that India is nowhere close in global research. We are never encouraged in that direction. Not that we have any dearth for talent. we are never short on intillegence. We have with us some of the brightest minds. Only that we lack the support.

There is a need for change and it should begin at home. If every parent can encourage their child to find his/her interest. To allow them to excel in that. To allow them to do what they really love. It would bring about a radical change. It would change the way we discharged our duty. It would have an effect on the product that we produce. On the service that we offer. Our own bars of expectation would rise then. How many times have we been fooled by the salesaman saying export quality. Why is it that local quality is never sought after?

It is the mindset that needs a change... This is the message I want to share with all my readers this new year. Lets chase excellence.

As Rancho says in 3 idiots - kaabil ban. be deserving, success will find you.

A connoisseur's treat

2009-12-13T13:06:00.003+05:30

A fine Saturday morning, rising sun making way for the pouring clouds; one of those days you wished would stay forever, making you feel the beauty of nature, bereft of all the artificial temperature controllers. I was only glad that I didn't have to spend such a day staring at any stupid monitor.

I had an appointment to keep. Bringing some purpose to my day, I was to teach elementary mathematics to graduate students. Aptitude training – never did I think in the wildest of my dreams to don such a role. The caprices of life are so unpredictable; this was the second time I was doing this and I must admit, it turned out to be a memorable experience about which I intend to write sometime. So, after a few hours of yelling, yes now I realize the importance of voice for teachers, I was all exhausted. I told Ajai that I need good food to make up for all the energy I just lost. Ajai and I, apart from being schoolmates have this special thing in common – we both enjoy our food. We are not gluttons though; the right word would be gourmets or connoisseurs. Apart from the fact that we appreciate good food, we savor them. No we are not really gluttons. J

Just that we use of our taste buds extensively. Not many people do that. I am proud to say we are among the enlightened few.

So I suggested Mainland China – a brilliant Chinese restaurant, he said zaras – an Italian one with tapas bar. Then we thought of our common friend, another school mate who’s also in Chennai. Now this guy, Manoj is always the Bakra. Poor chap, always ends up paying for our rampages. The sad part is, amongst the three he would be mistaken for the glutton, thanks to the biological reactions in his body. Though he eats only half as much as we do, he looks twice as much as we are ;) and by some spate of fate, always ends up paying for us. I have to acknowledge his magnanimous heart. I am sure Ajai will agree. Coming back to deciding on the restaurant, I suggest crimson chakra, a place close to where Manoj stays. A place neither of us have been. So we are agreed. Just as I was giving direction to Manoj, Ajai suggest we pick him up from his house. This took us on the verge of ECR – east coast road, a beautiful road along the Bay of Bengal which every Chennaite would enjoy riding on. Now the plan changes and off we go zooming along east coast to Mahabalipuram – a small town famous for its temples, rock carvings, statues and a lot more. Most importantly this place is very popular for fishes, which is why we were going.

Off we go to sea shore garden resort. A small place right in the middle of the beach, almost touching the waters; covered with thatched roof and adorned in simple interiors, this place is a treat to the eye. You could sit there and feel the magical sea breeze tickle your senses. The waves almost in front of you; the babes also add to the color. Sadly, Manoj is unlucky again – he’s fasting until Christmas– a ritual he so ardently exercises without any worldly incentive. Fasting would mean staying away from all sorts of non vegetarian food including egg. May the good Lord bless him in abundance.

We start our orders with gobi for him and fish for us J. We start with calamari, proceed to masala fried fish – I don’t know the name of the fish but it was decent in size. Chopped to small pieces and friend with nice masala and when topped with lime, made for a great dish. But the calamari was definitely the better of the two. We were done with that, but were in no mood to go in for any main course, so we ask the waiter what else he has to offer us. He brings us a plate of tiger prawns spread in mouth watering masala. The plate is clean in less than two minutes. We call him again and this time he says he will check with the sea. He is evidently amused at our potential. In the gap, he fills ours table with some spicy pepper chicken which I leave it to Ajai to handle. All the while our dear friend is feeding on gobi. Taking pity on him, we call the waiter and ask what else they have in vegetarian cuisine. He thinks for long and says he has chips – fried potato. With no other option, we order one of that. By the time that came, our table was clean again. Once again we call the waiter and ask him for the best he can offer us in fish. He goes back in and shows us a good long fish. We nod our heads and what comes to our table is nothing but bliss. That long fish mixed in finger licking masala, kept as is in one huge plate. Pure heavenly bliss; we pounce on it with a respectful bow. To our friend we say – God bless you! For having resisted the temptation to immerse in ecstasy; for the next few minutes, the table was silent. It was unadulterated pleasure. Strictly for a food aficionado;

Oh… a treat it was… to the tongue and to the eye. Harmony couldn't have manifest in any way better. Peace, blessing, love – whatever they call that state of mind where you are in a world away from the usual – we were in that. I can’t be too sure of Manoj now :p. we just sat there staring at the sea for another hour, letting the waves wash over us, indulging in a luxury which many don’t discover.

I must say, a truly memorable day…

Minority Issues

2009-11-08T11:30:00.022+05:30

Harsh Mander's columns have always touched me, in different ways though. Last week after reading To be a Muslim in India today, I was really dumbstruck. Yes, I had heard of it many times over. Ever since the Gujarat episode happened, stories have been spreading like wildfire; some so cruel and some so horrible that it would put the Indian Justice system to shame and pity, for having overlooked all these. Anyways, the intent here is not to comment on the episode or on the Judiciary. We'll leave that for a later time.

Coming back to Harsh Mander and his columns; last week made me think and ask - really?? Is this really happening? The author was trying to showcase how hard life for a Muslim is in India. Being one myself, I never experienced a semblance of what was being said. Nowhere was I detained on account of my faith. Never was I taken to task for wanting to practice my religion. Perhaps the fact that the time I have spent here, which by the way is less than a decade is very limited. But then I did apply for Government license; I did get my passport renewed; I did pay my bills; in all the interactions with the government machinery, never did I experience anything connected to faith. Of course I did encounter the corruption web, but lets just put that aside for now since it has nothing to do with your background. So I guess it was natural that I was angry at the author for having portrayed the negative side with such exaggeration. I even wanted to pen my thoughts, but somehow never completed the post.

Today, after reading The end of One Life I was left wondering again. I decided to check out something about the author. After reading his profile, my opinions changed. This man has definitely seen life. Much much more than me. And in his various capacities, he surely has seen things from a closer quarter. Yes, I had read about the news of the fake encounter. That a routine investigative report of one judicial magistrate caused so much uproar did make headlines in our catchy Media. But after reading it today, some disturbing thoughts crossed my mind. Not any revolutionary thoughts, just a worry about the callous state of our Judiciary and the entire democratic set up that we boast of. Once the state machinery starts abusing their powers, manipulating and exploiting the system to further different causes, chaos is almost sure to prevail.

Our country has different angles to it. We have Kashmir at the north, Arunachal and Assam and its likes in the east, Gujarat and Maharashtra on the west and the southern states which are each different from the other. By angles I mean the issues afflicting each of these. In kashmir its been since the inception of the state. Much have been written and debated about it by now, the only thing missing being the elusive peace. In our eastern states, its naxalism in its various forms manifesting itself. The Assamese obstructing to people of other ethnicities coming to their place and stealing their piece of the pie; a concern so vehemently propagated by our western leaders (India's west - of course you know whom i am referring to). In south, its opportunism in its truest form; our southern leaders are yet to come in terms with each other - whether its the krishna river or the Mullaperiyar dam, roadblocks have always been there. The central theme I am trying to build is that in each of these cases, there is a common thread that runs among all - Minorities issues not getting addressed. Our honorable leaders are so really eager to take political mileage out of it. Whether shouting for language or for reservations on caste, they have been voicing their concerns in different forums. And of course, the heartless attempts they try to spark only ensure their political gain not societal calm. The unrest and agitation only leads to commotion and mayhem resulting in violence and bloodshed. Of late the issue of naxalism is gaining much of media's attention. P.C is trying out every effort to get them to the tables but with little success.

One is tempted to ask- Is this all really necessary? The time that we spent here, 60 or 70, can't we use it to better the world around? or at least stay away from harming others? I strongly feel that the fabric of any civilized society lies in its justice system. The moment people lose faith in the justice delivery system, anarchy would be the result. Our Judicial statistics do not befit a mention anywhere. It has been our culture that has bonded us well in spite of our differences. Tolerance was at the heart of our foundations. We have had some exemplary leaders too propping out every now and then. But of late, our leaders have been trying hard to disrupt this. By overemphasizing on trivialities, they have managed to gain some fanatic loyalists. Good governance has taken a backseat; peace is the last thing that is desired. In the past few years, in our iconic rise as an economic power, the cries of the unheard have been conveniently ignored. Every now and then there is a wake up call. But we do not seem to have much listeners.

Every democracy is self limiting. Self limiting coz its by our own choice that we bring on our doom. For better sense to prevail, we need informed citizens. More importantly, citizens who does not get conned into the hate campaign of leaders. And make wise decisions about who will rule over us. Genuine concerns when left unattended to can cause a hurricane in due course of time. Far too many youths are available for easy use to shrewd leaders looking to maximize on every opportunity available. If on the other hand, these energies are put to constructive use, it would result in wholesome growth and wide spread prosperity.

But for all this to happen, we need leaders. We need our democratic system to produce able and enthusiastic leaders who are willing to genuinely help. Of course we cant expect angelic souls, but at least we need good people. Not the kind who desert their people in times of trouble. Not the kind who kindle the hearts to cause further friction between people. Not the kind who employ cheap vote winning tactics. And lastly not the kind who turn a blind eye to the minorities simply on account of their inability to cause them electoral damage.

I end by praying for sanity to prevail over vanity.

Death – the only true reality.

2009-10-18T08:55:00.003+05:30

Can we join a torn leaf? Can we ever breathe lost life into the trees? Or can we stop it from happening? None of it; leaves will fall and grow again. They fall and they grow and they go about this in perfect peace. There is no grief in their shedding, nor is there merriment when they are back on. That’s how things are with voiceless creations.

Alas, we humans are full of emotions. Every now and then we have to acknowledge certain realities – shall I call it the set laws of nature. All of us know it, yet it is so difficult to accept it. It’s only when circumstances are forced upon us, that we even realize the need to accept it; needless to say, it arrives unannounced most of the time. Not all of us are blessed with a peaceful passage. And sudden departures are what hurt the most.

It’s when our loved and dear ones depart that the world around us changes. We sway from one end to another, asking questions to our own selves, sometimes questioning every aspect of the belief we hold in life. Searching for unavailable answers, we go into rage or indifference, depending on our moods. The meaning we gave to our life suddenly changes. The reason with which we survived thus far vanishes in an instant.

The sudden blankness only adds to our confusion. The abrupt darkness leaves a void within us. To leave someone whom we so dearly adored is not only painful, but crucifying. It is not physical pain, rather a mental torture. To finally come in terms with reality involves herculean effort. It is almost like breathing second life into our own selves. Bereft of the inseparable love, affected with sudden slavery, we have to implore every bit of strength within us to stand firm again.

Time they say erases all pain, but etched memories can never be touched upon. The days of past can never be relived. The joys experienced can never be felt again. The sound and smell though, may bring with it those memories, teasing us for while. For a while we may float in the days of yore, but not for long. After all, even our loved ones would not want us to do that. They would only have wanted us to grow in strength.

Here is where true strength and courage comes in. To stay tall and face the wind in the face; fight through the walls of grief and emerge as a stronger person; to grow to heights so as to give light to others; to be a reason of joy, of happiness and glee. I have been through smaller waves. It was difficult. But with the help of God, we can emerge stronger. I pray to God to give strength to all in pain, to help them come out stronger.

I salute the spirit of all those who come out truly stronger. Not many face early jolts in life, so sudden to even evaporate ever inch of our spirit. To come out of such jolts, definitely require enormous strength and valor. But I am sure we can stand through every adversity, for I believe everything happens with a purpose and never will He lay upon us a burden greater than what we can bear.

Peace to all!

Photo : flickr - here

After a long break

2009-10-11T23:02:00.002+05:30

It's been really long since i blogged. Needless to say, a lot thoughts are wandering around my head.
To blurt out everything here would definitely not be good. :)
So I am going to take time... and I am going to slowly let it on to you readers...
To start with ... Announcing my arrival back into blogosphere after a looong break :)

Cheers

Analysis of an argument – Hope in Life

2009-09-05T21:05:00.004+05:30

‘Hope’- is it needed in a pre-destined world? Where their constant busting makes us realize the pain of humiliation felt due to helplessness. I could have lived happily sans ‘hope’!!!

The above was said by a dear friend of mine. I am going to use this as a practice for my GMAT exam :) . The A.W.A (Analytical Writing Assessment) has a part called – Analysis of an argument. Not that I’ve been preparing that hard, but just that I am in a mood to write on this.

So here it goes...

The argument is made with the assumption that life is indeed decided beforehand. That nothing within our reach will help us change our fortune or tread a path of our choice. This is akin to visualizing life in a state of pure helplessness where in we are left with no option but to live our course as has been prescribed by forces beyond. It then goes on to assert that in such a situation, when we make plans or have hopes which are not in line with our destiny, we end up inflicting on ourselves, utmost agony and pain.

Firstly, the argument denies the power of hope. In one stroke, it demolishes zillions of dreams and aspirations. For is it not hope that help realize these dreams and aspirations. Every inventions, every attained achievement was based on the hope to see a change. Every war and every disaster was only seen through with the hope of possibility. It is only hope that makes us march for a better tomorrow.

Now in the process, we could always fail. Things need not always work out as planned. But that should not deter us from marching forward in life. Whenever we face failures, whenever we are struck with calamities, it is obviously against our wishes; but that is no reason for us to cover ourselves in constant ignominy. We are not the masters of the world, but we surely are the masters of our mind. It is during such times, that we should display our strength of courage. The assumption that we hold no control over ourselves is a cruel blow on the strength of character shown by leaders of yore and present. They have, through their lives shown us how to stay calm and face adversities. It was only their failures that lifted them up. And it was their hope that helped them stay afloat. They are all testimony to the fact that we can, by determination and hard work, decide our life and the path it should traverse.

Lastly, to say that happiness can be achieved by shedding hope is a refusal to accept reality. That life is always not a bed of roses is known to all of us. Happiness and sadness are a state of mind left for us to decide, not a decision that should be forced upon us. Tough times do come, but they will definitely pass like waves over the sea.

To my readers - As always, I eagerly look forward to your comments. :)

Alphabet Soup

2009-08-20T20:33:00.005+05:30

It's been more than a month since I wrote anything. And not long ago, ajai did tag me as well… So here you go… a quick look into me with the Alphabet tag. Ajai – forgive me for exploiting the tag :)

A – always embracing change – that's how I am :)

B – Bounty – A chocolate I love :D

C- charming – that's a synonym for me:P

D- divine blessings – something I always seek

E- Egg bulls eye a.k.a half boil – a dish I proudly make :D

F – Friends… whom I am blessed with in plenty :)

G – guns and all the weapons – things which I so really loathe

H – home sweet home - I love everything about home. From home made food to home made sweets to homely ladies :)

I – India my land – my country my birthplace – A proud Indian;

J – jackfruit – a fruit I like but seldom get to eat. Only get to hear all the time as my roomie's name :P

K – Kuwait – the land I did my schooling; a place I do miss as well

L – Love – which I truly believe in :D

M – Marriage – of course had to come after love – which I am eagerly looking forward to

N - 'Nazreth' – the home in which I was brought up. No its not in Jerusalem, rather in Kannur; in God's own country :D

O – Owning my company – at least when I start and then of course I plan to take it public. :)

P – Pasta and pizza – two Italian foods I relish. Btw I just looove food :D

Q – Quraan – the book I look to for peace.

R – rainy season – the season I love the most.

S – sweets – something I look to after every meal :)

T – Toyota Camry – A car I truly love.

U – Urapakkam – the place where I am put up… A lovely peaceful place. The only trouble being the abundance of canines.

V – Vin Diesel – well.. I have nothing against him… but I so really hated him after watching one of his movies. That too at the cost of travelling 100 km :@

W- walt Disney amusement park – A place I want to visit one day. (Hopefully in Europe :P)

X- Xmas hols - which I so really enjoyed in school and miss so much now.

Y- Yellow house – my house in school, of which I was a junior house captain as well :D

Z- zzzz… sleep – an activity I so really enjoy :)

That's it folks… Now you know what to gift me – A car, An Air ticket or Chocolates :)

Strangers!

2009-07-14T21:30:00.001+05:30

Strange is the way of the world. All our acquaintances were once strangers. But in a short course of time we develop bonds – of friendship, of relationship, of love and beyond. Nobody sees it coming, but we eventually get so linked with a stranger that it becomes amusing to even think that the same person was once a stranger.

I have always wondered in awe and amazement at the ways we get linked to each other. How the games of life make our lives intertwined in such fanciful fashions. Until yesterday we would have walked past each other without the slightest tint of acknowledgement, but then, in a few numbered days, we go on to develop such impenetrable bonds of love and respect.

In every phase of life, we come across strangers. From school to college, we've always added on to our bandwagon of 'friends'. With some we go on to stay in touch for the rest of our life. They suddenly become so close to our heart that our every thought finds an echo in theirs. Though clichéd, it is so true that the best of moments spent are in silence. When without speaking a word, the mere sight of a person brings in such overbearing joy in us. And when words start flowing, it will keep flowing tirelessly and endlessly.

One of the true blessings of life is to find a true friend who can understand you and in whom you can find peace and solace. In every walk of life, at every stage, in all moment, we would need good company. I for one have been truly blessed in this regard. Whether in school, or college, in hostel or at work, I have had the privilege of having some remarkable people by my side. In whom I can trust to regain my pride, should I lose it, to life me up, when I fall, to help me out, whenever I've needed, without me even asking.

I can't thank God enough for sowing my life with such splendid souls… Like I've always said, I couldn't have asked Him for anything more…

One Fine Day

2009-06-10T23:49:00.001+05:30

One fine day, life began to change

In a comical way it all started.

I did not see it coming, nor did I hear it calling.

It all appeared hazy in the start.

Unaware of what lay ahead, I followed my heart.

Every time I paused, I tried to make sense of it.

But something told me, I shouldn't do it.

Driven by curiosity, I kept on moving

At times, it tickled me and other times, it soothed me

I tried to grip it, but without any luck

Then I let it pass, letting fate unfold it for me.

Minutes and hours suddenly made no sense

For she made it all seem timeless and eternal.

The tick of clock only sounded in her absence

Every breath of mine suddenly made sense

I willed for my heart to beat for a cause

The passion in me found a new origin

Singing and dancing, I swayed on my own

She made it all possible – the angel who touched my life

They said it would hurt, I said I'll bear

They said it would pain, I said I'll endure

I had no hopes, but I did have her

Only that mattered, nothing else did

Perhaps I was blinded, but not in my sight

Rather in my heart, with her angelic love

With her innocent charm and radiant lure

The more I realized the fantasies I was breeding

Farther I drifted from the shores of my dreams.

I waited for long, to reach the seas

To feel the waves, and rise with it

And break the barriers of custom and convention

Then reality set in, and clouded my life.

Hopes crashed and depression set in

Moments of truth, dawned upon me

The certainty I denied, descended on me

Like a bullet it cut through

Piercing my heart and bleeding my soul

Withering my garden, filled with lilies

And roses and jasmine, which she planted with joy

I watched in dismay, at the cruel uprooting

Not what I wanted, but alas what had to happen

I yearned for life to explain my misery

For abandoning me and deserting me

Was I not kind? Or was I so blind?

I cannot say, for I am a man who just lost

Uncorrupt love and unbound care

The more I craved, the more I realized

The beauty of life was still not lost

The blessings I had was more than I lost

My thirst and my hunger, adding to my vigor

I found in life, the beauty I missed

At times so cruel, making one cry

And wander and roam in helplessness

But then in a jiffy, it all settles down

The feeling of hope, the joy of a new dawn

Life indeed is a wonderful teacher!

Letting us fall and picking us up

Making us strong and stand the rough weather

Giving us reason to stand up and celebrate

All along in our path to glory!

The Art called Management

2009-05-30T11:03:00.001+05:30

I remember reading in my management books, an argument about 'Management' being an art or science. If my memory is anything to go by, the author concluded that it is as much science as art, for the intricacies of managing is indeed complex. I for one think that it is truly an art. Just thought of sharing my thoughts on the same;

Every organization relies on individuals to take it to heights by banking on their managerial skills. The life of a manager can be truly horrible. To manage one's work is one thing but to actually extract and manage work from a whole set of 'widely different' people coming from distinct backgrounds can be really demanding. To have a string of meetings running in your daily schedule will only add to the load factor. And to top it all, you are the first person to be answerable to the higher management if anything goes wrong though you may not have the slightest of clue as to what went wrong. Not to mention the kind of pressures one is subjected to from the clients. To top it all, there are loads and loads of worksheets and word docs which await you every day in office.

How really tough??

And that is precisely why it requires people of great caliber, excellent temperament and the right attitude to occupy such slots. If not, the entire team will be in shambles. The same person who is supposed to take the organization to heights can bring it down to the lowest depths. This one person can ruin and demolish every fabric of an organization's structure. He or she can successfully sow in the minds of his team mates' seeds of hatred, disgust and extreme frustration which will obviously have direct impact on the outcome of work the employee does. The whole process can have such cascading effects so as to tarnish the image of the organization built over years or even chase away prospective clients from coming anywhere close to doing business with the organization.

People can be different and that is the essence of our diversity and plurality but to deny the other a chance to voice their opinion and to stick ardently to one's own unidirectional view of the world would be the ultimate heights of psychotics; worse still would be to force others to tow your superficial ways. And the heights of this absurdity would be known only when a manager fails to produce any tangible results but sometimes thanks to the vastness of the organization, it becomes difficult to pinpoint the source of the inflicted damage. As a result of which, the perpetrators of the crime often escapes unnoticed.

I am sorry for being harsh but I am just realizing the pains one has to undergo to endure such brutally insane people who come from their own wonder world with their own fancy thinking. At times, the point of contention can reach such ridiculous heights that you give up your faith on the organization though it is in no way even remotely connected to it. Pity the souls who strive so hard to build up an image and take the organization to stupendous heights. For after all their hard work it only takes a few jokers from within to demolish the entire structure that they've built. What is even sadder is when they position their thoughts to be far more superior to all others, and go on a rampage insulting the inanities in the thinking of the rest.

The net result of all the above is that a team completely loses focus with the team members increasingly turning despondent and glum and thinking of ways to shove their work in every possible without giving it their true heart and love. The struggle to gain the maximum from every employee soon becomes a struggle to extract the bare minima from the same individual. Work then goes to resemble the age old ways of getting things done. By resorting to intimidating methods and staying guard all throughout to ensure there is no deviation. In effect, every inch of creativity and innovation present in the individual is put to a cruel end leaving only the silliest of incentive for the work to be done – which is the figure that gets wired at the end of every month to the bank account.

Funny is the ways of the world, for it sometimes truly rewards the comic who has no clue as to what is happening and who does everything within their control to project the happenings the way they perceive it.

Now my dear readers, If any of you reading this happens to be managing, my sincerest plea- open your eyes to the talents under you and spend some time to evaluate yourselves. And to all of you folks in my place, lets join together for a saner world!

A Happy Day

2009-05-17T17:13:00.001+05:30

Today I am feeling happy. Elated in fact; if I could represent the last few days of my life on a graph, today would be a steep spike upwards. Especially considering the past few days;

Now what caused it… let's see; talking to people can make one feel good. Taking some time off for yourself to think and plan about your life can make one feel good. Listening to pleasant news can make one happy. Well, in my case it's been a combination of all of these that has done the trick.

Spoke to some wonderful people in the past few days. Amazing how some good old plain talk can make you feel better. Especially to catch up with friends and family; it's like talking your heart out and laughing it out. Always helpful; Thank God I have been blessed with some good friends.

Then I took what I believe is the first step towards a long journey henceforth. To sit down and actually evaluate myself- the journey so far and the road ahead as well; I've done this a lot of time but not on paper. At least not anytime recently; getting things on paper always helps coz it gives you a better picture; I'll have to thank all of you readers for helping me initiate this as well.

And lastly, Singh is King again. The Indian election results have definitely brought in a lot of joy in me. The dance of democracy as they say is a peculiar affair. You never know what lies in store. It's not always that you are judged on governance. There are a plethora of issues at play and you can never be sure which one will click. And the whole exercise being what it is – there's just one word that comes to my mind when I think of it – Stupendous. I mean look at the sheer degree of management that's required to get it working. Whatever it is, without going into the details, I'll say I am happy for Singh and the whole breed of politicians he's going to usher in.

On the whole, I feel happy and am all set to start another delightful week. All charged up to tackle my problems head on. :D

Now, before I close I just want to go a little bit into politics. I hope this time around we'll have all round development coming in. Healthcare, Water, Sanitation, Infrastructure, education, Telecom – lots of sectors deserve due attention. And like sidharth varadarajan said, the economy is in a completely different state from how it was five years ago. With the worst economic crisis after the great depression still not seeming to fade away, economic reform team would be very careful before opening up to foreign investments. This is not to say that we should stay away from foreign capital; they are definitely needed to boost our growth but it should not be in a way to shun local growth and more importantly we should protect ourselves from exposing to unnecessary risk. The present crisis has not eroded any of our banks, thanks mainly to our strong regulatory framework. This should remain while still encouraging innovative ideas to further bolster the economy and help generate further local employment. India has invited quite a lot of funds from both FII as well in terms of FDIs. A good sign and with the outsourcing funda still staying strong, it is likely to go up again.

The nuke deal will give us access to further energy resources as well. Let's not go into the problems of that now. I only hope our Iran relationship also improves. Pakistan still remains in shambles and tackling them would still remain a key concern. That country would need to get its grip very quickly and being our immediate neighbor, we would need to watch out. Terrorism and its off shoots would require greater resilience and strength from the government. I only hope that all sorts of fanaticism gets wiped out.

I for one believe that I can trust the present team to deliver in terms of economic reforms and all round growth. With ahluwalia, Manmohan, Chidambaram and their likes, it sure is a re assurance. In Kerala, my hometown the left has suffered a major setback. This of course is more to do with their factionalism than the good of congress. But of course with candidates such as tharoor, congress surely has got an elegant team up there. The number of young blood is on the rise. Definitely a good sign; I only hope they bring in results. Another good sign is rahul's mature way of handling things; I have found him good so far. With his bottom up approach to reforming the inner roots of congress, I am looking forward to seeing more from him. Like he said, it's a paradox that in a democratic country it requires personal liking and nepotism from senior leaders for a person to rise up in politics. He very honestly admits that it was his surname which got him his status more than anything else. And he was quick to point out that now that he's there he might as well do something to clean the system rather than refuse to accept his new found glory. His strategies so far have so paid off big time. The rise of the congress in UP after deciding to going it alone has been proclaimed as one of his key achievement. Not surprisingly, you had lots of hullabaloos about rahul being the next prime minister. Thankfully, all such speculations have been put to rest immediately by his mother and the party chief whip.

This is one thing about congress. They've found it hard to come solid without support from the Nehru family. That I feel is a real shame. I have nothing against Sonia. Indeed as Ramachandra Guha says, she would definitely go down in history as one of the key figures of modern India. What is sad is that it required someone like her to get congress out of their shackles.

Anyways, with Manmohan Singh all set to become the second prime minister after Nehru to get reelected after a successful five year stint, it sure does bring in relief.

Jai ho it is!

Restlessness

2009-05-14T01:53:00.001+05:30

I am feeling ridiculous today. No particular reason. Just the way life works. It's half past 1 in the wee hours of the morning and I am still awake. You can imagine how restless I am feeling. A dear friend of mine tried calming me for quite some time. It did help but the restlessness soon returned. I thought I would call it a day but somehow felt I had to scribble something today, just to etch the memory in ink – maybe in bytes, now that its digital.

It all started with me thinking of the road ahead. As I woke up in the morning, I began visualizing myself into the future and what I saw was depressing. I didn't want that to happen. And for that not to happen, I had to make something else happen. This precisely was what was making me restless.

One could look at life in two ways – "live your life" or "enliven your life". I see both very distinctly. In the first way, you accept life as it comes, as they say- make the most of now. In the second case, you take control and let life do things the way you want it to. And with every passing day, I realize how hard the second way is.

I am not arguing for any of the ways to be better than the other. What's ultimately important is for one to feel happy and of course the end result of what you do with your life.

For long, I have taken my life granted. Thanks to my father, I've been blessed with great schooling. Thanks to that and partly also to my uncle, I got into a good college with the least trouble. Thanks to my college, I got a job as soon as I was out of it. All the while, there was no struggle. Only comfort. Only luxury; unhindered smoothness; no problems whatsoever till now. And now I realize the need for some real hard work. Not the study hard and get good marks type hard work. But a bigger one; I realize I've been blessed with so much that it would be cruel to turn a blind eye to all of that and lead the life as its taking me. I believe its well within my command to alter the flow of my life, of course with the blessings of the almighty. And what pisses me off is the way I am taking things forward.

The world is increasingly getting flattened, but I am sitting here without even acknowledging it. Stock markets are dancing to the madness of people but I choose not to bother. There are forces and opportunities everywhere. Only that my head is not waking up. There was a time when raw power ruled. When the only ingredient to success in life was either your heredity or your muscle power; but today, ideas can revolutionize things. And now that the economies all over have taken a correction from the absurd growth rates, sanity should prevail and opportunities will be galore. Like what air Deccan chief said, recession is the best time to get things started.

In the new world with google and amazon and e-bay, things should not be hard to find or buy. It's just a click away. The right amount of thinking should take us places. And if you are reading this, I believe you also have it in you to make a difference to your life. To take advantage of it is well within our control. To execute it to perfection will depend on our passion and our own desire to experience success.

Let's toast it that then. To success in all forms of life: D

Now, I feel slightly better as well… and the clock has just struck 2. I'll go and get some sleep now.

Marriage and Love

2009-05-09T13:42:00.001+05:30

I was talking with my friend a few days back and he brought my attention to the nuances of arranged marriage nowadays. Back in my native, it starts off with the background check. Phone calls and requests; house going and enquiries; then the girl's family almost always have to take the lead. They will start off with a visit to the lad's house. Once there, they'll start off with tracing the ancestral roots like as though trying to find the common link. And then the humble proposal; if all goes well, the girl's photo is left for the boy's perusal. He is supposed to have a good look at it, and then meet her once, and then take a final call.

Amazing na… well if you see, this actually is what happens most of the time and it doesn't cause much confusion as well. Now let's look at the other alternative. The usual love stories; I just want to share my thought on this whole lovers and love story thingy.

To start with, one of the problems with lovers is that most of them get lost into a surreal world. Their thinking gets very much confined to the spaces between themselves. I am of course not generalizing but with whoever I've seen, the vast majority of them are lost in their loving world for quite some time. And during this time, they somehow lose the big picture of life. The focus becomes on getting their love working, on their intimate issues and on and on. And once the complications start, it becomes all too muddy. And when it goes to heights like, either her or no one, it gets absurd. I mean, you could have n number of reasons for being happy with one person, but that definitely should not be an overriding reason to kill your life as such. It's not like you were born with the other person in your life. And all these movies and stuff, always treats the parents as the villains. And life gets happy only if you get your partner else it's supposed to unsuccessful and what not! Crazy I tell you;

But then I must admit I've seen mature people as well, who knows how to take care of relationships. Taking it the way it should be taken. As being part of their life, but not their entire life; not like one reason to completely disengage them from life. And with all the celluloid hype, the idea that love should come first and love is too pure and all that have come to acquire wrong meanings. I mean, love is not something only between partners. It is a far more superior concept. Part of our love should go to our partners but if that becomes reason for us to hate love itself, then the entire purpose of it is lost. This is just one way of how people lose focus.

Reminds me of a beautiful story I read in my company BB some time back. It was about a woman who was denied her lover. The usual father was not willing, so child marries someone else story. It was beautifully narrated to show that life goes on in all cases. Our memories will no doubt stay with us. Perhaps, it will bring in us a tinge of hurt every time we think of it. But newer things should come by in our life and we should be able to grow with it. Staying with our past only results in derailing our own lives;

Coming back to where we started, love stories could definitely be another viable alternative. But the problem nowadays is to get the right story: P

Brotherhood

2009-04-29T21:57:00.001+05:30

You call me your friend, yet you befriend me not;

You say I am like you, but you don't treat me like one;

We didn't come through the same womb, but we share many a things

In between us, we are not very different

Our origin and start are one and the same;

Still you treat me different;

The blood in ours, though similar in color

Are world apart when it reaches our heads;

When a word reaches us, it assumes not the same meaning;

You look upon it with your biased eye;

Not listening to your origins, not heeding to your thoughts.

You act in haste and make me the culprit.

Weren't we the same? Supporting each other?

How easily you forget the days of past;

The space between us suddenly grows.

The world of ours becomes polluted and corrupt;

But you choose not to bother.

I plead my innocence,

Asking you to lend me your ears;

Though you hear, you act deaf;

Though you see, you seem blind;

All of past matters not to you;

What of our friendship? What of our brotherhood?

Didn't we speak to the wind in euphoric tones?

We did even the kiss the sand with the same prayers!

How easily you forget?

You hurt me, not by your deed

But by your indifference

The love and care, which you showed

You make it seem all cruel

Why break my heart brother

Rather kill me as such

Why this torment?

Need I survive to witness this?

Lo! This world is not pure

Of this I am sure

For if it can't safeguard the purity of two brothers

Nothing more can it do to save the others!

Valiant Fight

2009-04-23T20:49:00.001+05:30

How do you feel when you miss out on something you so really wanted? When life denies you another chance to attain those epochal levels of happiness? That feeling of lowliness, that state of dullness… That's how I feel now. CSK just lost to DDD. Their third match this IPL. A nail biting match indeed; it started off dramatically with the most famed openers perishing in successive overs. The Sehwag-Gambhir pair, the best opening pair in present day cricket put up 0 runs between them. The first ball of the match sent Gambhir to the stands. A restless Sehwag soon followed. That's when you thought it was all going Chennai's way. But lo! That was not to be. First Dilshan smacks the ball all around the ground, keeping the run rate steadily at 9 an over. And when Raina took a brilliant catch to end his innings, one thought peace would prevail. Alas, that was not to be. A.B had some other plans. He started off slowly, cashing in on his quick running and converting all singles to doubles. And his innings should have ended at half his total but for the sitter that Morkel dropped. A straight ball into his hands at long on; All he had to do was clasp his hands around the ball. But well, things do happen and that could have well been the Citi moment of 'failure'. A.B went on to score his first IPL century, and the first for this season as well and with that he took the dare devil's to 189. Only Balaji came up good with the ball for CSK, giving away just 19 off his allotted 4 overs and picking up three wickets as well.

A target of 190, requiring you to chase at 9.5 an over was always huge. But with the explosive batting line up like that of Chennai, it was well within the realms of possibility. And the big man of Aussie just proved a point. Allowing his willow to thrash the leather all around the ground, he was looking every bit devastating. Bagging the orange cap again, he raced to his 3^rd IPL fifty in style. With a man like him, you don't worry about the runs. You just pray for him to be on song, the music doesn't matter. Sivamani was beating all he could, but nothing matched this man's thrashings. Patel gave him good support at the other end as well. Soon, the young Sangwan emerged to dismiss Patel. No problems still, for our run rate was far ahead of the asking rate, which was close to 8 now. By the time the strategic break came, we were cruising at 108. Needing only 82 in the next 10 with Mr. Big Man on the field, I for one thought we would easily make it. Perhaps even finish it an over ahead: D. But then cricket is not so predictable. Hayden was gone and in came Freddy. The big man did some good hitting but soon perished. In walked the Captain. He and Raina were doing a fair job. Still going smooth with the asking rate hovering around 8; but then the game soon took some twists. With Dhoni and Raina leaving, it was left to Morkel to finish. But alas, that Sangwan fella was doing a brilliant job today. And of course not to forget Vettori – who as usual displayed his class. What a reliable bowler is he? Keeps you deceived in flight and pace. He finished with amazing figures – 2 for 29 in his four overs; soon, the match which began with an asking rate of 9.5, and which had gone down to 8, climbed up to 10, then 11 and finally to 15 in the last over.

But wait, the penultimate over was where I thought we lost the match. Gony comes in smacks a six of his very first ball. This was the second last ball of the over. That was also the last over of Vettori. Badrinath had just perished trying to go over the top. The lad from Punjab showed his power by dismissing the ball to the stands with immaculate ease. And the last ball, he hits it to Sehwag at covers. A mix up between him and Morkel denied him a second or two which cost him his wicket and Vettori plucked the stumps off in style. This was a double blow; Denying Morkel the strike in the last over as well as not putting up a run on the board. In situations like this, every run matters.

The last man in was Joginder; and the bowler Nannes – the fiery Australian. First ball – wide off the stumps; Joginder stretches forth his bat. The ball stays in the air for a long time confusing all the viewers for a while. It just falls a few feet before the boundary ropes. Gambhir can't reach it but the ball doesn't pace towards the ropes as well. The batsmen run two. Bringing Joginder again on strike; 13 off 5 balls; this time he hits between mid wicket and mid on. Another two is the result; denying Morkel yet another chance. The third ball- Joginder hits it straight to the fielder but runs to get Morkel on strike. Obviously he is run out but more importantly brings Morkel to strike. 3 balls and 11 runs; Balaji comes in. Nannes to Morkel; bangs in but straight to the fielder. Could only result in a single so Morkel doesn't run but Balaji does and he is gone. 2 balls 11 runs. This time Morkel tries again to put it out of the ground but fails , takes a single. Last ball yields no run. End of Match;

After all the twists and turns, Chennai still stands fourth with two losses out of their three matches. But they did put up a fight today. I sure hope they'll bounce back and come back to grab the trophy.

Change- The only true constant

2009-04-12T23:17:00.000+05:30

A couple of months back, I so vividly remember my manager calling me and a bunch of guys with a wide smile on his bright face. “Check this out guys, this is so really kool” That’s how he began. He had a screen from google in front of him which was asking the question “did u mean infosys hiring?” when you actually typed in “infosys firing” :P.

And with this post, you can very well guess why those memories came rushing back: D… Oh yeah, it’s real… The once proclaimed Government Company has started throwing away its most precious asset – its prized resources. It had to happen I guess; for how long can one remain insulated from the whole turmoil. And the current crisis being what is, it would only be a surprise if people were not thrown out. Reorganization and revamping, lots of stuff happening. And in these changing times, I am sure there would be no dearth of opportunities. It’s only in times of need that we stand the most to gain. As they say, necessity is what drives people the most towards their goals.

Now, I wouldn’t want to comment on any policy related things here; that’s beyond the scope of this blog. My purpose rather is to spell my annoyance at the way things are done.

To start with, there is a maddening haste into getting fresh new heads. Not the slightest of effort is taken to filter the entrants based on their interest or goals or even their software abilities. Frankly, I am baffled at the way talents were scouted at first. You can’t really blame these I.T companies in a way coz all they wanted were heads who sailed through a requisite years in educational institutions so as to leverage that to gain entry into the prized servicing sector of economies across the pacific. This was of course smart business. And the whole pricing model and the working style was simply amazing. Friedman was so bowled over by it, that he wrote an entire book on the flattening of the world. And by the way, that book I feel is a must read for anyone working in collaboration with the global economy. Now, if not for this entire crisis, nothing would have stopped the I.T bandwagon. They would have simply gone about recruiting like mad, getting more and more hands key in or stare endlessly into that ever ubiquitous machine. Only that between attending calls and fixing bugs, many lives gets destroyed.

Almost everybody enters this field for one reason; for want of employment but most importantly the irresistible allurement of the six figure sum getting wired into your account. I haven’t met many who have chosen this industry out of pure interest or absolute passion. It’s hard to, coz what you expect may never come your way here. It’s a complex maze out there. Confused people coming to you for solutions, a perplexed you offering him the solution, they coming back to you again for change in that, you going back to work a way out, they coming back again, you doing it over again – at times if feels as though the vicious cycle will never end.

Well, if I had to go on about the perils of the industry, I might just go on and on but how much can I blame about my bread provider. And I.T is, I believe the most optimal solution to many a problem. Let’s suffice to say that its high time people realized what they really want to do with life. Careers need to attain newer dimension. Education has to gain fresh meaning. Not a sixth standard kid running his ass over some coaching classes to finally make it into genetic engineering and then end up inserting bugs into codes written for unknown clients.

A wake up call – that’s how I feel the current situation is. For everybody; for employers and employees alike; hopefully this will get us up and thinking about our own selves.

Beauty

2009-04-03T22:38:00.001+05:30

Emblem of peace,

Spark of joy,

Layers of warmth,

Cushions of milieu;

Signature of poise,

Surrounded by balm,

Of infinite charm,

And abundant grace;

As a bottomless well,

Filled with merry;

Like herds and flocks,

Obeying their masters;

Serene yet powerful,

Fragile but bold;

Heralding to the crowd,

In jubilant mould;

Sands and grains,

All dance in flurry;

Glimpses and trails,

Unattended and tethered;

Feathery cry,

In mellowed tones;

Oh, what sight,

Heavenly might,

To please and tease,

Countless eyes;

And mindless souls,

Relishing the treat,

Ravishing the feast;

All made possible,

With divine ordainment;

I bow my head,

To you in humility;

For the creator of such,

Demands that much!!!

Finally connected

2009-03-28T22:20:00.000+05:30

Finally, I have a net connection at home... Phew!!!
A mission accomplished considering all the ordeal I had to go through to get one... I know none of you'll believe that I had to actually wait so long to get a basic internet connection.... Sadly that's how it's been... I already had a post on a one episode.... I don't want to have any more of it now... Hopefully, this one will stay. It's looking good as of now and hopefully will remain as such..
Now, I can do all that I've really wanted to all these days....
To start with, I do hope I can blog more regularly and catch up on all those blogs I've missed all these days...
And Noor, if you are reading this, I would need your help soon... Expect a mail from me :)

Passion of life

2009-03-03T17:07:00.000+05:30

Speak to me, be not mute
Enliven me, desert me not!
Blow toward me, as you ought
Stay with me, like you’re wont

You it is, I crave for. You who are, I live for.
A life without you, I cannot think
Oh! This soul cannot be without you
You are its life, flesh and all else

Your touch, brings in shine
Lighting, all of mine!
Thy sound with its myriad tunes
Makes me cross varied dunes

Bleating and whining I cry out aloud
All of me is hurt and wound,
So abrupt and sudden, you vanish midway
Leaving me dull in a state so bad;

Care for me; I shall harm you not
Reside with me, I’ll keep you sound
The wrong I did, I realize now
No more of it, I take my vow

You are my meaning, to keep me alive
My reason, my rationale, my joy and my drive
Like you, none can be
For all sense fails in your absence

Oh lord! Blessed and bountiful
Leave me not hollow, let me not to wander
Cease me as such; let me not live so much
But deny me not my passion.

That is all I have, to boast and post
To folks and paper, as most
As possibility helps; let me too live
In hope and fruition

The purpose of life, I shall let known through it
The glory of you, I shall let known through it
To air and soil, I shall speak with delight
Of having gained it, post a winning fight

To you my love

2009-02-26T17:54:00.000+05:30

I only ask to see your face. To soothe my eyes and cool my sight. I don’t ask for more. Not from you at least. Whenever I see you, I sense peace. I feel my inner self and a glow from within. What is it with you, I don't know. You intrigue me. I know you can't be mine yet I seek you. I crave for your attention. I yearn for you.
To steal a glance of you, anything can be risked. No price would be too high to gain that privilege.
In you lie the spirits of warmth; the essence of calm. And the sea of tranquility does come to your shore. Shades of hue and crimson, you personify beauty in all dimension.
I don't want anything from you. I only ask of your majesty to let me onto you - through my senses, of sight and hearing, I want to discover joy, experience it and immerse in it. I want to be able, to conquer the pinnacles of gladness. I want for me to rest, in eternal gayness and life, after shying at you. I want for myself to attain this state.
That gait of yours, you flout it to perfection. In serenity you celebrate your smile. And radiance you spread with every step of your life. How many have you deprived - have you any clue? So many turned despondent - are you even aware? Not your fault, but you are the cause.
It is not I, as much as my eyes, who beseech you. Amidst crowds and amongst throngs of people- varied and diverse, he looks out for you. I don't know what spell, or charm, that you've cast. Your presence he feels even before the rays of light pave way for him. I and my eye, dance in resonance at your will and power, for their end and goal seems to have got hopelessly intertwined.
The air you carry the ground you cover and the wind you kiss - they are not only yours. They are as much mine as yours. You have no right over it nor any command. Your will, you may assert, but only to an extent, for I too caress the same wind and air. I too pace the same ground.
So what if you're not mine. I can hold you and sway you. Though unseen, you form a thousand shapes in my arm. And a day I will, in full daylight, carry you. Your body I shall feel against mine, your cheek, I shall wet and your hazel blue ocean, lying beneath those lovely curves, formed along that sleek and tender flesh of yours, will reflect me.
As you age my love, I shall wait and witness you glow to blossom in wholesome purity. I shall watch you fall every time you try to trod and every time you let your voice out, in dismay and pain, I will, to the best of me, try and shun your worry, and lift you into air, to let you experience the life that awaits you!!!

Reflections of a saddened heart

2009-01-16T11:36:00.000+05:30

My faith teaches me a story. It’s about the very first fight that happened on the face of this planet. It was between two brothers born out of the same womb.

One was not pleased with the bounty bestowed upon the other and so he took out his anger on him. The result was the survival of only one. At the end of the fight, the surviving brother was covered with remorse and regret; so much so that he started cursing himself for his deed and he didn’t even know what to do with the dead corpse lying in front of him.

We’ve come a long way from there. Reasons have multiplied and our own desires have lost all limits. Human life lost its worth in its entirety. In the name of war, we spilt blood and blew heads. Killing became a way of proving ones own virility and the most respected one was the most prudent one – in taking lives that is. Heroes were born and characters sketched. Poets wrote them odes and artists painted them in immortality. Leaders and Kings were their names. Only time bore testimony to the lives lost and buried deep beneath.

Then we progressed or so we thought. We came off ages and sought for ourselves our territories and boundaries. Men learnt words and thought to have gained wisdom deprived to those before. He made rules and framed constitutions. The offenders were to be punished and reformed. Societies took shape and civilization further flourished. Attention turned to science and technology. Laboratories and experimentation gave the world newer things. We prided over the latest inventions and danced in its glory.

But not an iota of change did all of the revolution do to the soul residing beneath the fleshes. For whatever advancements we may claim to have made, our vices continue to negate them refusing to lend it any true meaning. Even today, we continue to fight succumbing to our animal nature just like the two brothers.

Only that we don’t even realize our folly at the end of it for we think we have succeeded by causing the end of lives which we detest. No feeling of remorse resides in us any more. No guilt or sadness ever accompanies us. We have truly assailed over the walls of impregnability and achieved what none of our forefathers have - the ability to turn blind and deaf towards evil wholesomely without the slightest of hurt showing in us.

Be it Gaza or be it Mumbai, human lives have been treated like worthless sacks. Bombarding and bombing at their will, insanity seems to have taken over all sense.

Towards a better tomorrow

2009-01-06T14:37:00.000+05:30

Just read “A Renaissance of the Indian Institutes of Technology” from The Hindu. If you missed out on reading it, read it here. It is a brilliant article analyzing and exploring the way forward for this country.

The whole piece is centered on one primary theme -

“Civilizations rose when "creative minorities” devised solutions to reorient an entire society in response to extreme physical or social challenges” – the conclusion drawn by Arnold J. Toynbee in his 12-volume treatise on the rise and fall of civilizations (A Study of History, 1934-1961);

The author, an IITan himself makes a case for the IITians to don the role of the creative minorities and outlines a whole range of ideas to go about it. From revamping the present admission models to restructuring the curricula to enhancing the educational environment he makes an in depth analysis of the various flaws currently inhabiting the system and proposes some novel ideas to go about in dealing with them.

What I most liked about it was the points he put forth in dealing with the urban slum dwellers apart from the poor. It was not until I read books like, Shantaram and City of joy, that my outlook on the slums changed. The amateurish mind that I had, I used to think the only way forward for urban development was outright eradication of the slums. I viewed them with a certain disgust and repulsion. And it used to be the single most parameter with which I evaluated the city development. A developed city in my mind was one where there were only neat buildings and tidy roads, with no one dirtying the rivers and living by its shores. The only way I saw it then was to have the slum dwellers relocated.

After reading those books, my entire perception on slums changed. Though I still don’t have first hand experience of visiting any slums, my views radically changed. I can now better empathize with them and am in a better position to understand why they can’t remove slums all of a sudden. That’s where the heart of the city is. That is where if any, you can see some selfless acts of people; where you get to experience love in wholesome purity for there is nothing anybody can gain out of anybody there. They are a deprived lot in terms of riches but in terms of humaneness, they are very rich. The unity they display at times of calamities is truly amazing.

If we have to help them in some way, then it is first to better their living conditions. And that need not always be a complete relocation. It could also be by modifying the existing one. If we can address their existing concerns on a priority basis, at least the most basic ones – that would be of great service to them. The first and foremost area of concern would be sanitation. This is their primary curse. Living on polluted water and ill possessed to get clean water, they become easy targets for all sorts of diseases.

The article pitches for innovative tools and methods to raise the standards and living conditions of the poor. And it also talks about developing methods to improve the hygienic conditions of slums as well. If implemented, I am sure this will bring about a world of a difference to the slum dwellers all over. Like MIT which as they have rightly said in their website, “... Has a long tradition of working on practical problems affecting the society and the economy”, it’s time our academia too brought forth such practices into being. And the creative minorities need not be confined to the IITs alone. I am sure there are equally, if not more, bright minds else where as well. It is only the initial push that is missing.

Freedom

2008-12-03T18:02:00.001+05:30

Will not the world ever set me free?
Like the bird flying with wings outstretched!
As the river flowing with effortless ease!
Like the wind blowing with absolute calm!
As the rain falling with gracious charm!

Will not the world ever let me live?
The life I want and the life I cherish!
The dreams I dream and the dreams I love!
The joys I treasure and the joys which doth not perish!
The desires I breed and the desires in cove!

Why can’t I live my life as I will?
Like every free born soul in space!
As every child born afresh and anew!
Like the masters not trapped in any maze!
As the warriors living in their untouched milieu!

Why can’t I find my own path?
Like the pilgrim with no doubt!
As the sailor sailing without any help!
Like the leader following his gut!
As the lover unaware of upcoming mishap!

Why not I live for myself?
Not following the endless words!
Of advice and guidance, from mindless minds!
Rather seeking the pleasure of the one that matters,
Bringing in peace and joy to last for endless worlds!

My Love

2008-11-05T09:03:00.000+05:30

I was in love with her. Even before I realized it, I had completely surrendered to her. She had a strange grip on me - a sort of possessiveness which was enslaving me to her. It happened so naturally that I didn’t even know when I made the decision. It was as though it was made much before.
She is both soft and sweet. Her softness making me warm and comfortable while her sweetness causing me to melt into her arms. We shared a special bond yet not many words were exchanged between us. It was as though words and emotions meant little to us. Our relationship was above all such trivia.
Her nature was so tranquil that my emotions gave in to her with ease and pleasure. All my worries would vanish in front of her. It was as though she and worry would not co-exist. At times of trouble, she is my ultimate resort-the keeper of my secrets and the comforter of my soul.
She could read my mind with magical ease and she had a way to put me at peace. When I am with her, I forget myself and I begin to discover a new and beautiful world. Everything else would cease to exist. It’s just me and her – in our own sweet world. Her beauty is so timeless that days and nights mattered little to her. Though at nights, her beauty appeared many a time magnified, she was no less beautiful during the daytime.
She is at her best when she scales those epochal heights making you desperate and restless to be in communion with her. And if it’s after a cold shower at the end of a tiresome day, then nothing like that. Those are the moments when I truly appreciate life ‘coz when I dive into her with all my might, I rest in peace forgetting the world and all it’s existence.
I can’t think of a life without her. I can’t imagine a life of an insomniac…
Nothing like sleep in this world!!! My true love…

A silent cry

2008-10-24T19:43:00.000+05:30

Her eyes, craving for attention

And lips, dried and torn

Her throat longing to mention

Syllables of pain yet not known

Her skin bleeding to the sun

And bones deprived of flesh

Crying in unison

To those around in her mesh

I could hear her cry

Though feeble and silent

It made me still and wry

And search for my soul, which life had lent

I could feel her agony

Her despair and struggle

It made me coy

Of my own little joy

Clothed in opulence and seated in luxury

But for the glass which kept us apart

I was amidst that misery

With moist eyes buried in guilt

Seated helplessly, filled with mar

In the plush clean leather

And comfort of my car

All I was able was to shed a tear

The girl beside was none to me

One amongst the millions

She would eventually be

Forgotten in the billions

But I and you can, should we care to

Stop such cries, though not entirely

At least in bits as will can take as through

Erase those voices in plenty and plenty

My journey to get a net connection

2008-10-17T16:47:00.000+05:30

“That’s it, no more delays”, said my roomie. It was three months since we moved in and we still didn’t have a net connection at home. Every weekend we would simply tinker around the idea and leave it at that. We were staying in Chennai – the land of SEZs flooded with software companies and each of us was among the so called techies of the city. Sadly for us, we didn’t have the liberty to even check our mails. All around us were computers but nothing of our interest could be done with them.
So we decided enough was enough. After having explored all the democratic options around us (the various private companies), we decided to go after our very own bsnl – Our desi reliable company – where cost meets the needy. Off we went in search of the Bsnl office. Now, I must say, though I stay in Chennai, this part of the city is yet to grow up. With a couple of townships and SEZs around, it’s surely catching up, but not just yet. It took us nearly half an hour to locate this gem of an office. Whoever we ask would only show us a straight hand saying its right there. After doing a couple of rounds of a couple of 50m stretches of road, we finally found it. The way people around directed us, we thought we would never miss it – “At the end of the road, you’ll find that big building.” Now the word big obviously was relative and we took a beating here.
Anyways, finally we found it. A two storey building with a small placard hanging on one side -“BSNL office”; finally, we are going to have our broadband connection.. After the usual wait and queries before a government office, we are done with the formalities. Apparently, we could not get broadband as that facility stops right before our street. So we had to settle for a WLL connection which the guy assured us would provide us with speed upwards of 144kbps and it would easily touch 200kbps. Unlimited, he said. Now that really cheered us up; whatever the speed, we can simply keep it on download and go, what the hek; still a good deal we thought. Now came the first catch, we can’t pay the bill there. We were supposed to pay at the post office. They wouldn’t accept any of our bills. Everything had to be rooted through the post office. Talk of promoting sister concerns!
We were just about to leave when the gentleman officer asked for his processing fee which obviously was off the record. You can call me and give me the receipt number once you pay the bill; he declared, making his intentions very clear. All right, at least we get the work done we thought. How long does this take sir? I asked before leaving. A week, at the max 10 days sir, came the prompt reply. “Wow”, we thought to ourselves. These government agencies are really catching up huh!! Progress we thought…
Now, after we pay the bill, we keep calling our gentleman officer but now he can’t quite remember his processing fee. He wants the receipt hand delivered. The next weekend, we hand him the receipt. How much longer sir? A week, at the max 10 days sir, says the fainted voice. So you haven’t even started moving in our direction? “How can I without your bill.” Yah right, like as though this was the oxygen for that.
Anyhow, we got a hold of our patience. At least we’ll have a connection in a fortnight.
One week past, two, three and then a month; no sign of our connection; all this while we make continuous calls to the office and each time we call, the first time we’ll be welcomed with a big “vanakkam” and a hello. “We’ll get back to you sir” or “I’ll call you back sir” would be their only response.
Finally, one Saturday the voice at the other end assures us that today would be the last day of our wait. She gives us a number and reassures us that a person would come before dusk. Sure enough, a man along with two of his assistants walks into our house in the evening. Finally, we’ll have our connection from today. But lo, the man had other plans. He comes with a big box in his hand. And after coming, he opens the box as thought it was some treasure and takes out the priced device out of it. “This is your phone” he announces. “We only need your password now. I’ll get that tomorrow so will come and fix it the next day”, he says. Now, what the hek, he actually had to come all the way merely to give us the dumb phone!!! Not quite coz before he leaves he clears all confusion. “Sir, do you want to help these boys out. Would you like to give them something?” Now whom he was referring to as boys was two lads sticking around him. Hoping that at least he would get the job done fast, we give him a 100. “Thank you sir. Tomorrow for sure.” That was when we last got to see of him.
Now we are actually waiting for the password. The old exercise of trying the bsnl no: continues. Again we have the same old lady welcoming us with a big hello but this time around once she learns of our identity she makes no mistake and does not get anywhere e close to the phone after that. Finally after some relentless tries, we get her. Mam, can we have the password pls? “Well.. I am trying to contact pondicherry for that. It’s still not ready. I’ll call you as soon as it’s done.” Lest you get confused, we are talking about a simple password to log in here. The password had to come all the way from Pondicherry!!! Phew!! So much for development!!!
Now after a good no: of weeks of continuous pestering, we get the password. And no prize for guessing - It’s our telephone no:. :D. She needed a month’s time to figure this out…
Okay, at least today we have our connection – we say to ourselves. We come home early to check out our new connection. Username, Password and then connect now. Connecting, verifying…. Connection established. Hurray! We finally have our own connection. Oh oh! Wait a minute. We don’t have the pages opening. We take it easy and start waiting. After a long wait, we get the window. The google window takes a couple of mintues (read as quarter of an hour) to logon. Don’t even think of the rest.
Mind you, we’ve been provided with high speed Unlimited Internet Connection.
Now, we have a phone and a connection which makes it impossible for you to surf.
So much for India’s IT revolution…. Just to remind you, we were supposed to get the whole thing done in a week’s time… BSNL – truly a Government office….

To Friendship....

2008-09-30T23:47:00.000+05:30

Amazing how we become friends... I was just thinking about this - the way we end up becoming friends that is... Out of nowhere, we suddenly meet up and then somehow we get some mundane conversation going between us and then before long, we have an understanding of each other. Somehow, our souls understand each other. It's like some silent understanding that has reached between us...

And the time before we met up just doesnt matter. It maybe that we were stayign two blocks apart or perhaps studied in the same college. But it's only when the decided day comes, that we get our lives entangled. We start appreaciating each other's concerns and become sesitive toward's our needs. There is that vicarious feeling that develops between us. Not that we start residing in the other, but just that there is an urge to help the other. At times of need and want, we are there sorting out the problem between ourselves...

Strange is the way of the world, coz sometimes this very bond can be a reason for trouble. Like they say, every thing has a boundary line which should not be crossed. And the hurt and anxiety which comes with crossing this boundary line is sometimes unbearable. In this case more coz it hits us straight at our heart. Its like trouble coming from the least expected quarter. That's why they say the wounds caused by friendship are alwasy hard to heal.

But then true friendship should never bring it to this. An honest bond will only grow stronger, gradually maturing with age and acquiring a state of permanence in our hearts wherein even though we are not together we recite a silent prayer for our loved ones and even though we may no longer see each other, we have a space in our memory kept apart for them. When out of nowhere, you see that age old buddy of yours, and you have your eyes become moist and heart become tender - that's what i call the true joy of friendship.

We don't have any promises to keep, nor any obligations between us... but then like i said, there's somehow a silent understanding reached which unites our hearts and lets us enjoy one of the pleasures of life.

Manless Men

2008-09-13T23:32:00.000+05:30

Imbeciles, toothless morons, cowards -that’s what they are. A bunch of brainless bozos roaming around in our land insulting our species and mocking at our very existence; they are the least bit morose about their stupendous deeds and so grossly unperturbed by their produced effects that you become increasingly doubtful of their true origin, for mankind in its true form, the way nature has set it, can never commit itself to such brashness.

Whom am I referring to?? To all those newly wedded grooms who silence their own voice (I don’t think they have any though) and give tacit approval to their parents to unfold their cheap acts on their daughter in laws; Dowry as such is a social evil and I don’t wish to delve on that now, rather my focus will only be on those species of masculine genders (which btw, I do not think they are) who go about nodding their head to be a part of the act. The response most often meted out is- I really don’t worry about all these... It’s only my parents. Let’s really leave these matters to our parents. Well, I can’t really oppose my parents. And what not!!!

Parents are the most deserving of our respect. It is their right to be enveloped in kindness and to be obeyed to. But then, each of us as individuals should know where to draw the line when it stretches too far. The basic insight to judge the right from the wrong (at the very basic level at least) is something we all poses inherently by virtue of us being human. The moment we lose hold of this fundamental trait, we might as well hang our heads and cease to exist.

Why all this drooling?? Well… we’ve known all the while of the saas-bahu funda. Indian women have forever been tortured and we have no dearth of serials to showcase this very absurdity. But, it’s only when it strikes you personally, that you feel the pain. And to actually have it coming from someone of my profession – an educated well bred lad calling himself an engineer and proudly working in an MNC- it disgusts me. It freaks me out to hear that someone in today’s world with the sense to wear designer dresses and keep in company the latest gizmos should in the least bit be involved in such egregious musings. How could you be a different person at the bedroom and a completely different one in the living room? How can one stoop to such low levels so as to not recognize another individual as worth his own self? How can one after tying the nuptial knot be so abrasively aloof to the realities the relationship beckons? How can someone simply refuse to acknowledge torture when it is unfolded in front of his own eyes?

This brings us to another question. Is money the mother of all evils? Is the monetary value so highly priced so as to wipe out every recognizable human trait out of an individual? And how much is really much? For if a man adorning himself with Armani and gazing through the lens of police and yet to be bent on realizing more wealth through his relationship, then there must indeed be a disease within him. Worse still if he is merely going to be dictated through the whole thing, like we have in some cases where we see the guy and he seems the most decent of all. His walk and talk giving you not the slightest hint of any such acerbity. You naturally get carried away. But then when he comes into contact with his masters, he turns into a brainless slave only able to follow the fingers shown towards him.

How could one exist in such state? What virility can that man boast of? What pride? What honor? Such despicable people nay, such abhorrent creatures!!! Oh God, why did you have to fill this land with such? At least why make them human??

The real Brain Drain

2008-07-07T13:17:00.000+05:30

Hire them young and hire them all – this has been the common tag line of some of India’s leading software companies. And so, I am here, sitting comfortably inside a mammoth glass and steel structure staring straight into the flat screen in front of me all day along only because at the end of every month, not a day before or after, my account will be credited with a bunch of notes.
So, what is wrong in providing employment to the youth? Isn’t this supposed to be a sign of a nation’s development? Isn’t it the way to prosperity?
Before we answer those questions, let’s look at some issues involved here.
To start with, there is a problem with the designation- Software engineer. This is very misleading, coz we are not doing anything related to engineering here. All we do day in and out is sit and code, worse still – we detect errors in codes or probably monitor the smooth flow of codes. Now the so called software engineers are churned out by the plethora of private engineering colleges spread across our country. Of late we have seen a surge in the number of such private colleges and students opting for engineering as well. Ask any of these so called techies as to why they opted for the degree and you are most likely going to receive a mundane answer – some as blasphemous as “coz the name engineering sounds good”.
And why is this happening? Obviously the greatest incentive to the whole madness would be the fat pay check that these graduates are offered by the new wave of IT companies. Nothing bad about it except that the jobs they offer does in now way require any lofty degree. Most of the time, it’s only documentation work (read as typing work) which any tom, dick and harry can do. How much does one have to study to actually be able to design html pages – that is to say place the buttons at this end and that end? True it does involve time and effort, but to say that this requires an engineering degree would be preposterous. But then there are jobs that do require thinking and brain working – sadly those kind of work are not in plenty. The bulk of the work is always the little menial work which obviously needs time and effort but in no way warrants any special talent. And what makes it worse is that most of these companies will have no mechanisms to actually channelize talent. For all you know a brilliant coder would be sitting idle doing nothing or some trivial job and yet another guy least interested in the work would be assigned to it. And he obviously will get it done, coz as I said, you don’t really need to have great talent to do those jobs but then the quality would obviously be low when compared to that brilliant coder sitting idle there.
Here is where the problem lies. Not long back, we were talking about brain drain. It was about Indian brains being utilized for non-Indian companies, of course in their lands and thus it was perceived that we were losing out on our precious talents. Worse, we had resources trained using the tax payer’s money not bringing in any bit of revenue to our country. On the contrary, they were bringing in all the riches to other nations. A nayar or Joseph going to states was looked down as something treacherous coz they were denying us of their brain.
But today, we have a different kind of a situation wherein the raju or Jacob is very much there in India. Working here and living here but doing something completely uninteresting and less satisfying. We Indians have always been low on confidence and perhaps that’s why we have been stressing on job security as our primary concern with our employer. During the time of our parent’s it was Government jobs that people were looking forward to. And today it has been replaced with the I.T companies. True, they are providing jobs and they are generating money, but if we look at the larger picture we are only being our own nemesis by resorting to something that is underutilizing our abilities.
Now – this is what I call the new age brain drain – not about our talents being getting used up elsewhere but rather our very own talents suffering right in our land doing nothing but acutely damage their thinking cells.
My target is not the I.T companies. My target is not the bigger MNC’s who outsource this work as well. I am targeting the plethora of college goers who are least worried about what they do to their life. In the name of job, they are ready to accept anything that comes their way without making the slightest of effort to search for one (me included). They are content with the 6 digit figures affixed at the end of a bond paper. Unwilling to think beyond in life, they end up ruining or rather destroying their life doing nothing useful in life.
What say?? Did I strike a chord anywhere??

Hope or Hopelessness

2008-07-07T13:12:00.000+05:30

One of our honorable union minister wants section 377 of the Indian Penal Code to go. This will pave way for some hope. – A gist of a news item on Economic times today (2nd July 2008)
To all of you, who are wondering about the code and hope, fasten your seat belts for some thrilling news.
Homosexuality is going to be legal in our country. Section 377 is what makes it a crime. Remove that and we will have the independence and freedom to choose our sexual orientation in our own way. No more chains for having sex with your own sex.
Cheers!!!
Now, why did the minister suggest the same? Coz this practice is causing a surge in the number of HIV positive cases and this is a growing concern which the government wants to address. So as to reduce the HIV cases, they want to promote a healthier environment for conducting such practises.
This is what they call as hope… Now I am not sure if they confused it with the word hopelessness… Frankly, news like these serves as strong admonishments for people like me. These are indications (rather strong one) that as the days and years pass, many a technological advancements will be made, but our own conscience will only take a dip.

A note to all free thinkers supporting the move – I am not at all sorry If I offended you and yeah, you are at your own liberty to choose what you want with your organs but a mere thought as to why they are in place might help… Just Might…

the future of our country

2008-06-02T09:53:00.000+05:30

Computer – read the name of the subject and I was staring at the name in absolute wonder. This was one of the subjects my cousin had to learn. Now learning about computers is definitely good but to thrust in into the minds of children at the tender age of five – that definitely can’t be good. Agreed, our’s is a land of computer prodigies. We can boast of children who can send e-mails at the age of 5 but then, to want every child of 5 to learn computers would be madness. My cousin could hardly pronounce the word computer and now she has to memorize all the accessories associated with computer as well. She is being taught that the CPU is the brain of the computer when her own brain can hardly comprehend the very function of the organ brain. Every day she has to carry more than a dozen load of books. She bears all the pain in silence unable to lent voice to the aching cry of her shoulders. What crime has she committed so as to be punished like this?
School, she is taught is the place where children go to learn. And good children always get good marks. Right form the start, a child is poisoned with this thought. Now, when she can hardly understand what keyboard and CPU is, all she can do to score marks is memorize the answers in her book through constant repetition. Her teacher tells her to write and learn and feeds her with pages of homework so as to assist her to do the same. As a child grows big, he/she carries with him/her this draconian trait which they were forced to acquire – that of memorizing answers with little understanding.
Now, this is a classic example of nurturing a system with ingrained evil and then running pillar to post to devise ways to fight the same evil. Well… to be honest, nobody is worried about it. The usual attitude is – I did it and so can my child.
It doesn’t make any sense to study in school now. Think about it- how much do you remember of your primary and secondary classes apart from the fact that you had exams regularly and your parents did want marks on the paper.
True, we do have private schools coming up now which focusses on other aspects of a child’s development, but what about the vast majority who are forced to depend on the rotten system? They say indian students are smart but you don’t see many indian names when it comes to research. Now, don’t raise a hue and cry saying NASA has 40 % indians and intel has so much % indians. They all do then why can’t NASA and intel be in india???
And a nation of a billion has yet to make its mark in the olympics. Football is still a far cry and a mere look at our national game in enough to give us a picture of sport. It’s not about sport or research. It’s about the career options of youth today. It’s about the future of our nation. It’s about us.
The biggest resource of any community would be it’s people and the children are the future and just look at the way we are shaping our future.
Come exam time, and you see news channel doing all sorts of analysis of various schools and colleges. And what do they show us? Statistics… Of what – of marks, of ranks, of percentages passed and of decimals cleared.Its’ like the entire education process is reduced to number crunching. Nothing else seems to matter.
Aint it time to change?? Shouldn’t we be more worried about our education??
Isnt’ it time for a revolution?? Energy, food all will fall into pieces if we can produce people fit enough to handle such issues.

marriage

2008-06-01T01:16:00.000+05:30

i went for a marriage today. now, I understand that in many places, it means many different rituals. Today however, there were none, for a change.
i went inside the house. Met up with the bride's mother and politely took my seat in the veranda.
Before long, i was served with a drink. all this while i was consistently doing something - eyeing at my watch. And at one such sighting, the needles indicated that i was at the present venue for about 30 min.
Well, then i walked inside, met up with the bride's mother again and took leave.
as i walked past the house, i was laughing from inside.
Didn't you notice anythign strange. I dindn't meet up the bride. i didn't know the bride.
and i had gone for a marriage function.
God... times are surely changing...
And the best part is, the bride was supposed to be my cousin. I only knew my aunt and the fact that one of her daughter was getting married.
Speak of receding relationships...

split personality

2008-05-31T23:19:00.000+05:30

Sydney Sheldon once introduced 4 different characters in his book in a brilliantly deceiving plot, thereby popularizing the concept of split personality. Then on, we have seen movies and books using the concept beautifully to aid their plot.
But sometimes, a thought does strike me - do each one of us have another side to us? A darker side perhaps. A side which we do not want to expose to the world; preferring to keep it towed down beneath our skin and within our self, not wanting to showcase to the outside world.
and in some cases, we don't even realize we have the other side. it just manifests itself without our knowledge.
Doesn't it?
or is it all a fiction of my imaginative mind??
Honestly - i don't know

Goal

2008-02-18T17:07:00.000+05:30

Everybody is supposed to have one else you are deemed stupid. Every sould needs one else you are declared soul-less or useless. Its supposed to be our driving force. Its supposed to give us the stimulus to move forward in life. This one thigs is said to posess so much power so as to heal terrrible illness and overcome many barriers. Ironically, not many have it. Strangely everyone agrees about its importance yet not many are ready to make their own goals. why? that is an unanswerable question. The answer to this one question should prevent a million other questions...

Dream

2008-02-18T17:05:00.000+05:30

An inexistent reality. A true myth - call it whatever you want but this is it. This one word will summarise a thousand feelings, a million emotions and a billion words.
'A dream'.
It was the dream of two young brothers that saw the arrival of the aerospace industry. The wings they lent to their dreams today provide us with the luxury of a lifeless bird. It was the dream of a young paper boy from a remote coastal village that bought our nation a place in the space. every established wonder in the world today whether tangible or intangible were once the inhabitants of some individual's dream. Such is the power of dream that it can almost achieve the impossible.
No wonder they say 'impossible is nothing' .... :) :) :)

Final Destination

2008-02-18T17:04:00.000+05:30

Every word has to end with a letter.Question is what will be the final letterEvery life has to end at some stage. Question is what would be the final stage like. In this case, one may also ask about the stage afterwards. Not much is known about death. Not many have bothered to ask qustions in this regard. Its sort of like a no man's land. To an extent, we may accept the accepted norm - "To go by our spiritual teachings " but then we enter upon a region where we find no answer. Just then we feel we shouldnt be worrying about it so much for it would only be an exercise in futlity. Well!! thnk again... after all its something about us.

In the midst of God's own country

2007-09-22T00:20:00.000+05:30

In the middle of a forest, looking towards a lovely mix of tea and orange plantation it indeed was a pleasure anyone would envy. The place was such that we didn’t even need a fan. Now such natural beauty coupled with the company of good old peers, what else could be the result other than the best of one’s days.
All praise be to the creator who created such magnificent beauty and may He bestow his choicest blessings upon the facilitator who enabled us to spend some quality time during the peek of our life.
It was only a day, but it did feel more than that. The fragrance of the place would always remain in our nostrils and as they say we remember our past through the smells we acquire. Don’t know how far it holds good, but as for this place I am sure none of us would forget the beautiful scent we felt when we walked past the resort. Then the mountain water, its taste so great that we forced ourselves into gulping it down to quench our inexistent thirst. The ambience was such that we could just keep staring into empty space and do nothing for hours together, yet it would give us such immense pleasure that we could return back extremely satisfied. Oh, the food would need a special mention. It was a perfect mix of nutrition and taste giving such unknown joy to our taste buds that almost made us forget the number of trips we made to the serving table. Finally the bon fire, not as filmy as it would seem. But then in the middle of a place like that with the mercury on the lower side, it did add to the beauty and splendor of the occasion. I wouldn’t be wrong if I said that it did keep us warm as well. At the end of it all was the real fun – hunting spiders in the dark. The pitch black night was another delight. The city with its numerous lights has almost denied us of this one luxury. Of a peaceful night bereft of any noise and light. Well, now we know that we do have some places which can grant us such luxury as well.
The innumerable clicks with our camera may remind us of the trip but then to actually experience it, we need to be right there again. For anything else would be a compromise.

Live the Present

2007-09-21T15:48:00.000+05:30

Tomorrow holds the unknown future
of which you know all but nothing
Yesterday passed perhaps in a rupture
about which you are able to do only nothing.

Days bygone and days ahead
what benefit can they do to your head
Apart from bringing it trouble and pain
to make you waste your time in vain

The present it is which holds your future
so live it the way it has to be lived
Setting aside your worries to rupture
rejoice and celebrate a life to be lived

Life indeed is a precious gift
waste this not in frivolous drift
For its given to us by the one most blessed,the Omnipresent
Lo!how fortunate is he who lives the present

A tribute to my beloved mother

2007-09-21T15:27:00.000+05:30

Nights of pain and hours of anguish,
All sacrificed for a soul to nourish.

No words can explain neither can thought,
For only mother can be that sort.

Suffering in silence for a mighty cause,
So u soothe your heart to peace.

Waiting in patience in search of the dawn,
Whose day will witness your child to be born.

When the day does arrive after all your struggle,
your joy transcends into infinite bubble.

Oh mother of mine, how thankless have I been,
In return for your deeds all unseen.

Nights and days you spent in my weaning,
alas your pain was never too easing.

Weather did change and so did the climate,
Thy mercy thou heart covered me as blanket.

Unknown, unexistent to the world outside,
I lived a great while in your soft inside.

Eating your food, drinking your drink,
Waking your sleep and making you wink

Oh mother of mine, how thankless have I been,
In return for your deeds all unseen.

old age

2007-09-08T11:13:00.000+05:30

everyone who sees them think they wont be like them

everyone who hears them think they talk no sense

everyone who feels them get disgusted

nobody wants them around
not their children
not their country

they turn as a burden

for every one around

old age....its not a disease...but something so obvious that none can escape from it save the lucky ones who depart early. yet we fail to recognise the reality. when finally it dawns on us, we try to be indifferent to it. ignoring it as much as we can.

take any house and you'll find them there. shelved in a corner. left to be rotten

and to think of it...they gave birth to us..milked us and fed us...

what a shabby end...all throughout their life, they had hopes on us and all they get in return is hopelessness in its worst form...

what a cruel world!!!

police station

2007-09-06T15:18:00.000+05:30

of buildings and papers
inked with dust and disgust
dumped on all sides
for posterity to witness

the ambience so poor
that no soul would be pure
the air so damp
that no clothe can dry

a place for the people
built by the people
with dreams and hopes
did they make the structure

little did they know
of what lied ahead
a place they would dread
a place they would fear

thats how it turned out
thats how it worked out
for at the end
no mortal can be pure

justice for all
proclaimed the label
a blot in the eye
for there was nothing but evil

no prize for guessing
the place which i mean
the place no other
than an indian police station