I decided to shift my fictional stuff to this new blog....cos it was coming in the way of my regular thoughts.
The Known Stranger
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
To-do's off my to-do list
On a regular basis I keep a check on what I am doing by following the to-do's scribbled on the post-it software on my desktop. I could categorize them as follows:
Functional: Mostly work related. Like make so and so changes to the code, document something, follow up on something etc
Behavorial: Say a thank you every night before sleeping, stop reading news and blogs, stop chewing the pen, don't eat dessert or chocolates etc
Weekend errands: Do laundry, pay electricity bill, lodge a complaint with the apartment office regarding the clogging etc
List of things: Could be movies to watch, books to read, stuff to buy
Calls and emails: I am bad at returning calls, checking voicemail and replying to emails. So the to-dos on this list reduces at snail's pace.
Must-do's: Things from various lists which have been carried over for too long and now need to be done by hook or by crook!
So yesterday my must-do's list was so long and I was so flustered that I erased everything and wrote KILL MYSELF!!!
Finally I shut down the post-it software and went to sleep. After being bothered by some to-do's and their related consequences all meddled up in one helluva dream-nightmare cocktail, I woke up feeling happy today, surprisingly. On my drive to work I made up my mind to do things completely off my to-do list. And trust me I felt so good. I randomly picked up stuff to do. Splurged on downloading music and listened to it all day. Ate baklava without feeling guilty. Browsed all the news and blogs I had to catch up on. And also completed a lot of the boring stuff like documentation and commenting the code that I had been postponing. Didn't mind staying at work till 10:30 in the night and driving back without traffic.
And to add icing to the cake I did some soul enriching stuff after I reached home too rather than the drab tv watching, cooking, cleaning and doing the dishes (I hate doing dishes!!).
Read this: Hell-Heaven
(One of Jhumpa Lahiri's short stories not included in Interpreter of Maladies, I happened to stumble upon)
I fell in love with Lahiri's style of writing the first time I read Interpreter of Maladies long back. Namesake was good too. What connects me to her, I guess, is the Bengali soul. She captures the minutest of details constructing vivid pictures that you can almost visualize. Being a Bengali adds to that experience since most of the things she talks about, you would have encountered in reality. Like the use of the phrase "Hell-Heaven difference" or things like collecting safety pins on a bangle, or the typical Bengali strict mom who warns you about your behavior in the presence of people by giving that stern look, or a tea cup being used as an ashtray or the term *boudi* which is used to address almost any married woman.
Listened to this. I think Piya tora kaisa abhiman (Shubha Mudgal and Gulzar's poetry) and Raha Dekhe are fabulous.
And read some of these. I love his simplicity. One of my favorites:
I shall go to sleep now .... hopefully the must-do's are registered in my memory, else I am in for some trouble!! :-(
Functional: Mostly work related. Like make so and so changes to the code, document something, follow up on something etc
Behavorial: Say a thank you every night before sleeping, stop reading news and blogs, stop chewing the pen, don't eat dessert or chocolates etc
Weekend errands: Do laundry, pay electricity bill, lodge a complaint with the apartment office regarding the clogging etc
List of things: Could be movies to watch, books to read, stuff to buy
Calls and emails: I am bad at returning calls, checking voicemail and replying to emails. So the to-dos on this list reduces at snail's pace.
Must-do's: Things from various lists which have been carried over for too long and now need to be done by hook or by crook!
So yesterday my must-do's list was so long and I was so flustered that I erased everything and wrote KILL MYSELF!!!
Finally I shut down the post-it software and went to sleep. After being bothered by some to-do's and their related consequences all meddled up in one helluva dream-nightmare cocktail, I woke up feeling happy today, surprisingly. On my drive to work I made up my mind to do things completely off my to-do list. And trust me I felt so good. I randomly picked up stuff to do. Splurged on downloading music and listened to it all day. Ate baklava without feeling guilty. Browsed all the news and blogs I had to catch up on. And also completed a lot of the boring stuff like documentation and commenting the code that I had been postponing. Didn't mind staying at work till 10:30 in the night and driving back without traffic.
And to add icing to the cake I did some soul enriching stuff after I reached home too rather than the drab tv watching, cooking, cleaning and doing the dishes (I hate doing dishes!!).
Read this: Hell-Heaven
(One of Jhumpa Lahiri's short stories not included in Interpreter of Maladies, I happened to stumble upon)
I fell in love with Lahiri's style of writing the first time I read Interpreter of Maladies long back. Namesake was good too. What connects me to her, I guess, is the Bengali soul. She captures the minutest of details constructing vivid pictures that you can almost visualize. Being a Bengali adds to that experience since most of the things she talks about, you would have encountered in reality. Like the use of the phrase "Hell-Heaven difference" or things like collecting safety pins on a bangle, or the typical Bengali strict mom who warns you about your behavior in the presence of people by giving that stern look, or a tea cup being used as an ashtray or the term *boudi* which is used to address almost any married woman.
Listened to this. I think Piya tora kaisa abhiman (Shubha Mudgal and Gulzar's poetry) and Raha Dekhe are fabulous.
And read some of these. I love his simplicity. One of my favorites:
| All you who sleep tonight Far from the ones you love, No hand to left or right And emptiness above - Know that you aren't alone The whole world shares your tears, Some for two nights or one, And some for all their years. Vikram Seth |
I shall go to sleep now .... hopefully the must-do's are registered in my memory, else I am in for some trouble!! :-(
Monday, July 17, 2006
Losing my religion
Recently I realized that I don't believe in religion, yeah recently. Probably because it took me some years of thoughts, deeds and experiences to come to this conclusion. But now I am crystal clear about what my take on religion is.
I believe in God but not in religion.
Reasons:
1. The entire goal of religions don't make sense to me - the goal of obtaining liberation from the cycle of life and death - moksha, nirvana whatever you want to call it. Why would I want freedom from this cycle?
This world is beautiful, life is one helluva experience. I would want to return again and again and again. Even if I have to experience pain or be born as a plant or even an amoeba I would still want to experience it because I want to breathe, I want to feel. And then I don't even know what is in store for me to stay back unattached from life, away from here. I am too patriotic an earthling to want to give life up for not living at all. What if I don't like it there and have to wait in a queue for a millenium to get back to the viscous cycle and land myself into a mother's womb??!! I would miss so much in that time and I would be a non-contributor :-( I want to be here 500 years later, 1000 years later, 10,000 years later ... till the world ends. Every time I come back I will get to be a part of a more advanced lifeform, a lifeform which has descended from me, in a place whose soil contains my blood and bones. This is where I belong. This is where I want to be. I do not wish to liberate myself from the cycle of life and death.
2. I believe in Why and not What. Every religion just lays down these set of rules and rituals you are expected to follow. I am willing to follow them but only if I know WHY.
In my opinion you need no religion to understand the difference between good and bad! And anyway good and bad are relative terms. For some religions killing an animal to eat is bad and for some slaughtering an animal to appease God is good! None of the religions I have known so far seem perfect. So I decided to create my own code of conduct by putting together values taken from different religions that make sense to me and filtering out those which don't.
For example it makes sense not to lie, to be honest and sincere, to help, to respect, to love. Things like the caste system, making materialistic offerings to God, or covering my head, or forcing others to convert to my religion etc - I strictly condemn.
It makes sense for me to offer an old person my seat or a helping hand, or adopt a less fortunate child, or plant a tree, or maybe just be honest in my daily work ....these are way way more important than visiting a temple every week and chanting mantras whose meanings I do not understand. It makes more sense to me to donate to CRY rather than a religious organization whose funds are utilized, or should I say wasted, in decorating idols with gold and silver. Cmon, God doesn't care whether you serve food to him twice a day or light incense sticks in front of him and sing hymns. You might as well have served that food to someone who doesn't get a meal. Yes, God cares if you make a mistake and apologise truthfully, or you say a thank you for the good things he has given you or do something that brings a smile on the face of someone else.
Yes, I believe in Karma.
3. So many of the problems the world is facing today is because of religion. Religion causes more tension than peace. The root problem is that every religion thinks it is supreme and demands respect. Why? What about some humility guys?
4. I condemn all so-called religious practitioners and preachers. All they want is the dough...... yeah that is the hard core truth. I don't believe they can cause any miracles. If something good has happened unexpectedly it is not a miracle or a co-incidence. It is the pre-destined path your life is following and every path has some unexpected turns! In fact this belief somehow always makes me feel optimistic about the future.
Now that I have written these down I realized that I am quite clear in my thoughts and views regarding this whole religion thing. Yeah I was in doubt, since I have grown up in quite a religious family and have never questioned the rituals done at home and I probably never will, just because it is an individual's wish what he/she wishes to follow and I respect that.
Anyway better late than never. At least now I know what to pass on to my next generations without being confused myself.
I believe in God but not in religion.
Reasons:
1. The entire goal of religions don't make sense to me - the goal of obtaining liberation from the cycle of life and death - moksha, nirvana whatever you want to call it. Why would I want freedom from this cycle?
This world is beautiful, life is one helluva experience. I would want to return again and again and again. Even if I have to experience pain or be born as a plant or even an amoeba I would still want to experience it because I want to breathe, I want to feel. And then I don't even know what is in store for me to stay back unattached from life, away from here. I am too patriotic an earthling to want to give life up for not living at all. What if I don't like it there and have to wait in a queue for a millenium to get back to the viscous cycle and land myself into a mother's womb??!! I would miss so much in that time and I would be a non-contributor :-( I want to be here 500 years later, 1000 years later, 10,000 years later ... till the world ends. Every time I come back I will get to be a part of a more advanced lifeform, a lifeform which has descended from me, in a place whose soil contains my blood and bones. This is where I belong. This is where I want to be. I do not wish to liberate myself from the cycle of life and death.
2. I believe in Why and not What. Every religion just lays down these set of rules and rituals you are expected to follow. I am willing to follow them but only if I know WHY.
In my opinion you need no religion to understand the difference between good and bad! And anyway good and bad are relative terms. For some religions killing an animal to eat is bad and for some slaughtering an animal to appease God is good! None of the religions I have known so far seem perfect. So I decided to create my own code of conduct by putting together values taken from different religions that make sense to me and filtering out those which don't.
For example it makes sense not to lie, to be honest and sincere, to help, to respect, to love. Things like the caste system, making materialistic offerings to God, or covering my head, or forcing others to convert to my religion etc - I strictly condemn.
It makes sense for me to offer an old person my seat or a helping hand, or adopt a less fortunate child, or plant a tree, or maybe just be honest in my daily work ....these are way way more important than visiting a temple every week and chanting mantras whose meanings I do not understand. It makes more sense to me to donate to CRY rather than a religious organization whose funds are utilized, or should I say wasted, in decorating idols with gold and silver. Cmon, God doesn't care whether you serve food to him twice a day or light incense sticks in front of him and sing hymns. You might as well have served that food to someone who doesn't get a meal. Yes, God cares if you make a mistake and apologise truthfully, or you say a thank you for the good things he has given you or do something that brings a smile on the face of someone else.
Yes, I believe in Karma.
3. So many of the problems the world is facing today is because of religion. Religion causes more tension than peace. The root problem is that every religion thinks it is supreme and demands respect. Why? What about some humility guys?
4. I condemn all so-called religious practitioners and preachers. All they want is the dough...... yeah that is the hard core truth. I don't believe they can cause any miracles. If something good has happened unexpectedly it is not a miracle or a co-incidence. It is the pre-destined path your life is following and every path has some unexpected turns! In fact this belief somehow always makes me feel optimistic about the future.
Now that I have written these down I realized that I am quite clear in my thoughts and views regarding this whole religion thing. Yeah I was in doubt, since I have grown up in quite a religious family and have never questioned the rituals done at home and I probably never will, just because it is an individual's wish what he/she wishes to follow and I respect that.
Anyway better late than never. At least now I know what to pass on to my next generations without being confused myself.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Stuck in a moment
So.... Italy won and Zidane ended his career with a Red Card for headbutting Materazzi...cmon headbutting??!!! ... in the last few minutes when he knew the match was heading towards penalty shoot outs. The latter apparently insulted his mother and sister which, I think, is a fair enough reason for headbutting someone in the heat of the moment. Will Zidane be stuck in that moment forever, regretting what he did? Will Materazzi be stuck in that moment feeling good about what he did, thinking to himself that maybe thats what got them the cup? Will Trezeguet be stuck in the moment in which he kicked into the crossbar and missed the goal during penalty, which cost his country the cup?
I was thinking if I have any moment in my life that I have been stuck in... a moment significant enough to remain alive and arouse the same feelings (good or bad) after an era of no relation to it. Some food for thought!
Trivia: Stuck in a moment you can't get out of was originally written by Bono (U2) about the suicide of the lead singer of INXS. Suicide is probably the worst moment one could get stuck in, its the ultimate point of no return.
While I am in this stuck-in-the-moment kind of mood, I remembered a quote: "An era of silence cannot wipe away a moment of togetherness". So true. In recent times I got in touch with a lot of old friends (courtesy social networks) and when I talked to them on the phone after ages there didn't seem to be any discontinuity in the chain of conversation. Its like picking up the thread right where we left it maybe 7 years back, doing a quick recap of what happened in the mean time and then continue the yakitty-yakking, discussing the moments that stick to us or that we stick to.
Mumbai blasts: Yet again terror struck. Yet again innocent lives were lost. Yet again people cried on losing their loved ones, unexpectedly. Yet again people got stuck in a moment forever. The moment in which the wife of a victim asked her husband to come back early by taking the train that he wouldn't have taken otherwise; the moment in which the guy who took the train just before the one that blasted, escaped death.
How many more times, *dear* terrorists? Will this really affect you in any way?.....what did you gain? Kashmir? Jehad? Or just another moment to stick to, taking pride in arousing some anger ?
I was thinking if I have any moment in my life that I have been stuck in... a moment significant enough to remain alive and arouse the same feelings (good or bad) after an era of no relation to it. Some food for thought!
Trivia: Stuck in a moment you can't get out of was originally written by Bono (U2) about the suicide of the lead singer of INXS. Suicide is probably the worst moment one could get stuck in, its the ultimate point of no return.
While I am in this stuck-in-the-moment kind of mood, I remembered a quote: "An era of silence cannot wipe away a moment of togetherness". So true. In recent times I got in touch with a lot of old friends (courtesy social networks) and when I talked to them on the phone after ages there didn't seem to be any discontinuity in the chain of conversation. Its like picking up the thread right where we left it maybe 7 years back, doing a quick recap of what happened in the mean time and then continue the yakitty-yakking, discussing the moments that stick to us or that we stick to.
Mumbai blasts: Yet again terror struck. Yet again innocent lives were lost. Yet again people cried on losing their loved ones, unexpectedly. Yet again people got stuck in a moment forever. The moment in which the wife of a victim asked her husband to come back early by taking the train that he wouldn't have taken otherwise; the moment in which the guy who took the train just before the one that blasted, escaped death.
How many more times, *dear* terrorists? Will this really affect you in any way?.....what did you gain? Kashmir? Jehad? Or just another moment to stick to, taking pride in arousing some anger ?
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Touch of Nature
To one who has been long in city pent,
'Tis very sweet to look into the fair
And open face of heaven, - to breathe a prayer
Full in the smile of the blue firmament.
~John Keats
[June - July 2006 : Deception Pass, Snoqualmie Falls, Wallace Falls, Olympics National Park, Mt.Rainier, Hurricane Ridge, Lake Chelan, Winatchee River (not in order)]
I am still mesmerized. Hard to write anything about the beauty of Mother Nature 'cause how much every I praise it, it would still be an understatement. So will leave it at Keats' words.
"In City Pent" (the excerpt above is from that poem) was one of my favorite poems in school.
Monday, June 26, 2006
The non-things that make me :)
"Some of the things in life that give us true happiness are not Things" - the ad line for a bank...noticed it on a board while travelling. For the rest of the journey I was trying hard to prove this wrong, but failed. I was looking around to see if there was any*thing* that I was carrying that could give me happiness. I looked on the seat, in my bag, in my hand... the nano, laptop, cellphone, car keys, clothes, shoes, water bottle, sunglasses, maps etc.
One by one I tried to evaluate if any of those things are really a source of true happiness for me.Yeah they make life convinient but I could probably still find happiness without them. Nothing satisfactory :(
I looked out of the window....at the road ahead which was leading me to a destination that I had never been to, at the lush beauty of nature on either sides, at the open crisp blue sky above, at a little girl cycling along the road ... to add to that was the feeling of the warm sun on my skin and cool breeze carrying the tunes of old classics of Frank Sinatra playing on the music system accompanied with laughter of the people in the car whose company matter to me. And I smiled. I said a quick prayer to thank God for the beautiful life that he has given me...a life which does not depend on things for fulfillment.
Today sitting in my office cube jotting this down I was trying to recollect the events since morning that made me smile, just to double check that they were independent of *things*. So right from start:
Checked my weight to find I lost 3 pounds :)
Familiar face of the bus driver who recognized me and said hello, how are you today? :)
The view of Seattle skyline across the water while crossing the bridge, checked the sky..looks like good weather today :)
At work I got some code running, I was struggling with an issue for two days :)
Had lunch with a friend whom I had not met in the past 5 years :)
Made plans for the evening to watch Pirates of the Carribean: Dead man's chest :)
Looking forward to tomorrow's trip to Mount Rainier :)
Cool, no THINGS!!
If you are reading this feel free to check your list of events of the day and validate/invalidate my opinion.
One by one I tried to evaluate if any of those things are really a source of true happiness for me.Yeah they make life convinient but I could probably still find happiness without them. Nothing satisfactory :(
I looked out of the window....at the road ahead which was leading me to a destination that I had never been to, at the lush beauty of nature on either sides, at the open crisp blue sky above, at a little girl cycling along the road ... to add to that was the feeling of the warm sun on my skin and cool breeze carrying the tunes of old classics of Frank Sinatra playing on the music system accompanied with laughter of the people in the car whose company matter to me. And I smiled. I said a quick prayer to thank God for the beautiful life that he has given me...a life which does not depend on things for fulfillment.
Today sitting in my office cube jotting this down I was trying to recollect the events since morning that made me smile, just to double check that they were independent of *things*. So right from start:
Checked my weight to find I lost 3 pounds :)
Familiar face of the bus driver who recognized me and said hello, how are you today? :)
The view of Seattle skyline across the water while crossing the bridge, checked the sky..looks like good weather today :)
At work I got some code running, I was struggling with an issue for two days :)
Had lunch with a friend whom I had not met in the past 5 years :)
Made plans for the evening to watch Pirates of the Carribean: Dead man's chest :)
Looking forward to tomorrow's trip to Mount Rainier :)
Cool, no THINGS!!
If you are reading this feel free to check your list of events of the day and validate/invalidate my opinion.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Of known devils and unknown angels
My sneakers are three years old and need replacement. But I am just so comfortable in them that I have been avoiding buying a new one. They know my feet so well and have been with me through thick and thin for a long time now. The familiarity and comfort zone that they define is hard to replace. That set me thinking about things that I have noticed people cling on to in the fear of losing their comfort zone or things that we get so used to that we keep postponing their replacement.
Watch- the other day I noticed a PhD student wearing an Alwyn Trendy.Remember Alwyn Trendy, that was my first watch too! The ones which had removable plastic straps with striped grooves. The dial was usually circular and colorful. I was a proud owner of one of those in my teens before I graduated to a Titan. I am sure that watch which the person was wearing is at least 10 years old. Imagine his level of attachment to it that has pursuaded him to treasure that watch for so many years.
Pair of jeans - Almost everyone owns that one pair of jeans that just fits them perfect. When they were new and crisp they weren't their favorite, but after a few washes and regualar wear for a long time they have acquired the perfect color and fit. They are a must wear whether its regular work/school or a first date and doesnt matter if their edges are worn out.
Hairbrush - I have not been able to replace my favorite hairbrush since nothing else seems to give my hair the right texture. New ones either have their teeth too apart or too close.
Laptop/Computer - Computers too have their defined comfort zones. I hate it when I have to switch to a new environment- start from scratch, import bookmarks, reinstall software, add shortcuts to the quick lauch, adjust the folder view settings, get acquainted to a new mouse/joystick/touchpad and even after all this it won't have all my documents, photos, music etc... its a painful process to tread into a new territory and customize it. It is this familiarity due to which a company like Microsoft has survived and will survive for a long long time. They have made people used to their environments, their menus, their functionalities. For a layman to switch to a new operating system or software is like trying to take a detour from his known daily route in a new land.
Comfortor- Changing comforter, pillow and bed leads to disturbed sleep.
Wallet - We get used to the slots which fit the cards and ids perfectly now. The leather has stretched, expanded, collapsed to fit exactly in our pockets. Transferring all the accumulated stuff like passport sized photographs, old credit card receipts which were stored just in case we decided to return the stuff, coins which have no use, small chits with jotted down phone numbers, backup cash and unused cards, important ids etc into a new wallet is a cumbersome process. Moreover the new wallet may not have the right structure or button or the right sized pockets. Similarly changing a bag/purse you are used to carrying everyday is again a headache.
Remote controls - We get used to the placement of the buttons on our remote controls, so used to that we can operate it in the darkness. I hate it when I have to switch to a new remote control and cannot find the right button when I need to change the channel or reduce the volume immediately.
There are several such small things whose familiarity settles comfortably in our lives, so comfortably that even if we realise after several years that we could do with something better we prefer their familiarity to a new experiment. This somehow reminded me of some relationships in which two people, despite knowing that they are not meant for each other and things won't work, hang on because of familiarity... because they are used to each other or some arranged marriages where people fall in love because they grow used to each other. Its not exactly the same analogy but just thought of it.
Watch- the other day I noticed a PhD student wearing an Alwyn Trendy.Remember Alwyn Trendy, that was my first watch too! The ones which had removable plastic straps with striped grooves. The dial was usually circular and colorful. I was a proud owner of one of those in my teens before I graduated to a Titan. I am sure that watch which the person was wearing is at least 10 years old. Imagine his level of attachment to it that has pursuaded him to treasure that watch for so many years.
Pair of jeans - Almost everyone owns that one pair of jeans that just fits them perfect. When they were new and crisp they weren't their favorite, but after a few washes and regualar wear for a long time they have acquired the perfect color and fit. They are a must wear whether its regular work/school or a first date and doesnt matter if their edges are worn out.
Hairbrush - I have not been able to replace my favorite hairbrush since nothing else seems to give my hair the right texture. New ones either have their teeth too apart or too close.
Laptop/Computer - Computers too have their defined comfort zones. I hate it when I have to switch to a new environment- start from scratch, import bookmarks, reinstall software, add shortcuts to the quick lauch, adjust the folder view settings, get acquainted to a new mouse/joystick/touchpad and even after all this it won't have all my documents, photos, music etc... its a painful process to tread into a new territory and customize it. It is this familiarity due to which a company like Microsoft has survived and will survive for a long long time. They have made people used to their environments, their menus, their functionalities. For a layman to switch to a new operating system or software is like trying to take a detour from his known daily route in a new land.
Comfortor- Changing comforter, pillow and bed leads to disturbed sleep.
Wallet - We get used to the slots which fit the cards and ids perfectly now. The leather has stretched, expanded, collapsed to fit exactly in our pockets. Transferring all the accumulated stuff like passport sized photographs, old credit card receipts which were stored just in case we decided to return the stuff, coins which have no use, small chits with jotted down phone numbers, backup cash and unused cards, important ids etc into a new wallet is a cumbersome process. Moreover the new wallet may not have the right structure or button or the right sized pockets. Similarly changing a bag/purse you are used to carrying everyday is again a headache.
Remote controls - We get used to the placement of the buttons on our remote controls, so used to that we can operate it in the darkness. I hate it when I have to switch to a new remote control and cannot find the right button when I need to change the channel or reduce the volume immediately.
There are several such small things whose familiarity settles comfortably in our lives, so comfortably that even if we realise after several years that we could do with something better we prefer their familiarity to a new experiment. This somehow reminded me of some relationships in which two people, despite knowing that they are not meant for each other and things won't work, hang on because of familiarity... because they are used to each other or some arranged marriages where people fall in love because they grow used to each other. Its not exactly the same analogy but just thought of it.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
A new love story
I am falling in love. Everything about her is whatever I always wanted. She is beautiful, lively, arty, classy,versatile, smart and intelligent, has coexisting myriad moods- she can be whatever I want her to be. She doesn't bore me with monotony, doesn't incarcerate me, doesn't make me feel that I wanted to be elsewhere. I am attracted to her hopelessly. Will this be a transient liaison or a long term relationship? Only time will tell.
For all those who are wondering about my sexual orientation... she is Seattle.
For all those who are wondering about my sexual orientation... she is Seattle.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Some headlines from the top of my head
Some events in the past weeks that are worth a comment:
Rahul Mahajan and drugs: One of the comments revealed was that he spends 60-70K INR everyday on parties, friends, clubs and of course he forgot to mention, drugs. To think that is more than the individual annual salary of half of India's population! Also he failed a flight training in America, started a software firm and a production company all of which bombed.
So much for our taxes!
Apollo hospital gave him a clean chit. Another hospital contradicted that. There was supposedly no drugs and a low content of alcohol in his blood, the former said. Et tu Doctors?
Let the media hype die down a bit. Let the politician god fathers and family friends buy out a few more people. And soon Rahul Mahajan will be history. Or who knows he might create history in the good books by being elected someday.
Shiloh-Nouvel Jolie-Pitt: The few days old infant has lived her life in media. Her parents ensconced in Namibia to avoid the paparazzi. They bought the rights for 24 domain names made from the various combinations of her 7 syllabled name with all possible extensions (.com,.org,.net). They sold her photos for more than 4 millionUSD and donated it to charity. Is this too a publicity gimmick or is being a celebrity that tough?
And what's with every hollywood actor wanting to be a parent? Another way of connecting to the masses or is being a celebrity *really* that tough?
Al-Zarqawi killed: One killed, another succeeds him. The game of musical chairs continue. Will this ever end? Can we hope for peace, love and a tension free life in the year of 6/6/6?
6/6/6: Was uneventful. No satans. No devils. Not even a terrorist attack in any part of the world that happens every other day. So much for the pregnant ladies who feared giving birth to the AntiChrist. Those whose fears materialized, will they blame their child's every small mistake or poor grades on the devil? For Christ's sake!!
Google's new spreadsheet: No macros, no graphs.... so excel stays put for now! I appreciate their goal of bringing everything online, though. Free software for hitting a few links everyday. Sure thing! That reminds me of an ad I spotted, painted on a bus in the Redmond, WA area: Why do you want to give your lunch money to the big bullies? - OpenOffice.org
Rahul Mahajan and drugs: One of the comments revealed was that he spends 60-70K INR everyday on parties, friends, clubs and of course he forgot to mention, drugs. To think that is more than the individual annual salary of half of India's population! Also he failed a flight training in America, started a software firm and a production company all of which bombed.
So much for our taxes!
Apollo hospital gave him a clean chit. Another hospital contradicted that. There was supposedly no drugs and a low content of alcohol in his blood, the former said. Et tu Doctors?
Let the media hype die down a bit. Let the politician god fathers and family friends buy out a few more people. And soon Rahul Mahajan will be history. Or who knows he might create history in the good books by being elected someday.
Shiloh-Nouvel Jolie-Pitt: The few days old infant has lived her life in media. Her parents ensconced in Namibia to avoid the paparazzi. They bought the rights for 24 domain names made from the various combinations of her 7 syllabled name with all possible extensions (.com,.org,.net). They sold her photos for more than 4 millionUSD and donated it to charity. Is this too a publicity gimmick or is being a celebrity that tough?
And what's with every hollywood actor wanting to be a parent? Another way of connecting to the masses or is being a celebrity *really* that tough?
Al-Zarqawi killed: One killed, another succeeds him. The game of musical chairs continue. Will this ever end? Can we hope for peace, love and a tension free life in the year of 6/6/6?
6/6/6: Was uneventful. No satans. No devils. Not even a terrorist attack in any part of the world that happens every other day. So much for the pregnant ladies who feared giving birth to the AntiChrist. Those whose fears materialized, will they blame their child's every small mistake or poor grades on the devil? For Christ's sake!!
Google's new spreadsheet: No macros, no graphs.... so excel stays put for now! I appreciate their goal of bringing everything online, though. Free software for hitting a few links everyday. Sure thing! That reminds me of an ad I spotted, painted on a bus in the Redmond, WA area: Why do you want to give your lunch money to the big bullies? - OpenOffice.org
Monday, June 12, 2006
Finding home.....
Its been a while. I have been travelling, trying to settle down. Again. A new city, new work place, new room to stay, new weather, new traffic, new computer, new people, new food, new commute, new daily schedule. And this is the probably the 15th time in the past 7 years, since I left home at 18. Hostels, paying guests, apartments, hotels, college, work, school,internships,vacations at home ...time has flown by. While unpacking my luggage last night I was wondering what do I call home? The apartments which change sooner than I can adjust myself to a good night's sleep? The kitchens where I microwave frozen food, which I never equip completely assuming I will do it once I settle down finally, someday. Restrooms where I never get quite adapted to the mirror or the layout. The walls which are not mine, either they are adorned by photographs of families I don't know or they are bare. I make do by putting up the few photos of family and friends that I always carry, on my bedside. The cities whose roads I do not know. My suitcases and bags have to be kept handy all the time since I know my stay here is temporary.
Gone are those days when our family suitcases would come out once a year to be packed before a summer holiday trip. Mom would spend a week trying to ensure all the stuff that everyone will need was taken care of, lists were made, clothes were pressed and on the final day the suitcase was secured by tiny metal locks. Before taking off we would lock the windows and doors, let our maid go for her yearly vacation to her village and inform our neighbours that we are going to be away and that they should keep an eye on our "home". At the end of the vacation all I wanted to do was sleep on my own bed under the same ceiling fan, the noise of which I was so accustomed to that without it I wouldn't get a good night's sleep. Looking out of the window to find familiar faces in the neighbourhood, eating at the dining table, where I had my early meals as a toddler, on plates, that had been demoted to serve regular meals cause they could not be served to guests. The water from the steel filter seemed the safest to drink, the taste of the food, though we complained about it being boring everyday, was tuned to our palates. The shower head, though gushed out water with more strength than I would want, seemed like the only thing that could cleanse all the dirt.
The sound of familiar voices, the feel of familiar touch, the warmth of home.
The balcony where I have spent all my afternoons reading, playing sitting under the washed school uniforms which hung from the rope to dry and where my grandmom has narrated so many a story while tying my hair in plaits. The book case which housed my new brown-paper covered text books and the new story books bought at the book fair in January every year , the collection which had grown from Enid Blyton to Arundhati Roy accompanied all the way by Tinitin and Tinkle and of course my encyclopedias. Its all there in the glass doored wooden book case - my years of wisdom. The Godrej steel almirahs where Ma has stored our childhood clothes for our next generation to wear, with napthalene balls preserving them. The wall hangings collected from our trips, the paintings and photographs which I were a part of. The furniture whose corners had hurt my sister's and my knees while we ran around the living room chasing each other. The study table which was a support for so many years of my education especially during long nights before board exams, the drawers where I stored my secrets, the dressing table where I had sat and tried my first makeup. The television, music system, refrigerator and microwave which still serve us faithfully. The living room echoes the noises of the late night get-togethers, trivial arguments and birthday parties. The bedrooms remind me of the times when all four of us slept in the same bed because there was only one air-conditioner to keep us cool on humid summer nights. The staircases, the patterns of whose tiles are etched in my memory. The large Gulmohar tree, the tubewell, the grocery store..they all stand there the same.Thats my home. It does not have the amenities I would have liked it to have or interior decoration that I have dreamt of. But I don't think I can call anything else *home*.
To convert just a comfort zone to a home would take years of memories and familiarity. Hope I get there someday. Till then I ll miss home.
Gone are those days when our family suitcases would come out once a year to be packed before a summer holiday trip. Mom would spend a week trying to ensure all the stuff that everyone will need was taken care of, lists were made, clothes were pressed and on the final day the suitcase was secured by tiny metal locks. Before taking off we would lock the windows and doors, let our maid go for her yearly vacation to her village and inform our neighbours that we are going to be away and that they should keep an eye on our "home". At the end of the vacation all I wanted to do was sleep on my own bed under the same ceiling fan, the noise of which I was so accustomed to that without it I wouldn't get a good night's sleep. Looking out of the window to find familiar faces in the neighbourhood, eating at the dining table, where I had my early meals as a toddler, on plates, that had been demoted to serve regular meals cause they could not be served to guests. The water from the steel filter seemed the safest to drink, the taste of the food, though we complained about it being boring everyday, was tuned to our palates. The shower head, though gushed out water with more strength than I would want, seemed like the only thing that could cleanse all the dirt.
The sound of familiar voices, the feel of familiar touch, the warmth of home.
The balcony where I have spent all my afternoons reading, playing sitting under the washed school uniforms which hung from the rope to dry and where my grandmom has narrated so many a story while tying my hair in plaits. The book case which housed my new brown-paper covered text books and the new story books bought at the book fair in January every year , the collection which had grown from Enid Blyton to Arundhati Roy accompanied all the way by Tinitin and Tinkle and of course my encyclopedias. Its all there in the glass doored wooden book case - my years of wisdom. The Godrej steel almirahs where Ma has stored our childhood clothes for our next generation to wear, with napthalene balls preserving them. The wall hangings collected from our trips, the paintings and photographs which I were a part of. The furniture whose corners had hurt my sister's and my knees while we ran around the living room chasing each other. The study table which was a support for so many years of my education especially during long nights before board exams, the drawers where I stored my secrets, the dressing table where I had sat and tried my first makeup. The television, music system, refrigerator and microwave which still serve us faithfully. The living room echoes the noises of the late night get-togethers, trivial arguments and birthday parties. The bedrooms remind me of the times when all four of us slept in the same bed because there was only one air-conditioner to keep us cool on humid summer nights. The staircases, the patterns of whose tiles are etched in my memory. The large Gulmohar tree, the tubewell, the grocery store..they all stand there the same.Thats my home. It does not have the amenities I would have liked it to have or interior decoration that I have dreamt of. But I don't think I can call anything else *home*.
To convert just a comfort zone to a home would take years of memories and familiarity. Hope I get there someday. Till then I ll miss home.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The Boom Paradox
Wherever we go nowadays, whatever be the topic of discussion, everyone ends up talking about only one thing: India is booming.
Yes, India is booming enough for the rest of the world to take notice. It has one of the highest GDPs, its an upcoming superpower, Bush is advising his citizens to learn Hindi, the word 'crores' is common vocabulary, standard of living has risen, every international company is looking to expand their operations in India, now when you need to buy a car you do not need to choose from ambassador or fiat- you can opt for a Toyota or BMW, if you are 30 years old and have been in the IT industry you comfortably own a luxury car, live in a posh apartment and have traveled all over the world multiple times, the stock market doubled in the span of a year, cellphone users are growing by leaps and bounds, India is zipping ahead on the development highway. Yes I am proud to be an Indian.
Now let us broaden our horizon a little more, lets peek outside our window, look beyond the corridors of air conditioned offices and five star restaurants, lets look at some stark reality:
50% women in India are still uneducated.
Female infanticide is so high that for every 1000 males there are as less as 750 females in certain states. In some states the situation is so bad that girls are sold for the purpose of marriage because there is a dearth.
26% of Indians are still below poverty line. In some states its almost 50%.
There are over 40% villages in the country where the children are deprived of education. They are either forced to work with their parents, as more hands to work would mean more money to bring home; or there are just not enough schools providing primary education.
A young child laboring all day in the field, without shelter and protection, sleeping on an empty stomach, hoping for a cool breeze at night for a peaceful sleep and dreaming about going to school someday- you think he cares about India being a superpower? Does India's fast growing economy affect him?
There are villages without pure drinking water, where women queue up early morning in front of tubewells with buckets and pails to ensure their children do not go thirsty. They still light lamps in the evening in their small earthen huts unaware of an approaching storm that could sweep away their thatched roof.
A girl child is killed lest her father has to pay dowry in order to get her wed.
A rickshaw puller loses his wife to malignant malaria since he could not afford the treatment. He then spends his savings to buy a mosquito net so that his children can sleep without being attacked by mosquitoes at night.
An average tax-paying middle class government official still rides his scooter through bumpy roads, satisfies the financial needs of policemen, waits for water supply, sleeps in 40 degree centigrade without a fan because there is a power cut and strives to educate his children and support his aged parents whose pensions of course never reach them. He has not seen Disneyland or sat in BMWs. And this kind of person constitutes a majority of the population. Ask him and he will laugh at the thought of India being a super power.
Even if you want to look from your angle, the angle of a mid twenties successful software or finance professional who pays 30 bucks for a cup of coffee, wears Tommy Hilfiger, watches movies in multiplexes, sits in cool offices of multinational companies, travels onsite to earn in dollars and makes his family proud....even from his angle, he still has to ride through potholes, stay stuck in traffic for hours, bribe government officials to get a simple work done and pay taxes which in turn pays for abroad trips of his elected minister's children.
And you still think we are heading towards being a super power? Yes we have the potential, we have brains and the advantage of being English speaking, we have good primary education, we have a huge population, we also have extremely intellectual president and prime minister and I will never deny that. But there is a long way to go.
Infrastructure, education, disease control, poverty control: these are primary issues to be taken care of. And the root of all these problems is one: corruption!
If only our politicians were honest enough, all the incoming money and our taxes could be utilized for benefits. For providing free education, for improving roadways not only in the four metropolis and Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad but also in the rural areas, providing pure drinking water and electricity, providing medical support.
Education will in turn take care of other problems like aids awareness, population control, female infanticide, dowry etc. Education will also lead to choice of better political leaders. Its a cause-effect relation.
Unless the growth brought forth by the booming industries is channeled towards the majority of the population in rural India, the growth will only serve to create a huge social and economic imbalance and inequality.
The common man who lives off his daily wages needs to be reassured with care.
Every citizen has to have faith in the government, in the law. To build this faith there is the need of commitment, sacrifice and honesty. And who is willing to dedicate that?
Its good to dream but its important to contribute to achieve this dream. Lets think about it.
Yes, India is booming enough for the rest of the world to take notice. It has one of the highest GDPs, its an upcoming superpower, Bush is advising his citizens to learn Hindi, the word 'crores' is common vocabulary, standard of living has risen, every international company is looking to expand their operations in India, now when you need to buy a car you do not need to choose from ambassador or fiat- you can opt for a Toyota or BMW, if you are 30 years old and have been in the IT industry you comfortably own a luxury car, live in a posh apartment and have traveled all over the world multiple times, the stock market doubled in the span of a year, cellphone users are growing by leaps and bounds, India is zipping ahead on the development highway. Yes I am proud to be an Indian.
Now let us broaden our horizon a little more, lets peek outside our window, look beyond the corridors of air conditioned offices and five star restaurants, lets look at some stark reality:
50% women in India are still uneducated.
Female infanticide is so high that for every 1000 males there are as less as 750 females in certain states. In some states the situation is so bad that girls are sold for the purpose of marriage because there is a dearth.
26% of Indians are still below poverty line. In some states its almost 50%.
There are over 40% villages in the country where the children are deprived of education. They are either forced to work with their parents, as more hands to work would mean more money to bring home; or there are just not enough schools providing primary education.
A young child laboring all day in the field, without shelter and protection, sleeping on an empty stomach, hoping for a cool breeze at night for a peaceful sleep and dreaming about going to school someday- you think he cares about India being a superpower? Does India's fast growing economy affect him?
There are villages without pure drinking water, where women queue up early morning in front of tubewells with buckets and pails to ensure their children do not go thirsty. They still light lamps in the evening in their small earthen huts unaware of an approaching storm that could sweep away their thatched roof.
A girl child is killed lest her father has to pay dowry in order to get her wed.
A rickshaw puller loses his wife to malignant malaria since he could not afford the treatment. He then spends his savings to buy a mosquito net so that his children can sleep without being attacked by mosquitoes at night.
An average tax-paying middle class government official still rides his scooter through bumpy roads, satisfies the financial needs of policemen, waits for water supply, sleeps in 40 degree centigrade without a fan because there is a power cut and strives to educate his children and support his aged parents whose pensions of course never reach them. He has not seen Disneyland or sat in BMWs. And this kind of person constitutes a majority of the population. Ask him and he will laugh at the thought of India being a super power.
Even if you want to look from your angle, the angle of a mid twenties successful software or finance professional who pays 30 bucks for a cup of coffee, wears Tommy Hilfiger, watches movies in multiplexes, sits in cool offices of multinational companies, travels onsite to earn in dollars and makes his family proud....even from his angle, he still has to ride through potholes, stay stuck in traffic for hours, bribe government officials to get a simple work done and pay taxes which in turn pays for abroad trips of his elected minister's children.
And you still think we are heading towards being a super power? Yes we have the potential, we have brains and the advantage of being English speaking, we have good primary education, we have a huge population, we also have extremely intellectual president and prime minister and I will never deny that. But there is a long way to go.
Infrastructure, education, disease control, poverty control: these are primary issues to be taken care of. And the root of all these problems is one: corruption!
If only our politicians were honest enough, all the incoming money and our taxes could be utilized for benefits. For providing free education, for improving roadways not only in the four metropolis and Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad but also in the rural areas, providing pure drinking water and electricity, providing medical support.
Education will in turn take care of other problems like aids awareness, population control, female infanticide, dowry etc. Education will also lead to choice of better political leaders. Its a cause-effect relation.
Unless the growth brought forth by the booming industries is channeled towards the majority of the population in rural India, the growth will only serve to create a huge social and economic imbalance and inequality.
The common man who lives off his daily wages needs to be reassured with care.
Every citizen has to have faith in the government, in the law. To build this faith there is the need of commitment, sacrifice and honesty. And who is willing to dedicate that?
Its good to dream but its important to contribute to achieve this dream. Lets think about it.
Cross promotion at its best
Apple surely aces marketing. Check this out.
P.S: Cross promoting is when two or more businesses promote their products or services together. It works better for businesses that have the same target audience, but are not in direct competition with each other.
P.S: Cross promoting is when two or more businesses promote their products or services together. It works better for businesses that have the same target audience, but are not in direct competition with each other.
Finding my way...
I have a bad sense of direction. Whenever I reach a junction I am confused whether to take a left or a right. Sometimes I go with my intuition. Sometimes I don't think, just drive. Most of the times I am wrong and then I have to look for an appropriate place to take a U-Turn. If I don't find an appropriate place I keep driving, knowing well that I am headed west when I am supposed to go east. Soon I am lost. If I am alone, not queueing up other cars behind me, I make a call to my GPS service (A on the phone with google maps :D) . Yes I need a GPS but they can also be out of date. I get worked up and begin to fret and then terribly miss my country , miss the Indian GPSs.
You know what I am talking about: the autowallahs and rickshaw-wallahs or shopkeepers or any pedestrian...just simply stop the car and ask "Bhaiya yahan se X tak kaise jaaun?"
There will be enthusiastic replies with detailed gesticulated explanations.
Bangalore autowallah:"Madam, left maari. Next circle right maari."
Calcutta rickshaw-wallah:"Didi, shaamne giye baandike jaan. Tar por crossing'e daandike ghurben"
Mumbai taxi-wallah:"Pehle left maarne ka hai, phir aage signal se right maarne ka hai"
Chennai autowallah:"Madam english. No hindi"
Then you reach till wherever they have guided you and repeat the same question with a new bunch of people.
I like it :) and I miss it :(
While writing about junctions and directions my mind began to draw an analogy of the situation to decision making.
Yeah I am always at a junction when it comes to critical decision making. There are invariably multiple paths to choose from and each looks equally likely and prospective to the other. Some paths can be ruled out with little effort but ultimately there is always a bifurcation to choose from. I try to take a more professional and analytical approach: weighing out pros and cons on excel sheets, color coding the choices,assigning them weights and sorting the columns. There is almost always a tie. Then there are calls to help services: A, mom-dad-B and sometimes friends. That leaves me more confused. Since now I have 3 for the matter, 2 against the matter. Should I try another couple of people? Its like tossing a coin in the hope of heads; if heads appears stop else toss an odd number of times till you get the maximum occurances of heads! Silly I agree, the fact that I opted for a second toss itself indicates what I am inclined towards. The risk in this case however is that there are no autowallahs and pedestrians and shopkeepers whose directions I can blindly follow. In this case there is no opportunity of a U-Turn. In this case if I am lost I have to find a detour. Myself. With the aid of my gut.
Isn't making a decision for equally prospective untrodden paths always a gamble? Maybe not for many, but for people who belive that good and bad coexist and that there is no such state as utopia it might be a little more confusing. Yes we can estimate consequences, make a few future predictions, look in the blind spots, have a hind sight and foresight but how accurate can we get? If we choose path 1 today it could lead our life to a completely different track. In just a split second if we had chosen path 2 where would we have landed? How would it be if I could trace back my life to the split second decisions that I have made, opt for the other paths that I rejected earlier and see what life had in store for me. It would be an opportunity to prove or disprove the "grass is always greener on the other side" myth/fact. No, I am perfectly happy with my today...just curious.
You know what I am talking about: the autowallahs and rickshaw-wallahs or shopkeepers or any pedestrian...just simply stop the car and ask "Bhaiya yahan se X tak kaise jaaun?"
There will be enthusiastic replies with detailed gesticulated explanations.
Bangalore autowallah:"Madam, left maari. Next circle right maari."
Calcutta rickshaw-wallah:"Didi, shaamne giye baandike jaan. Tar por crossing'e daandike ghurben"
Mumbai taxi-wallah:"Pehle left maarne ka hai, phir aage signal se right maarne ka hai"
Chennai autowallah:"Madam english. No hindi"
Then you reach till wherever they have guided you and repeat the same question with a new bunch of people.
I like it :) and I miss it :(
While writing about junctions and directions my mind began to draw an analogy of the situation to decision making.
Yeah I am always at a junction when it comes to critical decision making. There are invariably multiple paths to choose from and each looks equally likely and prospective to the other. Some paths can be ruled out with little effort but ultimately there is always a bifurcation to choose from. I try to take a more professional and analytical approach: weighing out pros and cons on excel sheets, color coding the choices,assigning them weights and sorting the columns. There is almost always a tie. Then there are calls to help services: A, mom-dad-B and sometimes friends. That leaves me more confused. Since now I have 3 for the matter, 2 against the matter. Should I try another couple of people? Its like tossing a coin in the hope of heads; if heads appears stop else toss an odd number of times till you get the maximum occurances of heads! Silly I agree, the fact that I opted for a second toss itself indicates what I am inclined towards. The risk in this case however is that there are no autowallahs and pedestrians and shopkeepers whose directions I can blindly follow. In this case there is no opportunity of a U-Turn. In this case if I am lost I have to find a detour. Myself. With the aid of my gut.
Isn't making a decision for equally prospective untrodden paths always a gamble? Maybe not for many, but for people who belive that good and bad coexist and that there is no such state as utopia it might be a little more confusing. Yes we can estimate consequences, make a few future predictions, look in the blind spots, have a hind sight and foresight but how accurate can we get? If we choose path 1 today it could lead our life to a completely different track. In just a split second if we had chosen path 2 where would we have landed? How would it be if I could trace back my life to the split second decisions that I have made, opt for the other paths that I rejected earlier and see what life had in store for me. It would be an opportunity to prove or disprove the "grass is always greener on the other side" myth/fact. No, I am perfectly happy with my today...just curious.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Not equal to equality
A medical student died in protest of the increase of quota for higher education admits to Indian institutions and the media is not willing to cover it. The quota is for backward classes (supposedly people who belong to a lower caste in the social structure and who are minorities)
Are these so called backward classes really backward? They study in the same schools, eat the same food, work in same organizations, earn the same money, get promotions based on their performance, have similar social life and are treated equally (Yeah, wake up this is the 21st century. We don't believe in untouchables!). How many times have you mistreated your friends because they were OBCs? Have we not shared lunch in school and studied and played together? Do we not interact with them freely and openly without any biases? At least if we are going for higher education we are wise enough to surpass this discrimination.
Then why this inequality?
From personal experience:
I remember distinctly: two friends, with the same background, same social status, same 14 years of schooling in one of the best schools in town, attended the same coaching centers, aspiring to be engineers. A gets a rank of 200 and B gets a rank of 370. A always wanted to do Computer Science from the best college but doesn't make it in the counselling session. Why? The cut off for CompSci seats was at rank 175. But B belonged to a minority community so he happily sails into Computer Science in the best college. A is disappointed and forced to take up Electrical in a less ranked college. Surprisingly B's family's household income and financial status was way better than A's. Her wish: I will marry a person from a minority community, at least my children will not have to face what I faced.
Why should a person who has not worked hard enough for an examination or maybe is not sutiable enough, get a better admit than someone who is much more capable than him just because the former's surname catogorizes him as a backward class. Aren't we losing out on better professionals?
Is this *equality* that the government is trying to portray or is it one more of their strategies to win the minority votes?
I don't think they are doing away with discrimination by raising reservations, they are encouraging it. They are provoking people to continue their belief in caste and stratas.
This is the defeat of merit at the hands of discrimination.
This is a hindrance to a well developed nation.
Are these so called backward classes really backward? They study in the same schools, eat the same food, work in same organizations, earn the same money, get promotions based on their performance, have similar social life and are treated equally (Yeah, wake up this is the 21st century. We don't believe in untouchables!). How many times have you mistreated your friends because they were OBCs? Have we not shared lunch in school and studied and played together? Do we not interact with them freely and openly without any biases? At least if we are going for higher education we are wise enough to surpass this discrimination.
Then why this inequality?
From personal experience:
I remember distinctly: two friends, with the same background, same social status, same 14 years of schooling in one of the best schools in town, attended the same coaching centers, aspiring to be engineers. A gets a rank of 200 and B gets a rank of 370. A always wanted to do Computer Science from the best college but doesn't make it in the counselling session. Why? The cut off for CompSci seats was at rank 175. But B belonged to a minority community so he happily sails into Computer Science in the best college. A is disappointed and forced to take up Electrical in a less ranked college. Surprisingly B's family's household income and financial status was way better than A's. Her wish: I will marry a person from a minority community, at least my children will not have to face what I faced.
Why should a person who has not worked hard enough for an examination or maybe is not sutiable enough, get a better admit than someone who is much more capable than him just because the former's surname catogorizes him as a backward class. Aren't we losing out on better professionals?
Is this *equality* that the government is trying to portray or is it one more of their strategies to win the minority votes?
I don't think they are doing away with discrimination by raising reservations, they are encouraging it. They are provoking people to continue their belief in caste and stratas.
This is the defeat of merit at the hands of discrimination.
This is a hindrance to a well developed nation.
Thrills and chills
Back after a long vacation...
Theme park thrills
Rides that sent chills
Shamu's splashes
Dolphins' dashes
Penguins and seals
In control of fast wheels
Simulated earthquakes
Twister - so not fake
Shark attacks in Jaws
Eaten by dinosaurs
Loony toons
Scary goons
Back to the future
Islands of adventure
Haunted mansion
Magic kingdom
Shrek in 4D
Laughter and screams
Alien encounters
Dangerous roller coasters
Revenge of the Mummy
That feeling in the tummy
Fairy tale parade
Fireworks in the end
Thank you Walt Disney for 4 days of unadulterated fun!
(That was some effort in trying to rhyme! )
Walt Disney's contribution to humankind is magnanimous. Just the fact that his creations can bring a smile to the faces of so many of us irrespective of age, can distract us from our thoughts and worries is an achievement in itself.
On our drive back we were discussing the fact that all these rides, roller coasters and simulations do manage to thrill us but the fact that we know from deep within that we are safe and nothing can happen prevents the completion of the adrenaline gush. So, the question is what kind of an *aritificial* enviroment can actually arouse real fear, the spirit of real adventure like say falling into a lake of crocodiles, unarmed, feeling the movements of their slithery bodies in the water, being able to see the sharp teethed open mouth of the animals at an arm's length knowing that there is nothing that can save you other than yourself or being actually pushed from the top of a tall tower without any seat belt or rope protecting you or pulling you back, where you know that in a few seconds you will land on your face on the ground below, smashed, your bones shattered or maybe enter a deserted haunted house alone without a torch or a weapon, hearing eerie noises whose source you can't trace back, feeling a sudden gush of wind on your neck, where you have to feel the walls to move forward or being in the middle of an 8.3 richter earthquake where you have to run to save yourself being buried under concrete, the walls collapsing an inch behind you, people screaming.
The conclusion derived from the discussion was - induce an artificial nightmare. Hypnotize the adventure-seeker and throw him into those situations in his dreams. There he has no seat belts or weapons or the knowledge that its just a ride and it will end in sometime. He is alone facing his worst fears. That should be a spine chilling!
Theme park thrills
Rides that sent chills
Shamu's splashes
Dolphins' dashes
Penguins and seals
In control of fast wheels
Simulated earthquakes
Twister - so not fake
Shark attacks in Jaws
Eaten by dinosaurs
Loony toons
Scary goons
Back to the future
Islands of adventure
Haunted mansion
Magic kingdom
Shrek in 4D
Laughter and screams
Alien encounters
Dangerous roller coasters
Revenge of the Mummy
That feeling in the tummy
Fairy tale parade
Fireworks in the end
Thank you Walt Disney for 4 days of unadulterated fun!
(That was some effort in trying to rhyme! )
Walt Disney's contribution to humankind is magnanimous. Just the fact that his creations can bring a smile to the faces of so many of us irrespective of age, can distract us from our thoughts and worries is an achievement in itself.
On our drive back we were discussing the fact that all these rides, roller coasters and simulations do manage to thrill us but the fact that we know from deep within that we are safe and nothing can happen prevents the completion of the adrenaline gush. So, the question is what kind of an *aritificial* enviroment can actually arouse real fear, the spirit of real adventure like say falling into a lake of crocodiles, unarmed, feeling the movements of their slithery bodies in the water, being able to see the sharp teethed open mouth of the animals at an arm's length knowing that there is nothing that can save you other than yourself or being actually pushed from the top of a tall tower without any seat belt or rope protecting you or pulling you back, where you know that in a few seconds you will land on your face on the ground below, smashed, your bones shattered or maybe enter a deserted haunted house alone without a torch or a weapon, hearing eerie noises whose source you can't trace back, feeling a sudden gush of wind on your neck, where you have to feel the walls to move forward or being in the middle of an 8.3 richter earthquake where you have to run to save yourself being buried under concrete, the walls collapsing an inch behind you, people screaming.
The conclusion derived from the discussion was - induce an artificial nightmare. Hypnotize the adventure-seeker and throw him into those situations in his dreams. There he has no seat belts or weapons or the knowledge that its just a ride and it will end in sometime. He is alone facing his worst fears. That should be a spine chilling!
Friday, May 12, 2006
Geekily cool
Ok, looks like I am a nerd, haha. By the standards of this quiz anyone who has spend 4 long years in engineering school and is into a software job now will be a nerd. Stumbled upon this from a friend's blog and because I had nothing better to do, I took it. So if you are finding ways to kill time, go ahead and check it out.
I had always associated nerds/geeks with messy-haired, bespectacled middle aged men in laboratories working on rats and gas emitting colorful liquids. But in recent times the scenario has definitely changed. Gates, Page, Brin, Jobs etc have raised the bar and set a new trend. Now its cool to be geeky.
Ok here are a few questions that I think, if one can answer correctly, is into geekdom, at least in the computer world.(No I dont know some of them myself but have seen people around me do it).
Before you proceed if you do not know who all the people I mentioned above are, lets talk about something else.
1. Do you know more than 4 languages (if you are thinking of hindi, english, french then....well proceed if you want to pass time)
2. Do you know how to read a core dump and debug it?
3. Can you create your own smilies and use it on an instant messenger in about 5-7 mins?
4. Can you explain Eistein's theory of Relativity to a 7 year old?
5. Have you contributed to a wiki?
6. Have you gotten your hand dirty in open source?
7. Have you been on Ruby on Rails ?
8. Given a Windows desktop and internet connection how can you transfer songs onto your ipod which are not on sale and can only be streamed? Time limit to implement: 5 mins
9. Are all your gadgets synched? address book,calendar, to-dos etc on laptop, cell phone, palm
10. Have you explored into home automation?
11. Do you still use Mapquest and Yahoo finance and IE 6?
12. Can you explore Mars anytime?
13. Can you build your own Tivo?
14. Have you printed documents or sent videos through BlueTooth?
15. Have you worked on more than 3 different operating systems?
16. How many utilities have you written for your own convinience?
17. Design the next generation photo album and photo frame. Time limit: 3 mins
18. Do you know the PS3 release dates?
19. Do you know how to keep your web page safe from web spiders and spambots?
20. Are you in the habit of solving cryptic crosswords and playing Sudoku?
21. Do you read Engadget and Gizmodo?
22. Do you shop from ThinkGeek?
23. Do you listen to concertos?
24. Do you think PI was a cool movie?
Yeah thats geekdom!
One of my favorites: (brownie points for decoding the message)
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Aromas
Recently I discovered that smells influence my mind more than I thought.
For example the fresh smell of the new pot pourrie that I have kept in the wide mouthed vase on my bedside table soothens me when I settle myself in bed with a book at the end of a long day.
Or the fragrance of sandalwood incense sticks in the house arouses a pure and clean feeling. I can almost hear the sound of conch shells from our little "thakur ghor" (small temple in the house) at home in the evenings.
I love the smell of wet earth. It is the identity of the elements, of Mother Nature. Nowadays the same smell makes me miss India. For some reason I cannot associate that smell with any other land.
The aroma of a freshly baked cake, right out of the oven reminds me of childhood birthdays with family.
The smell of strong, freshly brewed coffee links to concentration, late nights and deadlines.
The crisp smell of the pages of a new book excites me. I associate it with adventure, wisdom and collection.
The smell of washed and ironed linen transports me to the hospital bed where I had stayed for 4 days during my surgery last year.
The smell of petrol, I associate with the Iraq war somehow.
There are several other smells that mean more than just a smell to me.
Of course I will write only about fragrances.
For example the fresh smell of the new pot pourrie that I have kept in the wide mouthed vase on my bedside table soothens me when I settle myself in bed with a book at the end of a long day.
Or the fragrance of sandalwood incense sticks in the house arouses a pure and clean feeling. I can almost hear the sound of conch shells from our little "thakur ghor" (small temple in the house) at home in the evenings.
I love the smell of wet earth. It is the identity of the elements, of Mother Nature. Nowadays the same smell makes me miss India. For some reason I cannot associate that smell with any other land.
The aroma of a freshly baked cake, right out of the oven reminds me of childhood birthdays with family.
The smell of strong, freshly brewed coffee links to concentration, late nights and deadlines.
The crisp smell of the pages of a new book excites me. I associate it with adventure, wisdom and collection.
The smell of washed and ironed linen transports me to the hospital bed where I had stayed for 4 days during my surgery last year.
The smell of petrol, I associate with the Iraq war somehow.
There are several other smells that mean more than just a smell to me.
Of course I will write only about fragrances.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Survival of the Fittest
David Blaine survived after being immersed in water for 177 hours and attempting to break the world record for holding his breath underwater.They said he was doing this to test his physical, mental and emotional endurance.
This morning while driving to work we discussed the possibility of the evolution of a more tolerant species if the likes of David Blaine united and gave birth to a new generation. Is evolution too in our hands?
What would the evolved species be called? Still couldn't think of a good scientific name. From Homo-Erectus to Home-Sapiens and the subspecies Home Sapien Sapiens to ? That means a few centuries later we will be considered a primitive species with a less developed brain and our fossils will decorate museum shelves with a sign: "Home Sapien: The Ancient Man" !!!!!
Another interesting fact discussed- the current population of the world is 10% of all the humans that have ever existed on this planet. Now thats a big number. Are there enough resources to support this ever growing population? Will we face a global oxygen crisis someday?
P.S: To-dos: plant a seed every year
This morning while driving to work we discussed the possibility of the evolution of a more tolerant species if the likes of David Blaine united and gave birth to a new generation. Is evolution too in our hands?
What would the evolved species be called? Still couldn't think of a good scientific name. From Homo-Erectus to Home-Sapiens and the subspecies Home Sapien Sapiens to ? That means a few centuries later we will be considered a primitive species with a less developed brain and our fossils will decorate museum shelves with a sign: "Home Sapien: The Ancient Man" !!!!!
Another interesting fact discussed- the current population of the world is 10% of all the humans that have ever existed on this planet. Now thats a big number. Are there enough resources to support this ever growing population? Will we face a global oxygen crisis someday?
P.S: To-dos: plant a seed every year
Monday, May 08, 2006
The theory of the Alien God
Aliens - do they exist?
God - does He exist?
What if God = Alien?
Possible?
I think so....
I am quite certain that we are not the only privileged lives in this universe. There has to be other stars that has given birth to life ...maybe in some different form....maybe the elements that sustain lives there are beyond our knowledge or imagination...I mean every life form does not need to survive on Oxygen and water. They could be surviving on something entirely different. Something we can't fathom.
Maybe they are way advanced than us.
Maybe they are way behind us and we could teach them a lesson or two.
Maybe they are having fun watchin us.
Maybe they have given us a time period to establish ourselves on our own.
Maybe they are running some kind of an experiment on this planet to see how far this living race goes.
Maybe one fine day they'll come out and tell us we did well, it just took us 4.55 billion years to get to the internet age whereas some other planets are still inventing the wheel in that much time.
Or maybe they ll come and tell us we are losers, our competitors are capable of flying themselves, communicating telepathetically, controlling weather and disease, have supercomputers instead of brains, have discovered other forms of life on many other planets and toured the universe - all in 4.55 billion years. We are slow and stupid. We have to surrender to the superior race and learn from them!
If this is happening and we are being controlled by one central alien race, then isn't God= Alien?
He sees us, controls us, decides our destiny by scribbling some lines in our hands and sends us here to this planet. Then he puts us through some tests to see whether we survive or not. Depending on how we do he sends us on our next mission. If we are good we are sent on a better mission maybe even to a better planet which we humans have decided to call heaven. If we are bad we are sent to an inferior living race. Thats called hell.
He ensures the planets don't collide and that the magnetic field is just right to keep everything in place. He deviates dangerous comets from colliding with this ecosystem. He distributes energy from a central repository to different stars. After all he is experimenting. The universe is his laboratory. The planets are his testbeds. The stars are his resources. We are indeed nothing but the equivalent of lab-rats. So much for our superiority complex! We the homo-sapien-sapiens ( I m not sure whether I belong to the homo-sapien-sapien species 'cause when I was in school we were called the Homo Sapiens) should give this a thought and work harder towards advancement.
I think I can use this theory to justify a lot of things that have mystified me earlier :D
Wow!
P.S: I am not drunk or haven't seen a sci-fi recently. I like to imagine.
God - does He exist?
What if God = Alien?
Possible?
I think so....
I am quite certain that we are not the only privileged lives in this universe. There has to be other stars that has given birth to life ...maybe in some different form....maybe the elements that sustain lives there are beyond our knowledge or imagination...I mean every life form does not need to survive on Oxygen and water. They could be surviving on something entirely different. Something we can't fathom.
Maybe they are way advanced than us.
Maybe they are way behind us and we could teach them a lesson or two.
Maybe they are having fun watchin us.
Maybe they have given us a time period to establish ourselves on our own.
Maybe they are running some kind of an experiment on this planet to see how far this living race goes.
Maybe one fine day they'll come out and tell us we did well, it just took us 4.55 billion years to get to the internet age whereas some other planets are still inventing the wheel in that much time.
Or maybe they ll come and tell us we are losers, our competitors are capable of flying themselves, communicating telepathetically, controlling weather and disease, have supercomputers instead of brains, have discovered other forms of life on many other planets and toured the universe - all in 4.55 billion years. We are slow and stupid. We have to surrender to the superior race and learn from them!
If this is happening and we are being controlled by one central alien race, then isn't God= Alien?
He sees us, controls us, decides our destiny by scribbling some lines in our hands and sends us here to this planet. Then he puts us through some tests to see whether we survive or not. Depending on how we do he sends us on our next mission. If we are good we are sent on a better mission maybe even to a better planet which we humans have decided to call heaven. If we are bad we are sent to an inferior living race. Thats called hell.
He ensures the planets don't collide and that the magnetic field is just right to keep everything in place. He deviates dangerous comets from colliding with this ecosystem. He distributes energy from a central repository to different stars. After all he is experimenting. The universe is his laboratory. The planets are his testbeds. The stars are his resources. We are indeed nothing but the equivalent of lab-rats. So much for our superiority complex! We the homo-sapien-sapiens ( I m not sure whether I belong to the homo-sapien-sapien species 'cause when I was in school we were called the Homo Sapiens) should give this a thought and work harder towards advancement.
I think I can use this theory to justify a lot of things that have mystified me earlier :D
Wow!
P.S: I am not drunk or haven't seen a sci-fi recently. I like to imagine.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
For every mood....
Sunshine, a balcony facing the ocean, paints, an empty canvas and "If I were a painter and could paint a memory"
Early morning,the warm blanket, post dream confusions that provoke a mischievous smile, a shower, hot breakfast and "Sunrise sunrise looks like mornin' in your eyes",
Rainy afternoon, coffee, sound of water drops trickling down the leaves, old albums with black and white photos and "Don't know why I didn't come"
In the midst of a sunflower field, bright blue sky, chirping of birds and "A little girl with nothing wrong is all alone"
Moonlight, riverside, a bonfire and "What am I to you...."
Whats the common link?
Norah Jones rocks!!!
Early morning,the warm blanket, post dream confusions that provoke a mischievous smile, a shower, hot breakfast and "Sunrise sunrise looks like mornin' in your eyes",
Rainy afternoon, coffee, sound of water drops trickling down the leaves, old albums with black and white photos and "Don't know why I didn't come"
In the midst of a sunflower field, bright blue sky, chirping of birds and "A little girl with nothing wrong is all alone"
Moonlight, riverside, a bonfire and "What am I to you...."
Whats the common link?
Norah Jones rocks!!!
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