This is about a new movie called 'Sorry Bhai'...
This is not a review, but the plot in the movie is really interesting to get me thinking. Well, if you haven't seen the movie, please first go and watch the movie and then come back and read this, coz I probably need to unravel the plot here. But it is a movie worth watching, if for nothing else, at least for the beautiful Chitrangada Singh.
The basic plot is this. A family with 2 sons, mom, dad. Elder son is currently in a foreign country ( I think Mauritius) and is about to get married. He calls the rest of the family to Mauritius to attend the wedding. This by itself is a little non Indian, and nontraditional. But then there, the mom (played by Shabana Azmi) doesn't quite get along with the bride-to-be (Chitrangada Singh), but they slowly try get closer.
The twist in the story comes when Chitrangada and the younger brother fall in love with each other, and end up having sex (while the family was attending this girl's wedding with the elder brother). The younger brother now resolves to get married to this girl (would-have-been-bhabhi -- are in in western Europe? :P ).
So far so good. The elder brother initially reacts violently, but then understands that there is no point in fighting this, and gets out of the way. But that's where I think logic ends.
The mother then goes to younger son and asks him to swear upon her that he won't marry the girl. Coz, "he cannot do such a disgusting deed". This is where I was hugely surprised. A mother asking her younger son to give away his happiness for her other son? There was also a scene where the mother talks to this bride-to-be about the fact that the elder son was her favourite. Whoa! what wrong did the younger one do?? If they weren't brothers, wouldn't they solve it man to man? (like the brothers anyhow did?)
Can moms be that way? Was she right in asking her younger son to give away sumone he was in love with? was she right in choosing a favourite? couldn't she be objective between her sons?
I think the mother was totally wrong, and unfortunately unmotherly like when she chose her favourite kid and discriminated against her younger one. Not only that, she didn't look at love the way even the brothers looked at it, where they practically said that u need to love the other person and 'stay' in love while getting married.
But there is a flip side of thoughts too. Where does a commitment to marriage turn in to a point of no return? I mean, if say, the girl and the younger brother would have fallen in love after the girl was married to the elder brother, what should be done in that case? should the existing couple divorce to allow for the 'freshly brewed' couple?
But then the argument remains the same doesn't it? you shouldn't marry (or stay in marriage with ) a person you don't love. I think it is (at least sometimes) natural to fall out of love in a marriage after a few years. So then should you divorce after that? But aren't divorces typically a bad thing? Also, what if they had kids?
I think either we need to look at marriage or at divorce from a new perspective. Maybe the way it happens in the west (not entirely follow that though) could give us some ideas... Should we move to a system where marriage is a permeable membrane that you can easily walk in and out of? But then what happens to the kids? And if not, should two people keep hitting their heads on the wall in a troubled marriage and spoil their lives?
what say?
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The appaling state of affairs: Step 1 police reforms
watch this video
Here Ratan Tata says that Tatas will now have their own mechanism to handle terror.
In this action, I could see the desperation, frustration, and resignation of a very patriotic group (Tatas do one of the most wide spread philanthropy I think).
Today Tatas actually said that they could not trust the government machinery to protect them from terrorists. So now, they will have to enter a domain that is an additional strain on their pockets. The money that they would otherwise be using to grow further across the globe. This is a sorry face of Indian Government machinery.
Tatas might have the money to open an anti terror process costing crores of rupees. What about the common man? What about me? you( if you don't belong to Tata group). Are we going to be killed by the terrorists, or by carelessness of Indian Government? Do we all have to now fend for ourselves and carry guns with us every time we venture out?
The Police laws we have were written in 1861, around 4 years after the revolt of 1857. Not only were they written by the british, but they were almost undoubtedly written to prevent from uprisings like 1857 from happening again. Needless to say, not only were they tyrannical, but also are totally irrelevant today. I am told there is a law that prohibits opening of road side dhabas!
This set of archaic laws, and their much needed reforms have been debated for the past 30 years! And add to this the fact that Politicians (Yah I know u r thinking there he goes politician bashing) use the police as they deem fit (for security, even getting milk in the morning), because police and law and order is a state subject. Constant patronage to specific officers and punishment others
On the other hand, opposite systems create, and mismanagement of them, create similar problems. Delhi Police for example, is not under Delhi CM's. When the girl was killed in the early morning hours, she could not do anything. There are many other similar cases where total control, or absolute lack of control over police have led to deaths, serious loss to us, the common people.
And yet the debate goes on, coz it is not in any minister's benefit to let go of their control over police. To top it, there is very little awareness in public about this issue. Unless general public takes this as a serious issue no party will want to work on it against the wishes of their ministers.
One of my professors here in US, Indian by origin, left India coz he thought nothing could be changed there. I am not justifying his cynicism but there is a point there. Every time we talked about India, and he is as passionate about India as any Indian I have seen, he said two things.
1. We must have a good enforcement mechanism (read police) to ensure smooth functioning of almost everything a common man deals with.
2. A few generations of Indians need to die and wash away before we can see a new vibrant India.
We live in a society where a person thinks he can get away from police after a crime, be it high profile like Manu Sharma, or Biti Mohanty, or road side goondas-turned-politicians like Arun Ghawli, or even the goondas in the streets of lucknow, or corrupt government officials demanding bribes, or even lazy police themselves totally ensured of patronage. When anyone of us thinks that a hundred rupees (500 in some cases) can get us out of 'trouble', the backbone of an orderly society breaks down. This again comes back haunting us in form of delayed police in terrorist attacks...
I think through all that I've written, I have tried to bring about the urgency needed to have police reforms. It is the common man's interaction with a constable that needs to be perfected. And thats the best way to reform a society. From within. From the basics...
I found this article too have a look...
Here Ratan Tata says that Tatas will now have their own mechanism to handle terror.
In this action, I could see the desperation, frustration, and resignation of a very patriotic group (Tatas do one of the most wide spread philanthropy I think).
Today Tatas actually said that they could not trust the government machinery to protect them from terrorists. So now, they will have to enter a domain that is an additional strain on their pockets. The money that they would otherwise be using to grow further across the globe. This is a sorry face of Indian Government machinery.
Tatas might have the money to open an anti terror process costing crores of rupees. What about the common man? What about me? you( if you don't belong to Tata group). Are we going to be killed by the terrorists, or by carelessness of Indian Government? Do we all have to now fend for ourselves and carry guns with us every time we venture out?
The Police laws we have were written in 1861, around 4 years after the revolt of 1857. Not only were they written by the british, but they were almost undoubtedly written to prevent from uprisings like 1857 from happening again. Needless to say, not only were they tyrannical, but also are totally irrelevant today. I am told there is a law that prohibits opening of road side dhabas!
This set of archaic laws, and their much needed reforms have been debated for the past 30 years! And add to this the fact that Politicians (Yah I know u r thinking there he goes politician bashing) use the police as they deem fit (for security, even getting milk in the morning), because police and law and order is a state subject. Constant patronage to specific officers and punishment others
On the other hand, opposite systems create, and mismanagement of them, create similar problems. Delhi Police for example, is not under Delhi CM's. When the girl was killed in the early morning hours, she could not do anything. There are many other similar cases where total control, or absolute lack of control over police have led to deaths, serious loss to us, the common people.
And yet the debate goes on, coz it is not in any minister's benefit to let go of their control over police. To top it, there is very little awareness in public about this issue. Unless general public takes this as a serious issue no party will want to work on it against the wishes of their ministers.
One of my professors here in US, Indian by origin, left India coz he thought nothing could be changed there. I am not justifying his cynicism but there is a point there. Every time we talked about India, and he is as passionate about India as any Indian I have seen, he said two things.
1. We must have a good enforcement mechanism (read police) to ensure smooth functioning of almost everything a common man deals with.
2. A few generations of Indians need to die and wash away before we can see a new vibrant India.
We live in a society where a person thinks he can get away from police after a crime, be it high profile like Manu Sharma, or Biti Mohanty, or road side goondas-turned-politicians like Arun Ghawli, or even the goondas in the streets of lucknow, or corrupt government officials demanding bribes, or even lazy police themselves totally ensured of patronage. When anyone of us thinks that a hundred rupees (500 in some cases) can get us out of 'trouble', the backbone of an orderly society breaks down. This again comes back haunting us in form of delayed police in terrorist attacks...
I think through all that I've written, I have tried to bring about the urgency needed to have police reforms. It is the common man's interaction with a constable that needs to be perfected. And thats the best way to reform a society. From within. From the basics...
I found this article too have a look...
Sunday, December 07, 2008
the comma called Bombay
First of all, the reason I wasn't blogging for a while was that I did not have anything to share. I actually started my job (no biggie), changed the city(no biggie), changed apartment (again, no biggie), went to relatives for Thanks giving (again)...
But then happened the stuff in Bombay (Mumbai for younger generations). 3 days, and the intervening nights like most other Indians I was glued to either TV, Laptop, or phone (while traveling) to get updates about the latest news. I was kinda sure that I won't have immediate relations involved (that was wrong), but the sheer fact that we were being killed was obviously a grim feeling. It was a feeling of helplessness, where we couldn't do anything but just sit and wait for this to get over, leaving us scarred forever.
Time magazine says that Indians shrug off a bomb blast like mosquitoes. Sad but true. 200 odd people were killed. sad but true. People from foreign land could come in and roam our cities in hijacked police vans, and fire on Indians. Sad but true. A normal Indian just walking on the road then would have his leg and arm ripped off. Sad but true...
But when Chidambaram says Indian security apparatus was faulty, that's inexcusable.
When BJP starts election campaign on it, that's inexcusable. When police arrives 30 minutes after the first bomb blast in Cama Hospital (Here), that's inexcusable.
When Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil says that this is a small thing, that's inexcusable.
The list will go on, and we will keep bleeding. After all, the status of Indian administration comes from Indian society, far too busy in earning their bread and if lucky, enjoying their movies, coffee at baristas, eating at Taj, or where ever. Most of the families I know have at least one of their relatives somewhere abroad. I meet some of my bangalore classmates in buses here in the US!. Many of my classmates(including me) are somewhere in US on 'Onsite' earning dollars, converting them to rupees, buying swanky houses, skodas, BMWs, fords (wrong company in current financial scenario).
One of my friends was kinda surprised when she learnt that I was very upset about Bombay. She asked me if I had someone related in that attack. I didn't know what to say. Do I only care about blood relations in India? Was every Indian Gandhi's/Bhagat Singh's relative? But most of us are that aloof from the area that exists beyond our offices and nearest malls. And unless a bomb blast or a gun shot happens next to our doors, we will always be listening to 'comfortably numb' (because we are) on our ipods, watching movies, and going on holidays on election days
A callous resignation. I guess that's the best way most of us can be described. If we can get away with a 100 rupee 'tip' to the traffic cop, we would (who wants to go to court). We all are fine with the world as long as we get our cup of coffee/beer and get to buy the cars we want.
What's wrong!!!! are we a bunch of random entities forced in to a box called India, when we'd rather be away from each other? Isn't there a value system that the whole nation could adhere to? are we all that cannibalistic?
We cannot stop foreign countries from hating us. We cannot stop a global recession. We cannot stop international politics against us. We can however work towards a collective response on it. We can create a social structure where locals don't help in such acts. We can create an environment where our state institutions work efficiently. Nehru in his book dreams of an India as great as it was in history where free thought, without any prejudice prevailed all over the country. Tagore mentioned the same in his work ('Where the head is held high...' remember?)
Just to clarify, I am not here to ramble on about the problems from a far away land. I have a bunch of action points too on it. This post has become far too long for that... I will put the problem from my perspective, and possible solutions, in my humble opinion, on it.
A bleeding fellow Indian.
But then happened the stuff in Bombay (Mumbai for younger generations). 3 days, and the intervening nights like most other Indians I was glued to either TV, Laptop, or phone (while traveling) to get updates about the latest news. I was kinda sure that I won't have immediate relations involved (that was wrong), but the sheer fact that we were being killed was obviously a grim feeling. It was a feeling of helplessness, where we couldn't do anything but just sit and wait for this to get over, leaving us scarred forever.
Time magazine says that Indians shrug off a bomb blast like mosquitoes. Sad but true. 200 odd people were killed. sad but true. People from foreign land could come in and roam our cities in hijacked police vans, and fire on Indians. Sad but true. A normal Indian just walking on the road then would have his leg and arm ripped off. Sad but true...
But when Chidambaram says Indian security apparatus was faulty, that's inexcusable.
When BJP starts election campaign on it, that's inexcusable. When police arrives 30 minutes after the first bomb blast in Cama Hospital (Here), that's inexcusable.
When Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil says that this is a small thing, that's inexcusable.
The list will go on, and we will keep bleeding. After all, the status of Indian administration comes from Indian society, far too busy in earning their bread and if lucky, enjoying their movies, coffee at baristas, eating at Taj, or where ever. Most of the families I know have at least one of their relatives somewhere abroad. I meet some of my bangalore classmates in buses here in the US!. Many of my classmates(including me) are somewhere in US on 'Onsite' earning dollars, converting them to rupees, buying swanky houses, skodas, BMWs, fords (wrong company in current financial scenario).
One of my friends was kinda surprised when she learnt that I was very upset about Bombay. She asked me if I had someone related in that attack. I didn't know what to say. Do I only care about blood relations in India? Was every Indian Gandhi's/Bhagat Singh's relative? But most of us are that aloof from the area that exists beyond our offices and nearest malls. And unless a bomb blast or a gun shot happens next to our doors, we will always be listening to 'comfortably numb' (because we are) on our ipods, watching movies, and going on holidays on election days
A callous resignation. I guess that's the best way most of us can be described. If we can get away with a 100 rupee 'tip' to the traffic cop, we would (who wants to go to court). We all are fine with the world as long as we get our cup of coffee/beer and get to buy the cars we want.
What's wrong!!!! are we a bunch of random entities forced in to a box called India, when we'd rather be away from each other? Isn't there a value system that the whole nation could adhere to? are we all that cannibalistic?
We cannot stop foreign countries from hating us. We cannot stop a global recession. We cannot stop international politics against us. We can however work towards a collective response on it. We can create a social structure where locals don't help in such acts. We can create an environment where our state institutions work efficiently. Nehru in his book dreams of an India as great as it was in history where free thought, without any prejudice prevailed all over the country. Tagore mentioned the same in his work ('Where the head is held high...' remember?)
Just to clarify, I am not here to ramble on about the problems from a far away land. I have a bunch of action points too on it. This post has become far too long for that... I will put the problem from my perspective, and possible solutions, in my humble opinion, on it.
A bleeding fellow Indian.
Monday, October 13, 2008
MUSHKIL HAI APNA MEL PRIYE
read this poem... its long, but very much worth your time. take my word on it.
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
mushkil hai apnamel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
tum MA 1st division ho, main hua matric fel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
tum fauji afsar ki beti, main to kisaan ka beta hoon,
tum rabadi kheer malai ho, main to sattu sapreta hoon,
tum AC ghar mein rahti ho, main ped ke neeche leta hoon,
tum nai maruti lagti ho, main scooter lamreta hoon,
is kadar agar hum chup-chup kar aapas me prem badhaenge,
to ek roz tere daddy amrish puri ban jaaenge,
sab haddi pasli tod mujhe bhijwaa denge vo jail priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
tum arab desh kee ghodi ho, main hoon gadahe ki naal priye,
tum deewali ka bonus ho, main bhookho ki hadtaal priye,
tum heere jadi tashtari ho, main almunium ka thaal priye,
tum chicken-soop biryani ho, main kankad waali daal priye,
tum hiran-chaokadi bharti ho, main hoon kachue ki chaal priye,
tum chandan-wan ki lakdi ho, main hoon babool ki chaal priye,
main pake aam sa latka hoon, mat maaro mujhe gulel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
main shani-dev jaisa kuroop, tum komal kanchan kaya ho,
main tan-se man-se kanshi ram, tum maha chanchala maya ho,
tum nirmal paawan ganga ho, main jalta hua patanga hoon,
tum raaj ghaat ka shanti march, main hindu-muslim danga hoon,
tum ho poonamka taajmahal, main kaali gufa ajanta ki,
tum ho vardaan vidhata ka,main galti hoon bhagvanta ki,
tum jet vimaan ki shobha ho, main bus ki thelam-thel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
tum nai videshi mixi ho, main patthar ka silbatta hoon,
tum AK-saintalis jaisi, main to ik desi katta hoon,
tum chatur rabadi devi si, main bhola-bhala lalu hoon,
tum mukt sherni jangal ki, main chidiyaghar ka bhaalu hoon,
tum vyast sonia gandhi si, main v.p.singh sa khali hoon,
tum hansi madhuri dixit ki, main policeman ki gaali hoon,
kal jel agar ho jaaye to dilwa dena tum bel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
main dhabe ke dhaanche jaisa, tum paanch sitara hotel ho,
main mahue ka desi tharra, tum red-label ki botel ho,
tum chitra-haar ka madhur geet, main krishi-darshan ki jhaadi hoon,
tum vishva-sundari si kamaal, main teliya chaap kabadi hoon,
tum sony ka mobile ho, main telephone waala chonga,
tum machli maansarovar ki, main saagar tat ka hoon ghongha,
dus manzil se gir jaaooga, mat aage mujhe dhakel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
tum satta ki maharani ho, main vipaksha ki lachari hoon,
tum ho mamta-jailalita si, main kwara atal-bihari hoon,
tum tendulkar ka shatak priye, main follow on ki paari hoon,
tum getz,matiz, corolla ho main Leyland ki lorry hoon,
mujhko refree hi rehne do, mat khelo mujhse khel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
main soch raha ki rahe hain kabse, shrota mujhko jhel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye.
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
mushkil hai apnamel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
tum MA 1st division ho, main hua matric fel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
tum fauji afsar ki beti, main to kisaan ka beta hoon,
tum rabadi kheer malai ho, main to sattu sapreta hoon,
tum AC ghar mein rahti ho, main ped ke neeche leta hoon,
tum nai maruti lagti ho, main scooter lamreta hoon,
is kadar agar hum chup-chup kar aapas me prem badhaenge,
to ek roz tere daddy amrish puri ban jaaenge,
sab haddi pasli tod mujhe bhijwaa denge vo jail priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
tum arab desh kee ghodi ho, main hoon gadahe ki naal priye,
tum deewali ka bonus ho, main bhookho ki hadtaal priye,
tum heere jadi tashtari ho, main almunium ka thaal priye,
tum chicken-soop biryani ho, main kankad waali daal priye,
tum hiran-chaokadi bharti ho, main hoon kachue ki chaal priye,
tum chandan-wan ki lakdi ho, main hoon babool ki chaal priye,
main pake aam sa latka hoon, mat maaro mujhe gulel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
main shani-dev jaisa kuroop, tum komal kanchan kaya ho,
main tan-se man-se kanshi ram, tum maha chanchala maya ho,
tum nirmal paawan ganga ho, main jalta hua patanga hoon,
tum raaj ghaat ka shanti march, main hindu-muslim danga hoon,
tum ho poonamka taajmahal, main kaali gufa ajanta ki,
tum ho vardaan vidhata ka,main galti hoon bhagvanta ki,
tum jet vimaan ki shobha ho, main bus ki thelam-thel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
tum nai videshi mixi ho, main patthar ka silbatta hoon,
tum AK-saintalis jaisi, main to ik desi katta hoon,
tum chatur rabadi devi si, main bhola-bhala lalu hoon,
tum mukt sherni jangal ki, main chidiyaghar ka bhaalu hoon,
tum vyast sonia gandhi si, main v.p.singh sa khali hoon,
tum hansi madhuri dixit ki, main policeman ki gaali hoon,
kal jel agar ho jaaye to dilwa dena tum bel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
main dhabe ke dhaanche jaisa, tum paanch sitara hotel ho,
main mahue ka desi tharra, tum red-label ki botel ho,
tum chitra-haar ka madhur geet, main krishi-darshan ki jhaadi hoon,
tum vishva-sundari si kamaal, main teliya chaap kabadi hoon,
tum sony ka mobile ho, main telephone waala chonga,
tum machli maansarovar ki, main saagar tat ka hoon ghongha,
dus manzil se gir jaaooga, mat aage mujhe dhakel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
tum satta ki maharani ho, main vipaksha ki lachari hoon,
tum ho mamta-jailalita si, main kwara atal-bihari hoon,
tum tendulkar ka shatak priye, main follow on ki paari hoon,
tum getz,matiz, corolla ho main Leyland ki lorry hoon,
mujhko refree hi rehne do, mat khelo mujhse khel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye,
main soch raha ki rahe hain kabse, shrota mujhko jhel priye,
mushkil hai apna mel priye, ye pyar nahin hai khel priye.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Stumped!
Stumped! googlied! run out! (Inzamam Ul Haq style where u had no idea how could you get run out!) %^&*( %^&*( *()_+ ....>!!!!!
I mean, I am speechless it feels like I've grown in a Truman show where I was asked to believe in a particular world, and it turns out absolutely opposite!!!! OK. I will try to explain as much as I can, but beyond this I cannot do anything. Use your imagination, logic, background knowledge or what ever you want to use to get decipher what I want to say.
Hmm. clue number one. remember the moral science class? remember the course we covered? and remember the course we did not cover???
So the thing is, that the course we never covered was always assumed that we will cover by ourselves. Although, there were expectations all around you to know the course and score well in it, if there was a question asked.
Where were the questions asked? Right here!!! in real life!!!!!! God Damn!!! And what used to happen?? The questions were always ALWAYS out of course!!!! So there you are, who was not taught some particular chapters earlier, and then was indirectly told that everyone assumed that you knew the chapters and not only that, they also told you that every one in your batch knew the same stuff and therefore was expected to behave the same way. That was at least an assumption that you took with a sigh of relief, that the playing field is level.
5 years hence. You are in the real world with the education imparted to you at school, and home (most importantly), trying to find your place under the sun. To elaborate, now you are out there, (clue number two) trying to live your life socially, professionally, biologically, and ethically. And while you are trying to balance yourself on all the above mentioned ...ally's, you have nothing but those lessons you learnt in school.
So here is the meat. The lessons that you are using to balance your ...ally's with, include the lessons you never learnt in the first place!!!!!
So one fine day I am out in the big bad (really?) world, and I suddenly realize that other peers from my generation aren't even following the same rules!!!!! WHAT??? am I like the biggest C***** in the world to have believed what the 'others' wanted me to believe????
U know what it feels like? it feels as if u were fined a fortune by a traffic cop for having the wrong design of number plate (yes it happens), who later you found out was a fake!!!
I hope the clues helped you find out what I am talking about, or when u do find it out the hard way, lemme know... :(
A fellow late-realizer
I mean, I am speechless it feels like I've grown in a Truman show where I was asked to believe in a particular world, and it turns out absolutely opposite!!!! OK. I will try to explain as much as I can, but beyond this I cannot do anything. Use your imagination, logic, background knowledge or what ever you want to use to get decipher what I want to say.
Hmm. clue number one. remember the moral science class? remember the course we covered? and remember the course we did not cover???
So the thing is, that the course we never covered was always assumed that we will cover by ourselves. Although, there were expectations all around you to know the course and score well in it, if there was a question asked.
Where were the questions asked? Right here!!! in real life!!!!!! God Damn!!! And what used to happen?? The questions were always ALWAYS out of course!!!! So there you are, who was not taught some particular chapters earlier, and then was indirectly told that everyone assumed that you knew the chapters and not only that, they also told you that every one in your batch knew the same stuff and therefore was expected to behave the same way. That was at least an assumption that you took with a sigh of relief, that the playing field is level.
5 years hence. You are in the real world with the education imparted to you at school, and home (most importantly), trying to find your place under the sun. To elaborate, now you are out there, (clue number two) trying to live your life socially, professionally, biologically, and ethically. And while you are trying to balance yourself on all the above mentioned ...ally's, you have nothing but those lessons you learnt in school.
So here is the meat. The lessons that you are using to balance your ...ally's with, include the lessons you never learnt in the first place!!!!!
So one fine day I am out in the big bad (really?) world, and I suddenly realize that other peers from my generation aren't even following the same rules!!!!! WHAT??? am I like the biggest C***** in the world to have believed what the 'others' wanted me to believe????
U know what it feels like? it feels as if u were fined a fortune by a traffic cop for having the wrong design of number plate (yes it happens), who later you found out was a fake!!!
I hope the clues helped you find out what I am talking about, or when u do find it out the hard way, lemme know... :(
A fellow late-realizer
Changing tunes of the world?
I was just reading the news report in Wall Street Journal about US senate approving the India nuclear deal. (The news article). I have been closely observing the tone of the news reported on this matter till now. WSJ and NY Times, both have been reporting on this, though not as highly as Indian media, obviously because there is a more serious issue of the financial crisis, election, blah blah to report on..
But till now, all news reported was highlighting that India is the 'needy' and US the giver. Not that this is not true, but have a look at this or this...
Although there were other stories that bordered on reporting without prejudices, but I get a feeling that sometimes it is hard for American press to see their govt bending backwards to bag new orders for their companies. The bottom line is that this deal will get US lots of jobs and lots of money! accept it! that's why US Govt. is all after getting the deal done. As they say, In politics there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies, just permanent interests. I think they don't want to see the fact that it is indeed a time of reckoning for other nations to see eye to eye with US...
What do u think?
But till now, all news reported was highlighting that India is the 'needy' and US the giver. Not that this is not true, but have a look at this or this...
Although there were other stories that bordered on reporting without prejudices, but I get a feeling that sometimes it is hard for American press to see their govt bending backwards to bag new orders for their companies. The bottom line is that this deal will get US lots of jobs and lots of money! accept it! that's why US Govt. is all after getting the deal done. As they say, In politics there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies, just permanent interests. I think they don't want to see the fact that it is indeed a time of reckoning for other nations to see eye to eye with US...
What do u think?
Monday, September 15, 2008
घुलता हुआ एहसास
All right, before people label me as a forlorn lover, I am not! So read this as an artistic creation as compared to a 'felt' one :P
सोचता तो था की शायद उसको याद करता हूँ
पर अहसास अब कुछ कम होता है
कुछ समय पहले चाहता तो उसे बहुत था
पर महसूस अब थोडा कम करता हूँ
कहीं से कुछ कम हुआ है या खुद ही ख़त्म हो रहा हूँ
पर कुछ बातों को याद करके मायूस अब थोडा कम होता हूँ
सूरज को देखने की आदत तो नहीं पड़ी है,
पर चाँद को अब कभी कभी ही देखता हूँ
किसी और का नाम तो नहीं आया है अभी जुबां पे,
पर उसका नाम ज़रूर कम लेता हूँ
देर रात तक जागना तो अभी शुरू नहीं किया है,
पर रात में अभी भी कम सोता हूँ
आँखें अभी तक सूखी तो नहीं है
पर शायद अब थोडा कम रोता हूँ..
सोचता तो था की शायद उसको याद करता हूँ
पर अहसास अब कुछ कम होता है
कुछ समय पहले चाहता तो उसे बहुत था
पर महसूस अब थोडा कम करता हूँ
कहीं से कुछ कम हुआ है या खुद ही ख़त्म हो रहा हूँ
पर कुछ बातों को याद करके मायूस अब थोडा कम होता हूँ
सूरज को देखने की आदत तो नहीं पड़ी है,
पर चाँद को अब कभी कभी ही देखता हूँ
किसी और का नाम तो नहीं आया है अभी जुबां पे,
पर उसका नाम ज़रूर कम लेता हूँ
देर रात तक जागना तो अभी शुरू नहीं किया है,
पर रात में अभी भी कम सोता हूँ
आँखें अभी तक सूखी तो नहीं है
पर शायद अब थोडा कम रोता हूँ..
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Whose fault is it anyway?
Off late, or maybe its an exponential function of getting older, I've begun to see more shades of gray in our lives. Not to mention I have a huge trouble differentiating between greens and grays ( I think I am colourblind), but that again, is digression.
The grays I am talking about are absolutely divergent from the simple problems as we used to face. much like the transition from 11th standard's finding forces of friction between two cubes, to finding the forces of friction between all bodies in a moving cycle.
Earlier it was so simple to point the good vs the evil. God Ram was good, Ravan was evil! it was simple. But then IBN live ran a story saying that in south India, some people actually worshiped Ravan and thought Ram was evil! Even that could have passed off as an exception, if it wasn't for a wiki article on Indo-china war in 1965. Before that, as most Indians, I thought that the fault was all Chinese. After reading that article, it wasn't clear who was wrong. Chinese, according to that article, were just trying to protect their territory. Whose fault was it then?
Then I watched Devdas (new one, again). Obviously the hero in the movie, Devdas, was loved by everyone. Poor guy, because of the pain he went through because of Paro leaving him or his father punishing him for everything, he got into drinking problems. Although otherwise a drunkard is considered bad, in this case Devdas won all the sympathy because we all 'knew' why he became a drunkard. So then, something becomes despicable only when we judge the act. But as soon as we get to know the reason behind the act, the whole picture turns itself on head, and the character become a hero of a Rs. 30 crore plus movie.
There was this character in this movie. That of Devdas's bhabhi (sister in law). She comes out in a very sinister portrayal. But I now think that was because the movie doesn't get into the details of her character. If Devdas had his reasons for turning into a drunkard, she must have hers for turning into a bitch. Maybe if those reasons were shown in the movie (like a disturbed childhood, early rape or whatever is heart wrenching enough), we might not have considered her evil. Assuming her part of story was shown and we looked at her with the same sympathy as Devdas, who was responsible for all the fracas? Whose fault was it anyway?
I think the point that comes out is that there are so many shades of gray that I am bound to get confused in between them (and I almost thought I was colourblind :P) Most of the people in the world are living in the various shades of gray. Let's be a little more careful the next time we point are fingers 'knowing' whose fault it actually was after all.
The grays I am talking about are absolutely divergent from the simple problems as we used to face. much like the transition from 11th standard's finding forces of friction between two cubes, to finding the forces of friction between all bodies in a moving cycle.
Earlier it was so simple to point the good vs the evil. God Ram was good, Ravan was evil! it was simple. But then IBN live ran a story saying that in south India, some people actually worshiped Ravan and thought Ram was evil! Even that could have passed off as an exception, if it wasn't for a wiki article on Indo-china war in 1965. Before that, as most Indians, I thought that the fault was all Chinese. After reading that article, it wasn't clear who was wrong. Chinese, according to that article, were just trying to protect their territory. Whose fault was it then?
Then I watched Devdas (new one, again). Obviously the hero in the movie, Devdas, was loved by everyone. Poor guy, because of the pain he went through because of Paro leaving him or his father punishing him for everything, he got into drinking problems. Although otherwise a drunkard is considered bad, in this case Devdas won all the sympathy because we all 'knew' why he became a drunkard. So then, something becomes despicable only when we judge the act. But as soon as we get to know the reason behind the act, the whole picture turns itself on head, and the character become a hero of a Rs. 30 crore plus movie.
There was this character in this movie. That of Devdas's bhabhi (sister in law). She comes out in a very sinister portrayal. But I now think that was because the movie doesn't get into the details of her character. If Devdas had his reasons for turning into a drunkard, she must have hers for turning into a bitch. Maybe if those reasons were shown in the movie (like a disturbed childhood, early rape or whatever is heart wrenching enough), we might not have considered her evil. Assuming her part of story was shown and we looked at her with the same sympathy as Devdas, who was responsible for all the fracas? Whose fault was it anyway?
I think the point that comes out is that there are so many shades of gray that I am bound to get confused in between them (and I almost thought I was colourblind :P) Most of the people in the world are living in the various shades of gray. Let's be a little more careful the next time we point are fingers 'knowing' whose fault it actually was after all.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Fevicol Bond?
The story is like this... I met a Kenyan guy here. So, we got talking about each other's culture and stuff...
His name is Kevin, and we (me and my roomy) will be going to his place on saturday for exchange dinner. Kevin and I have met every now and then in the bus we take to the campus. He is a very eager listener. The last time we met, we again got talking about India, Kenya, and the similarities...
He told me about a lot of interesting stuff like how Kenya was kinda put together by colonialism into one country from among 100s of tribes (a word he said was derogatory), and we talked about the Indian population in Kenya and the stereotypes that Kenyans have of Indians settled there... It was also not a very pretty sign that every where people confine themselves to their own backyards. People in Kenya, ethnic Indians and Kenyans don't usually mingle with each other much.
Then came Indian story.. unity in diversity, 22 national languages, 28 states, caste system, 1.1 billion population etc etc.. I was trying to sketch the picture of big India. India where so many people live together despite the differences and still we are growing!
Then came his one line question. "What holds you together?" And I went blank. Was there something? I was just reminded of the Fevicol ad where 100 people were sitting on a tractor and the tractor was still moving fine! But I guess thats when it struck me... We are stuck together... by what, is a question open to all...
His name is Kevin, and we (me and my roomy) will be going to his place on saturday for exchange dinner. Kevin and I have met every now and then in the bus we take to the campus. He is a very eager listener. The last time we met, we again got talking about India, Kenya, and the similarities...
He told me about a lot of interesting stuff like how Kenya was kinda put together by colonialism into one country from among 100s of tribes (a word he said was derogatory), and we talked about the Indian population in Kenya and the stereotypes that Kenyans have of Indians settled there... It was also not a very pretty sign that every where people confine themselves to their own backyards. People in Kenya, ethnic Indians and Kenyans don't usually mingle with each other much.
Then came Indian story.. unity in diversity, 22 national languages, 28 states, caste system, 1.1 billion population etc etc.. I was trying to sketch the picture of big India. India where so many people live together despite the differences and still we are growing!
Then came his one line question. "What holds you together?" And I went blank. Was there something? I was just reminded of the Fevicol ad where 100 people were sitting on a tractor and the tractor was still moving fine! But I guess thats when it struck me... We are stuck together... by what, is a question open to all...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Layoff in the middle of the week
That's the best way to describe it I think... Today was my last class at MsBA at U of I. But the feeling is not that of sadness. Although yes, I would ideally have wanted a little more time here, but then I guess, this is human nature to want just a little but more than what you have.
So what all did this one year education give me? For one, I am looking forward to the next step (my job) with a sense of eagerness. It is prolly through this tumultuous one year that I realized that change IS actually a part of life. And after coming 10000 kms away from home, away from family and maybe even life, well, how worse can it get :P Besides, just let go... One year with quality professors instilled this faith in me that I am now ready to move forward in life.
But yes I am gonna miss the campus, which was refreshingly different from what I knew. Add to it that Americans don't quite say it on your face, but they do consider themselves the best country to live in (umm not so sure, but nvm). With the shake up that I went through, both academically, and emotionally, I kinda have a clearer path to follow (thanks Prof Jay P Kesan)
What I do have a clear picture about is that happiness is not as defined by west :P. No matter how they paint India (or other non US/european entities) but happiness is actually where your context is... For me, it is in India... But yes, with this degree, I will go back as a better prepared person.
Thanks U of I, u did end up making me a better person. 'Loyal to you Illinois...' as goes our song...
So what all did this one year education give me? For one, I am looking forward to the next step (my job) with a sense of eagerness. It is prolly through this tumultuous one year that I realized that change IS actually a part of life. And after coming 10000 kms away from home, away from family and maybe even life, well, how worse can it get :P Besides, just let go... One year with quality professors instilled this faith in me that I am now ready to move forward in life.
But yes I am gonna miss the campus, which was refreshingly different from what I knew. Add to it that Americans don't quite say it on your face, but they do consider themselves the best country to live in (umm not so sure, but nvm). With the shake up that I went through, both academically, and emotionally, I kinda have a clearer path to follow (thanks Prof Jay P Kesan)
What I do have a clear picture about is that happiness is not as defined by west :P. No matter how they paint India (or other non US/european entities) but happiness is actually where your context is... For me, it is in India... But yes, with this degree, I will go back as a better prepared person.
Thanks U of I, u did end up making me a better person. 'Loyal to you Illinois...' as goes our song...
Friday, July 11, 2008
A perfect smile
It has been a while since the last time I had that. An honest, from deep within my heart smile.
After watching this video, I got transported to that time when I used to stand at the same place as the guy who made this video. And as that moment came alive within me, I had a perfect smile :)
I don't know how many times have you done that, but almost every time I traveled in trains, I used to stand at the door, and used to let the gush of air breathe me in, as I breathed that in to me. There was a sense of freedom, a feeling of being one with God's creation... Almost like a real time movie with you in the balcony seat.
And when I traveled 24 hours in trains, I could actually see the day pass through and night settle in. I am sure in our daily lives not many times do we pay attention to this. It was simply awe inspiring the way a totally different aspect of life presented itself. As my cousin says, simple pleasures of life...
And now as I saw in the US, the train doors are closed. What they end up closing is the whole set of experiences I mentioned above. I guess whats missing here are those small openings in our otherwise packaged lives through which, every now and then we could be transformed into a totally different world. One where you could actually observe a day melt into night. Where you could watch a movie where the landscape changed its countenance every now and then. One where when it rained, you could just stretch ur neck out and feel the drops on ur face.
One where you were .... you...
After watching this video, I got transported to that time when I used to stand at the same place as the guy who made this video. And as that moment came alive within me, I had a perfect smile :)
I don't know how many times have you done that, but almost every time I traveled in trains, I used to stand at the door, and used to let the gush of air breathe me in, as I breathed that in to me. There was a sense of freedom, a feeling of being one with God's creation... Almost like a real time movie with you in the balcony seat.
And when I traveled 24 hours in trains, I could actually see the day pass through and night settle in. I am sure in our daily lives not many times do we pay attention to this. It was simply awe inspiring the way a totally different aspect of life presented itself. As my cousin says, simple pleasures of life...
And now as I saw in the US, the train doors are closed. What they end up closing is the whole set of experiences I mentioned above. I guess whats missing here are those small openings in our otherwise packaged lives through which, every now and then we could be transformed into a totally different world. One where you could actually observe a day melt into night. Where you could watch a movie where the landscape changed its countenance every now and then. One where when it rained, you could just stretch ur neck out and feel the drops on ur face.
One where you were .... you...
Sunday, July 06, 2008
The 'fish' girls
No I am not talking about mermaids. Although that is a great topic of another blog, but maybe some other time. For now I am talking about a special breed of girls who have been given prior education, most probably in convents to use a special word 'fish'.
You see, they are kinda special. You can pretty much single out the 'fish' girls out of a group very easily. They usually have very pretty face, more often than not their legs are chiseled by Michelangelo, they are interested in the same sports which you are crazy about... In short they are every thing you want. The trouble is that some times their resume has a few 'skills' far too much for your palate.
So what is this fish thing? any been-there-done-that guy will know what this stands for. In the male bastion, where there are pretty much no rules about using a particular 'f' word in a friend circle, I guess women folk kind of observe a self constraint. Add to this the general perception that girls are 'usually' the more 'appropriate' folks around and will definitely purge the group from its oral misadventures. So when a girl wants to use the 'f' word, she replaces it with a 'fish'! And they think they have kinda swept it under the carpet. What they don't kinda realize is that for most guys using an 'f' word among guys is way more exhilarating than actually trying to avoid saying it, coz now not only you are pretty, awesome and lovely, but you are bindaas, approachable and cool to be with! what a combination...
So here is the deal. Here is this awesome femme fatale, she has a very pretty face, she seems to have a good head, and boy she loves the same activities like I do, and she uses the 'fish' word too! And that's when all guys in the group begin their 'moves' to bag this prized possession. What adds fuel to the fire is that the actions are not exactly rebuked.
And there I am in the crowd, but kinda better off than other guys, and seem to have made the moves better than them. She and I have been talking for a while now, and we exxactly share our likes and sense of humor. Infact it is going soo well that her 'fish' utterances are coming out now more so often and I am reveling in the fact that she is so much one among us, that I could really think about the next step with her. And maybe a little down the road, decide upon a longer road with her too!
She is wearing a beautiful dress. (Oh! what the hell I think anything will look good on her) Although I never ever notice this stuff on girls, but even her jewelry stands out on her. Her cute little ear rings, her thin and elegant necklace just make their presence felt and simply increase the beauty I have in sight. Down in her arms, her red bangles covering just a little area, enough for them to sparkle just like her eyes, make the road I was thinking about even more impelling.
And there is a ring in her fourth right finger on the right hand.
It is then that the final 'skill' on her resume shows up. She is taken. As have all other such fish girls been in the past. As they say, that no matter how quickly you approach a 'fish' girl, there is always a faster son of a gun, smirking somewhere at you.
You see, they are kinda special. You can pretty much single out the 'fish' girls out of a group very easily. They usually have very pretty face, more often than not their legs are chiseled by Michelangelo, they are interested in the same sports which you are crazy about... In short they are every thing you want. The trouble is that some times their resume has a few 'skills' far too much for your palate.
So what is this fish thing? any been-there-done-that guy will know what this stands for. In the male bastion, where there are pretty much no rules about using a particular 'f' word in a friend circle, I guess women folk kind of observe a self constraint. Add to this the general perception that girls are 'usually' the more 'appropriate' folks around and will definitely purge the group from its oral misadventures. So when a girl wants to use the 'f' word, she replaces it with a 'fish'! And they think they have kinda swept it under the carpet. What they don't kinda realize is that for most guys using an 'f' word among guys is way more exhilarating than actually trying to avoid saying it, coz now not only you are pretty, awesome and lovely, but you are bindaas, approachable and cool to be with! what a combination...
So here is the deal. Here is this awesome femme fatale, she has a very pretty face, she seems to have a good head, and boy she loves the same activities like I do, and she uses the 'fish' word too! And that's when all guys in the group begin their 'moves' to bag this prized possession. What adds fuel to the fire is that the actions are not exactly rebuked.
And there I am in the crowd, but kinda better off than other guys, and seem to have made the moves better than them. She and I have been talking for a while now, and we exxactly share our likes and sense of humor. Infact it is going soo well that her 'fish' utterances are coming out now more so often and I am reveling in the fact that she is so much one among us, that I could really think about the next step with her. And maybe a little down the road, decide upon a longer road with her too!
She is wearing a beautiful dress. (Oh! what the hell I think anything will look good on her) Although I never ever notice this stuff on girls, but even her jewelry stands out on her. Her cute little ear rings, her thin and elegant necklace just make their presence felt and simply increase the beauty I have in sight. Down in her arms, her red bangles covering just a little area, enough for them to sparkle just like her eyes, make the road I was thinking about even more impelling.
And there is a ring in her fourth right finger on the right hand.
It is then that the final 'skill' on her resume shows up. She is taken. As have all other such fish girls been in the past. As they say, that no matter how quickly you approach a 'fish' girl, there is always a faster son of a gun, smirking somewhere at you.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
over a cup of coffee
On this lazy Saturday, after having done monotonous laundry, eating rather dull lunch, watching a very average movie and then taking bath, and chatting with my cousin in India, I really didn't know what to do to live rather than merely exist.
So I got up and a brewed a cup of coffee, in the most elaborate manner I was ever told, coz after all, it is a lazy Saturday! It was during the making that I realised that the coffee was indeed turning a delight. It had been a while since the last time I took my nose over the brewing coffee to fill the brewed air deep into my lungs. And with a heavy breath, I lost myself into that aroma... It smelt just right.
It was with that coffee that I came out into my balcony, just to melt into the surroundings. I guess God is smiling at me today. What I saw, felt, heard, sensed, smelt around me was as if the whole world was conspiring to invigorate me from within. There is someone playing beautiful guitar just nearby. Sun is almost about to set, and the ground in front of me has turned golden yellow. There is a cool breeze that the trees and I are swaying to. Every sip of coffee I take in simply melts away on my tongue, leaving behind its aroma... I can see coulds up in the sky. They aren't covering the whole space, and a few of them shrug a drop or two of rain on me, sometimes on my feet or sometimes on my forehead. My glasses have become moist by the vapours coming out of my cup.
It could just be the coffee playing on me, but I remembered that prayer that we were taught when we were toddlers...Thank you God for the world so sweet... Thank you God for the Birds that sing... Thank you indeed God, for everything.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Satirical truth..
I got this forwarded email just now... Although it is a satire and overly critical of social activists, it does bring out the problems as they stand..
As Spiderman movie said, that with great power comes great responsibility, which I think the media in India grossly misuses, especially when Ekta Kapoor makes a serial on Arushi's murder even when her family is grappling with the trauma, or when half informed celebrities make their dull lives more interesting by staging protests that they do not understand the nuances of.
I guess we are developing at a rate much faster than what Indian society can swallow. For it's not about having the latest, swankiest car, it's about reaching a place on time. Or, it's not about having a nuclear family, but about giving people around you freedom of their own...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and
laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the
summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and
demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed
while others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper
next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled
with food.
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor
Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.
Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that
Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter .
Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for
not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.
The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the
Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt
support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).
Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for '
CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard
in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and
Grasshoppers.
Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.
Arjun Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational
Institutions & in Government Services.
The Ant is unable to cope with the Reservation, and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes ,it's home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'.
Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.
CPM calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden '
Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Congress takes the credit for always caring about the AAM Grasshopeer.
Many years later...
The Ant has since migrated to the
100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in
..AND
As a result of losing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers,
.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Vegas Vices
First the disclaimer: Any family member should read this only at his/her own risk, and always pretend that they never did.
Man I so wish I was born at the times of Khajuraho Temples. The reason is either too obvious or it will most definitely be in the due course of this post.
All this while I was struggling to find the right way to sum up my Vegas trip. But intoxicated as I was, it was only now that I could re-gather my senses ( it took 2 days of day long business meetings to get me out of that) to come up and gather my thoughts.
The best way the whole Vegas trip can be summed up in two words is "confused dilemma". At least for me. No let me correct that. I can safely say that for a good number of people from India. Dilemma of what? You see, there is this historic side of India all Indians so proudly brandish and brag about. Well at least we think that out past was glorious (if not the present) and that we proudly follow those traditions in our daily present day lives. In one of my first blogs, I had talked about the great Indian divide. That exists between us the eligible guys and them the eligible-yet-no-where-to-be-seen girls in India, coz their fathers keep them away from us. A very well made documentary film on this by a musician called Ishq Bector is here. (go to the link only if u wanna know how Indian parents 'mind' their kids :D )
So how does this all link to each other? I mean the topic is Vegas, and I've talked about Khajuraho temples, Indian culture, contemporary Indian parents, and then the acclaimed (eh?) new age Indian musician? hehe so at least the 'confused' part of the problem is clear.
So now the other 'dilemma part'. Despite the assurance by the Americans : "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", poor Indian graduate students, who haven't even ever been to a dance bar in India ( trust me!) are left to the mercy of, shall we say 'ladies' in 'non-indian' dresses.
Have you ever observed your tongue become so long that it blasts it way out of your mouth? have you ever felt your neck crane over 180 degrees trying to help your eyes dig deep into certain things that are usually never to be seen? Have you ever had anatomy lessons in the middle of a casino? Have you ever had guys on the roads selling phone numbers of the other sex, instead of T-shirts? Have you ever sooo wanted to be behind a certain curtain, or behind a certain door that the only way you could take your mind off it is by concentrating on another similar curtain and door? How many times the truck in front of you carries a larger than life ad of something that you would want to give your right hand for? and that too at 50 Dollars an hour? :D
If all this happens in Vegas, how can a poor Indian graduate student forget it all in Vegas... But thats exactly where the dilemma starts. The point is, despite all that happening to me, I couldn't do anything but stay/stand/walk on... Call it a culture shock, or sheer cowardice, but anytime such opportunity arose, I couldn't take the dive. For better or for worse. Be it a girl asking me to merely stick my tongue out for a picture, or a guy on the road asking me to just look at the card and the picture on it, I couldn't stand up to the moment. Why? coz we as Indians aren't supposed to do that stuff!!. Damn! now I am confused.
In one of the pubs there, I was standing upright and uptight (God knows why) and just then someone brushed beside me. Her hand came into mine and she held it tight for a split second. In that moment, that split second, I sooo wished it was in Madhya Pradesh at the time of Khajuraho. Just so that I could follow my traditions and glorious past :P
Man I so wish I was born at the times of Khajuraho Temples. The reason is either too obvious or it will most definitely be in the due course of this post.
All this while I was struggling to find the right way to sum up my Vegas trip. But intoxicated as I was, it was only now that I could re-gather my senses ( it took 2 days of day long business meetings to get me out of that) to come up and gather my thoughts.
The best way the whole Vegas trip can be summed up in two words is "confused dilemma". At least for me. No let me correct that. I can safely say that for a good number of people from India. Dilemma of what? You see, there is this historic side of India all Indians so proudly brandish and brag about. Well at least we think that out past was glorious (if not the present) and that we proudly follow those traditions in our daily present day lives. In one of my first blogs, I had talked about the great Indian divide. That exists between us the eligible guys and them the eligible-yet-no-where-to-be-seen girls in India, coz their fathers keep them away from us. A very well made documentary film on this by a musician called Ishq Bector is here. (go to the link only if u wanna know how Indian parents 'mind' their kids :D )
So how does this all link to each other? I mean the topic is Vegas, and I've talked about Khajuraho temples, Indian culture, contemporary Indian parents, and then the acclaimed (eh?) new age Indian musician? hehe so at least the 'confused' part of the problem is clear.
So now the other 'dilemma part'. Despite the assurance by the Americans : "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", poor Indian graduate students, who haven't even ever been to a dance bar in India ( trust me!) are left to the mercy of, shall we say 'ladies' in 'non-indian' dresses.
Have you ever observed your tongue become so long that it blasts it way out of your mouth? have you ever felt your neck crane over 180 degrees trying to help your eyes dig deep into certain things that are usually never to be seen? Have you ever had anatomy lessons in the middle of a casino? Have you ever had guys on the roads selling phone numbers of the other sex, instead of T-shirts? Have you ever sooo wanted to be behind a certain curtain, or behind a certain door that the only way you could take your mind off it is by concentrating on another similar curtain and door? How many times the truck in front of you carries a larger than life ad of something that you would want to give your right hand for? and that too at 50 Dollars an hour? :D
If all this happens in Vegas, how can a poor Indian graduate student forget it all in Vegas... But thats exactly where the dilemma starts. The point is, despite all that happening to me, I couldn't do anything but stay/stand/walk on... Call it a culture shock, or sheer cowardice, but anytime such opportunity arose, I couldn't take the dive. For better or for worse. Be it a girl asking me to merely stick my tongue out for a picture, or a guy on the road asking me to just look at the card and the picture on it, I couldn't stand up to the moment. Why? coz we as Indians aren't supposed to do that stuff!!. Damn! now I am confused.
In one of the pubs there, I was standing upright and uptight (God knows why) and just then someone brushed beside me. Her hand came into mine and she held it tight for a split second. In that moment, that split second, I sooo wished it was in Madhya Pradesh at the time of Khajuraho. Just so that I could follow my traditions and glorious past :P
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Sorry! everything is reserved
In DDLJ, SRK says to Kajol's mom that shortcuts might lead to immediate results, but they are never long lasting. Instead, the longer, harder route might be time taking and more difficult, the result will always be everlasting.
So when everyone might have watched DDLJ, why am I talking about it? coz the Gujjars are now on the roads (again) demanding reservations for them. Rajasthan is in a mess, and today Delhi is under siege. whoa. It was only recently that Supreme court had allowed the OBC reservation for higher institutes of learning. Mandal was not that long ago. I still remember the day Rajiv Goswami died of self immolation. There was a time a few months back when Sardars were contesting the revoking of their minority status in Punjab!
I was talking to my cousin sister once about this, and she said that given the amount of discrimination that was dealt out to some sections of the society, it actually makes all the sense to go with reservation to help these sections.
I took that point with a pinch of salt. Not because i don't agree to that, but because it seemed to be a very short term solution to a long standing problem. A section of people were already shouting foul coz there weren't even enough seats for the 'general' population.
The amount of money allocated to education in national budget has been 3% this year . I looked up more and found out that US has approx 1/5 of our young population and spends 5 times more on education. India lags behind even latin america and carribean and east and south east asia. That leaves us with the middle east, africa and central asia... click here for more details..
All this when we are touted as the next big thing in the world. We are really being messed around beyond words by our politicos. I dunno what we should do about it, but we really must do sumthing... Something like an Indian Political services on the lines of IAS.
The point is, reservations is a very myopic thing to do especially in a diverse culture base like ours, where if we divide even only the Hindu groups, all communities will become a minority. I also remember a talk about making kayasthas (my community) and OBC somewhere... In no time all communities will begin asking for reservations and blocking roads and burning traffic lights.
The better way i guess is to make govt spend properly in education. people like us must spread awareness about this among others and force the govt (ideally and technically).
Lemme know what u think, and I will add it to this page for everyone to read..
So when everyone might have watched DDLJ, why am I talking about it? coz the Gujjars are now on the roads (again) demanding reservations for them. Rajasthan is in a mess, and today Delhi is under siege. whoa. It was only recently that Supreme court had allowed the OBC reservation for higher institutes of learning. Mandal was not that long ago. I still remember the day Rajiv Goswami died of self immolation. There was a time a few months back when Sardars were contesting the revoking of their minority status in Punjab!
I was talking to my cousin sister once about this, and she said that given the amount of discrimination that was dealt out to some sections of the society, it actually makes all the sense to go with reservation to help these sections.
I took that point with a pinch of salt. Not because i don't agree to that, but because it seemed to be a very short term solution to a long standing problem. A section of people were already shouting foul coz there weren't even enough seats for the 'general' population.
The amount of money allocated to education in national budget has been 3% this year . I looked up more and found out that US has approx 1/5 of our young population and spends 5 times more on education. India lags behind even latin america and carribean and east and south east asia. That leaves us with the middle east, africa and central asia... click here for more details..
All this when we are touted as the next big thing in the world. We are really being messed around beyond words by our politicos. I dunno what we should do about it, but we really must do sumthing... Something like an Indian Political services on the lines of IAS.
The point is, reservations is a very myopic thing to do especially in a diverse culture base like ours, where if we divide even only the Hindu groups, all communities will become a minority. I also remember a talk about making kayasthas (my community) and OBC somewhere... In no time all communities will begin asking for reservations and blocking roads and burning traffic lights.
The better way i guess is to make govt spend properly in education. people like us must spread awareness about this among others and force the govt (ideally and technically).
Lemme know what u think, and I will add it to this page for everyone to read..
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Oh My GAWD
hehe this post was to be about my vegas trip... but that can wait..
u have to watch these videos!! I wonder why did we sell off our premier padmini car!!
and watch this
as they say, old is gold! Go Premier Padmini!!
u have to watch these videos!! I wonder why did we sell off our premier padmini car!!
and watch this
as they say, old is gold! Go Premier Padmini!!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
MS Technology Management : Decoded
It might be a late night with no action in Las Vegas that has prompted me to write this, but, I wanted to put this up for many reasons..
1) Frustration
2) Information
3) Education
4) Entertainment
Like our Marketing professor taught us, I am trying to segment, and then target different audiences of this blog: prospective students for MS Tech Program, bored internet blog visitors, and fellow people looking for jobs :)
So first the history: I was working rather well at naukri.com (India's biggest jobsite), when my boss kinda motivated me to quit my job. Alongside, I was very enamored by the product team at naukri, for it seemed they had the best of both the worlds. There was also a person called Sujith Nair. He was a dynamic project manager at naukri, who was someone I usually looked up to. But being the Taurean that I am, I didn't wanna take that much time (which was anyhow short) to get to where Sujith Nair was. Simultaneously, there were these new chaps recruited from ISB into naukri at seemingly ridiculous salaries... (grrr) and above all, I wanted a change!!!
So came into picture Technology Management. My research on the internet for Technology Management (on edulix.com, etc ) showed me a bunch of options, including MBA in Technology Management at Berkeley, MIT, EPFL Lausanne, and MS - Technology Management at UIUC (with one year course duration). I liked MS Tech at UIUC because the College of Business was ranked at 38 in the world (financial times), the program was at UIUC (a campus which has GREAT reputation), and this was a quick one year program (so I could get to earning money sooner). At that time ISB wasn't ranked in the global rankings (now in 2012 it's somewhere around 11 in the world), and IIMs were somewhere in the 100s... (plus I flunked CAT more than once :) )
I applied, kinda after the deadline, and made it in. I was very ecstatic about it! And then the program started... The fact that MS Technology Management was a one year program made it a very intensive course work. And before we had even unpacked our bags, we ran into our first and most critical Fall career job fair. I did my part of selling, and got interviews from many great companies like Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook (which I couldn't attend, and it turns out to be a VERY expensive mistake :) ), Expedia, Cashnet USA, Capital IQ, ZS Associates etc, and got great feedback from all of them. It seemed they were very interested in the Technology Management program and what it had to offer...But there were 3 things which stood out after this:
1) They weren't sure about what this Technology Management program was all about, and consequently there was a confusion about what profile they wanted me for.Some even asked me 'So where do we place you'!. So some companies interviewed me for a software engineer position and some did for pure marketing... a major mismatch.
2) I wasn't prepared enough with the MBA (which is what Technology Management is wrapped around) training to handle the interviews as yet. After all, it was just 4 weeks since we had come in, and were thrown in to compete with the one year MBAs... I was given a case interview when I didn't even know what that was...
3) I wasn't prepared even for the interviews where I thought I had a good chance. It takes at least 6 months ( in my opinion) to crack interviews at top companies, and I had only 1-2 months of clueless preparation effort. What I learned from this was that you MUST find out the 'what to dos', and 'how to dos' of interview preparation. Use career services, including engineering and business, your contacts and alumni to find that out.
As the program progressed into Spring semester, the whole course started to make sense. It is a great program in terms of what it teaches us... The bigger picture of technology and its management became clearer. I could now see the business value in the code I wrote, which till now I evaluated only on how smart it was and what cool things it could do... The holistic picture of Technology from Innovation, Supply chain, Process Management or financial perspective (like how should we value a dotcom) started appear clearly.
But sadly, there were more things happening in the 'happening' world, and the problem was multi-pronged:
1) some greedy people borrowed too much money and built houses with it, and caused the sub-prime crisis. (why does it always rain on me!!)
2) The fall semester job fair was gone and spring was mostly for internships (which we don't have scope for, unless one goes out of the way and extends the program)
3) The career services department seemed as clueless about this program as the companies were :p
so 'long story short' as a speaker in marketing class said, we have to search for companies, educate the companies about the MS Technology management program, fight the recession (by praying to God) and keep looking for jobs everywhere... The final thing I realized was that this is NOT an easy job.
But with all that said, we went to HP Labs for a visit and made a presentation about commercializing a technology they had developed. They were really impressed with the multidimensional analysis of the technology we presented. So I think we are on the right track... what we need is a lil bit of hard (harder) work, and a lil bit of luck...
For all the people who want to come in to technology management stream, ( from anywhere in the world) please make sure that you have a good amount (around 5 years) of technical experience, so that u have the technology in ur head before coming here to see how to manage it. It also depends on what u wanna be after you graduate from the program (don't join this program to 'enter' the management line). Also ensure that you understand what you want from the program, coz this is NOT a regular MBA and if you want to get into finance, accounting, marketing etc, this is NOT the program for you. this is simple and pure general management with a 'technology' focus (especially at MS Technology management- UIUC). So ur expertise will still be the technology u came from. Next, use UIUC's brand image and network. Make sure u make great contacts in fall semester, coz I m not sure how many would land great jobs then. Use these contacts later when u r ready to take the technology management interviews. Job hunting is mostly going to be a year long exercise, and u must start as soon as u get here. You will get better with time, but start making those contacts as soon as possible.
Good luck. (pray the recession gets over soon)
PS: I did land a job by the end of the may :) I joined this company after my OPT was processed, rather dramatically (But that needs a blog post of its own :) )
1) Frustration
2) Information
3) Education
4) Entertainment
Like our Marketing professor taught us, I am trying to segment, and then target different audiences of this blog: prospective students for MS Tech Program, bored internet blog visitors, and fellow people looking for jobs :)
So first the history: I was working rather well at naukri.com (India's biggest jobsite), when my boss kinda motivated me to quit my job. Alongside, I was very enamored by the product team at naukri, for it seemed they had the best of both the worlds. There was also a person called Sujith Nair. He was a dynamic project manager at naukri, who was someone I usually looked up to. But being the Taurean that I am, I didn't wanna take that much time (which was anyhow short) to get to where Sujith Nair was. Simultaneously, there were these new chaps recruited from ISB into naukri at seemingly ridiculous salaries... (grrr) and above all, I wanted a change!!!
So came into picture Technology Management. My research on the internet for Technology Management (on edulix.com, etc ) showed me a bunch of options, including MBA in Technology Management at Berkeley, MIT, EPFL Lausanne, and MS - Technology Management at UIUC (with one year course duration). I liked MS Tech at UIUC because the College of Business was ranked at 38 in the world (financial times), the program was at UIUC (a campus which has GREAT reputation), and this was a quick one year program (so I could get to earning money sooner). At that time ISB wasn't ranked in the global rankings (now in 2012 it's somewhere around 11 in the world), and IIMs were somewhere in the 100s... (plus I flunked CAT more than once :) )
I applied, kinda after the deadline, and made it in. I was very ecstatic about it! And then the program started... The fact that MS Technology Management was a one year program made it a very intensive course work. And before we had even unpacked our bags, we ran into our first and most critical Fall career job fair. I did my part of selling, and got interviews from many great companies like Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook (which I couldn't attend, and it turns out to be a VERY expensive mistake :) ), Expedia, Cashnet USA, Capital IQ, ZS Associates etc, and got great feedback from all of them. It seemed they were very interested in the Technology Management program and what it had to offer...But there were 3 things which stood out after this:
1) They weren't sure about what this Technology Management program was all about, and consequently there was a confusion about what profile they wanted me for.Some even asked me 'So where do we place you'!. So some companies interviewed me for a software engineer position and some did for pure marketing... a major mismatch.
2) I wasn't prepared enough with the MBA (which is what Technology Management is wrapped around) training to handle the interviews as yet. After all, it was just 4 weeks since we had come in, and were thrown in to compete with the one year MBAs... I was given a case interview when I didn't even know what that was...
3) I wasn't prepared even for the interviews where I thought I had a good chance. It takes at least 6 months ( in my opinion) to crack interviews at top companies, and I had only 1-2 months of clueless preparation effort. What I learned from this was that you MUST find out the 'what to dos', and 'how to dos' of interview preparation. Use career services, including engineering and business, your contacts and alumni to find that out.
As the program progressed into Spring semester, the whole course started to make sense. It is a great program in terms of what it teaches us... The bigger picture of technology and its management became clearer. I could now see the business value in the code I wrote, which till now I evaluated only on how smart it was and what cool things it could do... The holistic picture of Technology from Innovation, Supply chain, Process Management or financial perspective (like how should we value a dotcom) started appear clearly.
But sadly, there were more things happening in the 'happening' world, and the problem was multi-pronged:
1) some greedy people borrowed too much money and built houses with it, and caused the sub-prime crisis. (why does it always rain on me!!)
2) The fall semester job fair was gone and spring was mostly for internships (which we don't have scope for, unless one goes out of the way and extends the program)
3) The career services department seemed as clueless about this program as the companies were :p
so 'long story short' as a speaker in marketing class said, we have to search for companies, educate the companies about the MS Technology management program, fight the recession (by praying to God) and keep looking for jobs everywhere... The final thing I realized was that this is NOT an easy job.
But with all that said, we went to HP Labs for a visit and made a presentation about commercializing a technology they had developed. They were really impressed with the multidimensional analysis of the technology we presented. So I think we are on the right track... what we need is a lil bit of hard (harder) work, and a lil bit of luck...
For all the people who want to come in to technology management stream, ( from anywhere in the world) please make sure that you have a good amount (around 5 years) of technical experience, so that u have the technology in ur head before coming here to see how to manage it. It also depends on what u wanna be after you graduate from the program (don't join this program to 'enter' the management line). Also ensure that you understand what you want from the program, coz this is NOT a regular MBA and if you want to get into finance, accounting, marketing etc, this is NOT the program for you. this is simple and pure general management with a 'technology' focus (especially at MS Technology management- UIUC). So ur expertise will still be the technology u came from. Next, use UIUC's brand image and network. Make sure u make great contacts in fall semester, coz I m not sure how many would land great jobs then. Use these contacts later when u r ready to take the technology management interviews. Job hunting is mostly going to be a year long exercise, and u must start as soon as u get here. You will get better with time, but start making those contacts as soon as possible.
Good luck. (pray the recession gets over soon)
PS: I did land a job by the end of the may :) I joined this company after my OPT was processed, rather dramatically (But that needs a blog post of its own :) )
Friday, May 09, 2008
Confessions of a commitment shirker
This is my dedication to all those ppl who can never get to committing to sumone and then later crib about it :D enjoy!!
I think I have never done the romantic thing
A dozen roses and a diamond ring
many times I have been peeled and pricked
but I really couldn't feel a thing...
So is that a hormonal imbalance or a psychological one?
that I just cannot settle with anyone?
from 'Boys 2 Men' to 'Alanis Morisette'
Their lyrics never really conveyed any sense
Although there were those who 'waited and waited' for me to ask them out,
but got no returns for their perseverance..
heh.. so what on earth is wrong with me?
for she ain't good enuf, whoever she be?
well on second thoughts that isn't quite true.
coz I usually repent when the moment passes through
I guess I vindicate what my teacher once said,
'Oh my child u have an empty head'.... :P
And this is what our fellow commitment shirkers added:
"There was once a time when it was commitment i was afraid of
But now it seems it was actually me the pretty ladies were scared of"
I think I have never done the romantic thing
A dozen roses and a diamond ring
many times I have been peeled and pricked
but I really couldn't feel a thing...
So is that a hormonal imbalance or a psychological one?
that I just cannot settle with anyone?
from 'Boys 2 Men' to 'Alanis Morisette'
Their lyrics never really conveyed any sense
Although there were those who 'waited and waited' for me to ask them out,
but got no returns for their perseverance..
heh.. so what on earth is wrong with me?
for she ain't good enuf, whoever she be?
well on second thoughts that isn't quite true.
coz I usually repent when the moment passes through
I guess I vindicate what my teacher once said,
'Oh my child u have an empty head'.... :P
And this is what our fellow commitment shirkers added:
"There was once a time when it was commitment i was afraid of
But now it seems it was actually me the pretty ladies were scared of"
Friday, May 02, 2008
A full lifecycle
One of my fish died yesterday... I did feel bad, but since this was not the first time my fish had died, I was kinda ok with it... So I did the required thing of taking the fish (named Gabdu after the Billoo comic character) out of the fish bowl and burying it out in the ground somewhere...
And today it is raining crazy! I can actually imagine that place where Gabdu is buried, and see the rain water falling on it. slowly nature will start re-transforming Gabdu into itself and after sometime, forces in the nature will use the same matter (of which Gabdu was made) to form another fish in someone else's bowl...
Life always comes a full circle...
And today it is raining crazy! I can actually imagine that place where Gabdu is buried, and see the rain water falling on it. slowly nature will start re-transforming Gabdu into itself and after sometime, forces in the nature will use the same matter (of which Gabdu was made) to form another fish in someone else's bowl...
Life always comes a full circle...
Thursday, April 24, 2008
And we are growing the fastest in the world...
this video talks about the sorry state of our cities. In which we live under stressful conditions, and eventually die young and unhappy... But I don't think we do anything to solve this... All this when unqualified, incompetent leaders (??? really leaders?) are elected time and again and suck our blood. We do retaliate via comedians who take a dig at them. And we watch this all in our apartments on inverter generated power, and go to sleep by 1 am and get up at 7 am to leave for office early due to the traffic jam...
Did we vote the last time???
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Life in exile
If I look out of the window on my right, I see two planes. One is a Continental, and the other is Air Canada. And far away, one plane is getting to taxi to the runway and the other is waiting in line... there is a Chinese American girl sitting in front of me in this waiting arena. If I turn my head up I see a lot of white heads, some Indian heads, and a few African American ones too… far away I can see a Sardar Ji trying to doze off… I think this is as international an experience as one could get.
Thankfully I carried my laptop and had just one movie. Rang De Basanti…
Maybe it’s the movie playing on my head, but right now when I look up, my shoulders become broad by themselves…
It was only recently that I imagined the time when I would land back in New Delhi Airport. And when the whiff of my air would fill my lungs… and that’s when, I think for the first time, I almost had tears in my eyes.
So why the life in exile? I guess the question automatically transforms into what is life in exile. I don’t think I can speak for all Indians abroad, but for the few who do share my thought process, I think it is about trying to test yourself in a new world. The excitement of a different culture, new education, multicolored population… in short it’s about trying out something new…
More as a side effect, what this does to you is that is gives you a totally new perspective about your own self. I wrote sometime back that I felt very responsible for my actions as they could directly be ascribed to Indians in general… it’s a lots more than that.
Kuchh kar guzarne ko khoon chala khoon chala… the words from Rang De Basanti… I don’t think I’ve seen that fever in people from other countries. And that’s what makes the side effect a lot more than that… it is here that the complete picture of India screams out from behind the naukri.com’s ultra sleek coffee dispenser. It is here that the news of a 11 year old boy being burnt alive in Delhi pinches a lot harder than it would have, had I been in India. When the MP in Kerala yells at an airplane pilot, it feels a lot weirder now. Road rage, of which I was an integral part, now feels like an epidemic, which must be eradicated. It is here that the dirt that lies within us, although right now 10000 kms away from me, smears my face like never before.
And then when this time on Holi we put one Haldi ka Tika on each other’s foreheads, a huge rush of happiness gripped me from somewhere deep inside… that one Tika was my bond with my culture back home. A feeling that even if I am far away from my homeland, it is still inside me like a single water stream running through the heart of a huge desert, connecting it to Gangotri…
So then back to the original question. Why life in exile? Because without it, I wouldn’t have begun thinking the way I do now. Before leaving India, whenever we won a cricket match, I would say to my brother, ‘Jai Hind’. Now, whenever I read even a small article on India in any magazine, it automatically comes out. While I am making this blog on MS word, it doesn’t recognize a lot of Hindi words. Maybe other Indians like me here will learn the skills to create an Indian version of Word, where I will not have to do an ‘Add to Dictionary’ while writing ‘Sardar Ji’. Bill gates said in his presentation to senate here that India and china have a long while to go before they get the right management structure to parallel that of US. Mr. Gates, I am here to shorten that time gap.
Jai Hind
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
this video says that a police constable, with whatever salary he gets, gets a 100 Rupee increment in 12 years, and 200 rupee increment in 17 years...
lets do a small calculation. at my last work place my increment was around 50% (i think) and I got around 2-3 lakh increment a year, in 2 years of work. on 100 rupee after 12 years makes 1200 bucks extra after 12 years.
are you serious??? i think we spend that much in 2 weeks on fun and movies!!! no wonder there is corruption in indian police. Guys is that the salary/compensation structure of Indian police?
if with this salary these people are corrupt, i think it is justified. I might just give these guys an extra 100 bucks next time they catch me...
Friday, March 21, 2008
kabhi kabhi hi prayaas hota hai
ek komal si cheez ko paane ka
shayad hi kabhi mujhko ehsaas hua hai
ek meetthe sapne ko chhu jane ka
jisse masumiyat tapakti hai
khuda ki kaifiyat jhalakti hai
kareeb jaun to aisa lage
jaise saari kaaynaat usi mein basti hai
agar hakeekat hai yeh to kya paoon main usko?
ya door se hi usey nihaarta rahun...
kahin is pal ko kho na dun,
khud mein hi is khwaab ko nikhaarta rahun
ek komal si cheez ko paane ka
shayad hi kabhi mujhko ehsaas hua hai
ek meetthe sapne ko chhu jane ka
jisse masumiyat tapakti hai
khuda ki kaifiyat jhalakti hai
kareeb jaun to aisa lage
jaise saari kaaynaat usi mein basti hai
agar hakeekat hai yeh to kya paoon main usko?
ya door se hi usey nihaarta rahun...
kahin is pal ko kho na dun,
khud mein hi is khwaab ko nikhaarta rahun
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Chappals not allowed in 5 star Discs in Mumbai
rofl.. (roll on the floor laughing).
So what is that all about? You cannot wear chappals in 5 star discos in Mumbai and the State Govt is setting up a committee to make sure that people do get to wear chappals in those 5 star hotels.
I still didn't quite get it.... ok if u get a designer chappal made by Rohit bal, or any such fashion super duper entity, and it goes very very well with ur dress, would you still be ok by not getting to wear it to the 5 star disc?
Or if u wear a torn out very ugly looking pair of canvas shoes (the PT ones) to a disc, should you be 'allowed' (as if what you wear should matter)?
At a conference here on 60 years of India's Independence, people were discussing that India has still not de-colonised. And thats what the govt representative interviewed by CNN IBN termed as 'angrezon ka hangover'. I think it is also about the lack of ingenuity on the part of the hotels having this self disparaging rule. Since these hotels and discs are only now beginning to be a part of the common man's daily life, these hotels haven't yet come to terms with the Indian customer, having copied the western way for style, rules, 'manners', etc..
I am sure all the hotel owners must have been very good cheaters in their school times...
So what is that all about? You cannot wear chappals in 5 star discos in Mumbai and the State Govt is setting up a committee to make sure that people do get to wear chappals in those 5 star hotels.
I still didn't quite get it.... ok if u get a designer chappal made by Rohit bal, or any such fashion super duper entity, and it goes very very well with ur dress, would you still be ok by not getting to wear it to the 5 star disc?
Or if u wear a torn out very ugly looking pair of canvas shoes (the PT ones) to a disc, should you be 'allowed' (as if what you wear should matter)?
At a conference here on 60 years of India's Independence, people were discussing that India has still not de-colonised. And thats what the govt representative interviewed by CNN IBN termed as 'angrezon ka hangover'. I think it is also about the lack of ingenuity on the part of the hotels having this self disparaging rule. Since these hotels and discs are only now beginning to be a part of the common man's daily life, these hotels haven't yet come to terms with the Indian customer, having copied the western way for style, rules, 'manners', etc..
I am sure all the hotel owners must have been very good cheaters in their school times...
Monday, March 17, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
When Raju Lost faith in Ganga...
Remember that movie starring Raj Kapoor, 'Jis desh mein ganga behti hai' ? Raj kapoor played the role of a guy from I think Banaras, and goes on to use his sanskar and values to transform a group of dacoits. I think the assumption in the movie was that Raju had complete faith in the values of the mother land.
Cut to Champaign in US. I have met a lot of NRIs here. Some have no traces of India in them, some still have a very thick Indian accent, some dress in ways you wouldn't imagine on Indians, and then on the other hand you would have people dressed in Salwar kameez, but as soon as they open their mouth, you get amazed at the American accent that hits your ears.
It is interesting to interact with these people, as they aren't Indians anymore, but thats what they identified as, or they identify themselves as (when they have nothing Indian in them). So in a restaurant, you would hear an Indian American talking to her American friends talking about Aishwarya Rai and saying that Indian people have beautiful names, and that Aishwarya Rai has a portugese ancestory, as Indians don't have the genes for such beautiful green eyes... Or I heard another NRI in a party saying that Indian people gang up against NRIs coz they are rich and if your car hits a person in India, they would get after you, coz you are a rich NRI and thus you should be punished for that.
I wondered, what was the reason for these people to leave India and come to US... Was it the land of opportunities, or was it something else? I was going for an interview to a Multinational company in a city in US, and my cab driver was an Indian. he said to me : 'Hope that you are interviewed by a white guy. if you get an Indian, he might ask you for money to let you in...'. Oh my God! I thought. I knew thats so not true, but that exposed me to another perception of India, that I have mostly been unaware of. That of a very common man, who still undergoes a very torturous life of subsistence living, where bribery is still the order of the day, and you have to fight for basic amenities. Indians here are either the most prosperous immigrants who live in Silicon valley or they are these poor Indians who couldn't find a place for themselves in India. Probably most of you who would read this blog from India , would invariably have come from backgrounds where we have either shut out the ugly side of India, or have created a comfort zone around it.
So why do people leave their own home country to come to such a culturally diverse land where you are mostly cut off from the main stream? I could come up with a few reasons, but this is NOT an exhaustive list by any means....
Lost faith:
One of the people I know here lost his home to a tenant, went to the courts, got nothing done for years, and then had to accept an out of court settlement, finally paid money to the tenant to vacate his house. In his words, there is no 'enforcement agency in India'. Every time I talk to him about India, I can see his hurt face. The face of a man who expected his environment to provide him with a decent living standard. Most of his words seethe with a latent anger towards the system. He got a chance to get rid of it, and he did. He lives a modest and comfortable life here.
Never had faith:
Some people here came coz they always believed that India wasn't a place for them. They prolly pick up the foreign accent most easily, curse India in everything they see, and eventually become the worst ambassadors for us. I have met these people in parties here, who would narrate their stories in India, when surprisingly all things that happen to them are bad things, and seemingly they find nothing bad in their current country of residence. (I can point out a few right here).
A special third category:
Is of the people who were born here, but were forced to remain Indian at home, and then left out in the open foreign air to convert into what we call ABCDs. These are a very special variety. Some of them would wear salwars and shirts which were in fashion maybe 20 years back, and when you see them, you would think they have just come in from a remote small town in India. But as they open their mouths, they spew out American english, with 'Oh my GAAWDs', 'This is soo kewwool' etc etc.
To a person I met recently, I had to say that India she knows and India that I come from are two entirely different countries! These people evaluate their India trip from the American perspective. So Mumbai trains are 'Sow ppphackked'. And that you have to get into a local train while it is running! (Can't you wait till it stops or till you get accustomed to it??). They are scared of lizards, and almost all lizards fall on them when they are in India (maybe coz they are NRIs and lizards want to punish the rich NRIs), and so on...
Some of the things that happened to them are real, and maybe, as Indians, we are just used to them. I was just reading the article in the Economist : "What's holding India Back", and the reasons mentioned there were pretty much on the above lines. I agree there still are differences in the standard of living here for an common man vs his counterpart in India. Maybe studying these NRIs gives us another perspective of what we need to change in our system to restore the faith Raju had in Ganga...
Cut to Champaign in US. I have met a lot of NRIs here. Some have no traces of India in them, some still have a very thick Indian accent, some dress in ways you wouldn't imagine on Indians, and then on the other hand you would have people dressed in Salwar kameez, but as soon as they open their mouth, you get amazed at the American accent that hits your ears.
It is interesting to interact with these people, as they aren't Indians anymore, but thats what they identified as, or they identify themselves as (when they have nothing Indian in them). So in a restaurant, you would hear an Indian American talking to her American friends talking about Aishwarya Rai and saying that Indian people have beautiful names, and that Aishwarya Rai has a portugese ancestory, as Indians don't have the genes for such beautiful green eyes... Or I heard another NRI in a party saying that Indian people gang up against NRIs coz they are rich and if your car hits a person in India, they would get after you, coz you are a rich NRI and thus you should be punished for that.
I wondered, what was the reason for these people to leave India and come to US... Was it the land of opportunities, or was it something else? I was going for an interview to a Multinational company in a city in US, and my cab driver was an Indian. he said to me : 'Hope that you are interviewed by a white guy. if you get an Indian, he might ask you for money to let you in...'. Oh my God! I thought. I knew thats so not true, but that exposed me to another perception of India, that I have mostly been unaware of. That of a very common man, who still undergoes a very torturous life of subsistence living, where bribery is still the order of the day, and you have to fight for basic amenities. Indians here are either the most prosperous immigrants who live in Silicon valley or they are these poor Indians who couldn't find a place for themselves in India. Probably most of you who would read this blog from India , would invariably have come from backgrounds where we have either shut out the ugly side of India, or have created a comfort zone around it.
So why do people leave their own home country to come to such a culturally diverse land where you are mostly cut off from the main stream? I could come up with a few reasons, but this is NOT an exhaustive list by any means....
Lost faith:
One of the people I know here lost his home to a tenant, went to the courts, got nothing done for years, and then had to accept an out of court settlement, finally paid money to the tenant to vacate his house. In his words, there is no 'enforcement agency in India'. Every time I talk to him about India, I can see his hurt face. The face of a man who expected his environment to provide him with a decent living standard. Most of his words seethe with a latent anger towards the system. He got a chance to get rid of it, and he did. He lives a modest and comfortable life here.
Never had faith:
Some people here came coz they always believed that India wasn't a place for them. They prolly pick up the foreign accent most easily, curse India in everything they see, and eventually become the worst ambassadors for us. I have met these people in parties here, who would narrate their stories in India, when surprisingly all things that happen to them are bad things, and seemingly they find nothing bad in their current country of residence. (I can point out a few right here).
A special third category:
Is of the people who were born here, but were forced to remain Indian at home, and then left out in the open foreign air to convert into what we call ABCDs. These are a very special variety. Some of them would wear salwars and shirts which were in fashion maybe 20 years back, and when you see them, you would think they have just come in from a remote small town in India. But as they open their mouths, they spew out American english, with 'Oh my GAAWDs', 'This is soo kewwool' etc etc.
To a person I met recently, I had to say that India she knows and India that I come from are two entirely different countries! These people evaluate their India trip from the American perspective. So Mumbai trains are 'Sow ppphackked'. And that you have to get into a local train while it is running! (Can't you wait till it stops or till you get accustomed to it??). They are scared of lizards, and almost all lizards fall on them when they are in India (maybe coz they are NRIs and lizards want to punish the rich NRIs), and so on...
Some of the things that happened to them are real, and maybe, as Indians, we are just used to them. I was just reading the article in the Economist : "What's holding India Back", and the reasons mentioned there were pretty much on the above lines. I agree there still are differences in the standard of living here for an common man vs his counterpart in India. Maybe studying these NRIs gives us another perspective of what we need to change in our system to restore the faith Raju had in Ganga...
Friday, February 22, 2008
Why I don't wanna work for Infosys
Well that's because I don't like the Blackberry phone. The blog could end right here, but then if I don't explain it better, you would keep me in the same category as Infosians, who I dislike anyway...
So what's the big deal? It happened like this... We are a bunch of Indian students here at an American university, which is kinda considered one of the best in the world, and we feel quite proud belonging to this place.
Even more so when the job fairs happen. There are companies abound that come here looking for great talent and increase their organization's productivity. All the stalls are brightly lit and the recruiters stand outside their stalls to 'reach' out to the students, so that they could talk to them and see if they are a good fit. Even if they are not, they are more than willing to listen to you and explore whatever opportunities there could be for you. Even if it turns out that there aren't any opportunities available, you would walk away thinking that you had the best conversation you wanted to have, and too bad there weren't opportunities, but you would want to try again...
The stalls are a story in them all together. draped in their company colors, the stalls are all lit up shining bright. These people go an extra mile to get their stalls looking great for people to get attracted like a moth to fire.
So I was having a good time in the job fair, talking to different recruiters, and having a quality time there... And then I walk into this next row of stalls... this row was kinda different. It had mostly hardware and earth moving equipment companies. As I walk down through the aisle, there came this corner... the stall was blue, and it seemed that either the lighting was not done, or some of the bulbs had prolly blown away. The caption there said, 'The world is flattening.. are you ready?' hmm... when i looked around there was just one person in that stall, and just above his wavy hair, I read the name, Infosys...
The recruiter here was kinda weird. He was sitting behind the table stall and was totally screwed on to his Blackberry Phone! a few people passed in front of him, and he didn't seem to notice. I thought it might be his boss on the phone, and I would come later...
So I took a round of the hall and then went back to the stall. This time the recruiter was talking to someone. So as was the case with other stalls, I stood in line waiting. Generally, recruiters tried to give equal time to all people waiting in the line, and made sure that the line didn't feel ignored. But the guy here at Infosys, looks at me, and says 'I am talking to this person, and will take time. You can go and have a round of the hall, and come back after 5 mins.' Well, umm taken aback by that, I smiled and said, OK...
So I took a round and went back to the stall.. The chat was still going on, and now the recruiter was actually sitting on the side of his table and it seemed that it was more of a gossip mode than recruiting. And he was still playing with the Blackberry in his hands while gossiping with that kid...
'aah nevermind' I thought, and moved on to Yahoo.. By the way, I went for the final rounds of interviews with Yahoo at SF, and they have a rocking atmosphere and campus. And ofcourse, you are treated very well there...
So what's the big deal? It happened like this... We are a bunch of Indian students here at an American university, which is kinda considered one of the best in the world, and we feel quite proud belonging to this place.
Even more so when the job fairs happen. There are companies abound that come here looking for great talent and increase their organization's productivity. All the stalls are brightly lit and the recruiters stand outside their stalls to 'reach' out to the students, so that they could talk to them and see if they are a good fit. Even if they are not, they are more than willing to listen to you and explore whatever opportunities there could be for you. Even if it turns out that there aren't any opportunities available, you would walk away thinking that you had the best conversation you wanted to have, and too bad there weren't opportunities, but you would want to try again...
The stalls are a story in them all together. draped in their company colors, the stalls are all lit up shining bright. These people go an extra mile to get their stalls looking great for people to get attracted like a moth to fire.
So I was having a good time in the job fair, talking to different recruiters, and having a quality time there... And then I walk into this next row of stalls... this row was kinda different. It had mostly hardware and earth moving equipment companies. As I walk down through the aisle, there came this corner... the stall was blue, and it seemed that either the lighting was not done, or some of the bulbs had prolly blown away. The caption there said, 'The world is flattening.. are you ready?' hmm... when i looked around there was just one person in that stall, and just above his wavy hair, I read the name, Infosys...
The recruiter here was kinda weird. He was sitting behind the table stall and was totally screwed on to his Blackberry Phone! a few people passed in front of him, and he didn't seem to notice. I thought it might be his boss on the phone, and I would come later...
So I took a round of the hall and then went back to the stall. This time the recruiter was talking to someone. So as was the case with other stalls, I stood in line waiting. Generally, recruiters tried to give equal time to all people waiting in the line, and made sure that the line didn't feel ignored. But the guy here at Infosys, looks at me, and says 'I am talking to this person, and will take time. You can go and have a round of the hall, and come back after 5 mins.' Well, umm taken aback by that, I smiled and said, OK...
So I took a round and went back to the stall.. The chat was still going on, and now the recruiter was actually sitting on the side of his table and it seemed that it was more of a gossip mode than recruiting. And he was still playing with the Blackberry in his hands while gossiping with that kid...
'aah nevermind' I thought, and moved on to Yahoo.. By the way, I went for the final rounds of interviews with Yahoo at SF, and they have a rocking atmosphere and campus. And ofcourse, you are treated very well there...
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Where The Mind is Without Fear
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Rabindra Nath Tagore
Sunday, February 10, 2008
The Helix of a Year
It's that time of the year again. And in fact it is so imminent and a surety every year that I can only draw an analogy with a doggy's heat period, or me scoring a zero in at least one test out of the ten I take.
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't try to avoid this from happening. In fact I have had more chances than others to avoid this event from unfolding every single year. But more like a conscript, I am always pulled in to this black hole.
Imagine it like this. let's look at it from 365 days away. In other words, the day has just passed, and I am resolved to make sure that this doesn't happen the next year. And now I am working towards it, slowly slowly revolving and gravitating towards the center of the helix, which is the 366th day, or exactly one year away...
If you guessed that to be the CAT test (or rather flunking in it), heheh think again. Although ur guess is a worthy second, it is a wee bit away from the actual numero uno. I am talking about Valentine's day, and the fact that no matter what I do across the year, no matter how many relationships i build around the year somehow, always, incorrigibly, I am always rendered alone by the time 14th feb arrives. And I am as nonplussed about it as your are! The only good thing I learnt from it is that I can be ruthlessly accurate and consistent in my performance.
Well Whatever is the big deal about 14th of feb anyways... I usually am in a hangover after celebrating my bro's birthday, and am mostly not in a position to shift gears to the other love in my life. (umm if she is still around that is). But usually the way it happens is this...
Date : 14th march,
One Month past from the last debacle:
I am thinking about this girl next door. She is pretty and seems to have a charm about herself. (I didn't quite think this way 2 months back, but desperate times call, ahem, for desperate measures)
3 Months past:
I see this girl in my parking lot again! I smile at her, and she smiles back!!! (think of sumthing funny think of sumthing funny!), and I crack a one liner joke. She ignores and goes away. (shit).
3 and a half months past:
I see this girl at the grocery store, and, although I don't have to buy that thing, I go to there to buy that anyways... after all, what if I run out of it sooner than I thought? I ask for a diff brand and specifically say that I don't want the brand this girl bought... It worked!!! she asks me whats wrong with her brand! :D (yahooo) and I tell her of the wildest ever criticism of that brand and that company. We walk back to our society together, and talk about loads of things right from what she is doing and what she wants to do, to the weird security guard we have and the creepy noises that come from his room in the night when we are out for a night walk... I find out if she is on orkut, she is :D
4 Months past :
we have been scrapping regularly on orkut, and have become pretty updated on each other now... I open another tab on Mozilla and find out the latest movies in Delhi. Tell her that I have 3 4 tickets with me and i can give her 2 if she wanted... rest is .. history :D
10 Months past, 2 more to go for Valentines day:
Well we have been going around for all that while now, but I am not sure if I rlly like her.. I mean she is good for a time pass, but thats just about it... She has been cozying up a lot and I am not tooo comfortable about that! I now begin to slip out of this by making excuses. lame ones even by my 10 year old cousin's standards... but i still go ahead. There is a fight back.. she tries to hold on, and that freaks me out even more!.. This goes on for a fortnight....
11 Months past, 1 one month to Valentines day:
She calls me and confronts me directly. 'You have been trying to avoid me for the last 2 months now. What have I done!'... umm errr.. I cannot say to her that she isn't ALL that interesting. can I!?
I dodge the question, and give her global gyaan about how the world is changing and that there is a recession in the offing, and I am working hard to save for the rainy day. She doesn't buy. I then say that sometimes relationships are better taken slowly and gradually.. we are great friends, and I think I was taking a lil too much of you. I wanted to make sure that I don't step into your space, coz I respect a woman of your caliber...
This is the final sentence she says to me:
"You are a Dog".
(As if I didn't know that)
12 months past: date 14th feb
I gifted my bro the best thing I could buy, and revel in his happiness. but somewhere, I wish I had someone I could gift today and spend this day dreaming about the life to come with someone...
And then I resolve that I wouldn't let this happen again, and step into the helix again...
Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't try to avoid this from happening. In fact I have had more chances than others to avoid this event from unfolding every single year. But more like a conscript, I am always pulled in to this black hole.
Imagine it like this. let's look at it from 365 days away. In other words, the day has just passed, and I am resolved to make sure that this doesn't happen the next year. And now I am working towards it, slowly slowly revolving and gravitating towards the center of the helix, which is the 366th day, or exactly one year away...
If you guessed that to be the CAT test (or rather flunking in it), heheh think again. Although ur guess is a worthy second, it is a wee bit away from the actual numero uno. I am talking about Valentine's day, and the fact that no matter what I do across the year, no matter how many relationships i build around the year somehow, always, incorrigibly, I am always rendered alone by the time 14th feb arrives. And I am as nonplussed about it as your are! The only good thing I learnt from it is that I can be ruthlessly accurate and consistent in my performance.
Well Whatever is the big deal about 14th of feb anyways... I usually am in a hangover after celebrating my bro's birthday, and am mostly not in a position to shift gears to the other love in my life. (umm if she is still around that is). But usually the way it happens is this...
Date : 14th march,
One Month past from the last debacle:
I am thinking about this girl next door. She is pretty and seems to have a charm about herself. (I didn't quite think this way 2 months back, but desperate times call, ahem, for desperate measures)
3 Months past:
I see this girl in my parking lot again! I smile at her, and she smiles back!!! (think of sumthing funny think of sumthing funny!), and I crack a one liner joke. She ignores and goes away. (shit).
3 and a half months past:
I see this girl at the grocery store, and, although I don't have to buy that thing, I go to there to buy that anyways... after all, what if I run out of it sooner than I thought? I ask for a diff brand and specifically say that I don't want the brand this girl bought... It worked!!! she asks me whats wrong with her brand! :D (yahooo) and I tell her of the wildest ever criticism of that brand and that company. We walk back to our society together, and talk about loads of things right from what she is doing and what she wants to do, to the weird security guard we have and the creepy noises that come from his room in the night when we are out for a night walk... I find out if she is on orkut, she is :D
4 Months past :
we have been scrapping regularly on orkut, and have become pretty updated on each other now... I open another tab on Mozilla and find out the latest movies in Delhi. Tell her that I have 3 4 tickets with me and i can give her 2 if she wanted... rest is .. history :D
10 Months past, 2 more to go for Valentines day:
Well we have been going around for all that while now, but I am not sure if I rlly like her.. I mean she is good for a time pass, but thats just about it... She has been cozying up a lot and I am not tooo comfortable about that! I now begin to slip out of this by making excuses. lame ones even by my 10 year old cousin's standards... but i still go ahead. There is a fight back.. she tries to hold on, and that freaks me out even more!.. This goes on for a fortnight....
11 Months past, 1 one month to Valentines day:
She calls me and confronts me directly. 'You have been trying to avoid me for the last 2 months now. What have I done!'... umm errr.. I cannot say to her that she isn't ALL that interesting. can I!?
I dodge the question, and give her global gyaan about how the world is changing and that there is a recession in the offing, and I am working hard to save for the rainy day. She doesn't buy. I then say that sometimes relationships are better taken slowly and gradually.. we are great friends, and I think I was taking a lil too much of you. I wanted to make sure that I don't step into your space, coz I respect a woman of your caliber...
This is the final sentence she says to me:
"You are a Dog".
(As if I didn't know that)
12 months past: date 14th feb
I gifted my bro the best thing I could buy, and revel in his happiness. but somewhere, I wish I had someone I could gift today and spend this day dreaming about the life to come with someone...
And then I resolve that I wouldn't let this happen again, and step into the helix again...
Monday, February 04, 2008
Raj Thakrey and his myopic utopia
read this if you don't know wats happening...
I couldn't have imagined a guy who from an outsider's perspective was kinda forward looking, shoot himself in his foot. So after Mumbai being the financial capital of the country for the last 100 years, and a lakh people from across the country shunting into the city everyday, we hear pleas to uphold Maharashtrian culture in Mumbai!
hehe just that Maharashtrians would now be having loads of other world's in them neways... lalu yadav, being the politician he is, was quick and right in pointing out that Raj Thakrey is a child in politics. Well Mr Yadav, although I don't like you, but on this I have to agree, and even add that this is an outrageously stupid move by the young Thakrey struggling to make a place for himself in politics... Ironically here is a guy who met Michael Jackson and was commented on his 'nice jacket' ... he could have also added, 'peanut head' to that compliment...
India is moving into middle class, and middle class doesn't quite care about where they are.. in Mumbai or Delhi, or Jamshedpur, if they are able to make a good living... Also, wasn't it more abt India shining than Mumbai bright? and in fact, since most of Mumbai's revenues come from all across the country, if the nation reacts to this, God save Mr Raj Thakrey... or instead, should God even bother saving a jacka**??
Sorry Mr Thakrey, hope u learn, or please don't try looking for job in places other than Mumbai, and in ur special case, u prolly dont even have a Prime Minister, coz Maharashtra doesn't have one as yet.
I couldn't have imagined a guy who from an outsider's perspective was kinda forward looking, shoot himself in his foot. So after Mumbai being the financial capital of the country for the last 100 years, and a lakh people from across the country shunting into the city everyday, we hear pleas to uphold Maharashtrian culture in Mumbai!
hehe just that Maharashtrians would now be having loads of other world's in them neways... lalu yadav, being the politician he is, was quick and right in pointing out that Raj Thakrey is a child in politics. Well Mr Yadav, although I don't like you, but on this I have to agree, and even add that this is an outrageously stupid move by the young Thakrey struggling to make a place for himself in politics... Ironically here is a guy who met Michael Jackson and was commented on his 'nice jacket' ... he could have also added, 'peanut head' to that compliment...
India is moving into middle class, and middle class doesn't quite care about where they are.. in Mumbai or Delhi, or Jamshedpur, if they are able to make a good living... Also, wasn't it more abt India shining than Mumbai bright? and in fact, since most of Mumbai's revenues come from all across the country, if the nation reacts to this, God save Mr Raj Thakrey... or instead, should God even bother saving a jacka**??
Sorry Mr Thakrey, hope u learn, or please don't try looking for job in places other than Mumbai, and in ur special case, u prolly dont even have a Prime Minister, coz Maharashtra doesn't have one as yet.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Kolkata Fire
Test of laws of physics and civil Engineering
Well the fire in this part of Kolkata has been on for 2 days now... It's sad and funny at the same time. Sad coz obviously it is a bad thing. and funny coz a government cannot control a fire in a building??? (laugh out loud). Well as I write this, the fire is still gazing on, guzzling the stuff that comes in way, while inept firemen and government and 'call for centre's help' (laugh out loud again, but this time, followed by another loud sound of anguish)
Cities like Kolkata,Delhi (at least Old Delhi, trans Yamuna), Mumbai (I guess Chawri bazaar etc) have seen the absence of government responsibility and civil callousness for such a long time that the only thing thats holding the city together are the basic laws of physics and civil engineering. And when the buildings held together by just them are exposed to even slightest of dangers( like this fire) they just explode out of proportion, accounting for losses of around 200 crores (and counting) in this case..
Looking at this incident from a management's perspective, I can only compare it to the other places (right now only US). In order to make a place safe and working, we not only need technology, which is anyway a small part of the picture, but also a set of processes which are then conveyed by the enforcement agencies to the participating public, and then implemented religiously. A huge population and sub standard bureaucracy just adds to the flavour of the problem...
So how could this be prevented? I guess it has to start with the people who know about this problem, actually making noise about it. And then spread the word just like this fire... Maybe by telling everyone to teach everyone about sane practices to follow in their buildings and then asking ur friends and foes(yes them too) to vote while keeping these factors in mind..
utopian? well to quote Rang De Basanti: 'Koi bhi desh perfect nahin hota.. usey perfect banana padta hai'.
Test of laws of physics and civil Engineering
Well the fire in this part of Kolkata has been on for 2 days now... It's sad and funny at the same time. Sad coz obviously it is a bad thing. and funny coz a government cannot control a fire in a building??? (laugh out loud). Well as I write this, the fire is still gazing on, guzzling the stuff that comes in way, while inept firemen and government and 'call for centre's help' (laugh out loud again, but this time, followed by another loud sound of anguish)
Cities like Kolkata,Delhi (at least Old Delhi, trans Yamuna), Mumbai (I guess Chawri bazaar etc) have seen the absence of government responsibility and civil callousness for such a long time that the only thing thats holding the city together are the basic laws of physics and civil engineering. And when the buildings held together by just them are exposed to even slightest of dangers( like this fire) they just explode out of proportion, accounting for losses of around 200 crores (and counting) in this case..
Looking at this incident from a management's perspective, I can only compare it to the other places (right now only US). In order to make a place safe and working, we not only need technology, which is anyway a small part of the picture, but also a set of processes which are then conveyed by the enforcement agencies to the participating public, and then implemented religiously. A huge population and sub standard bureaucracy just adds to the flavour of the problem...So how could this be prevented? I guess it has to start with the people who know about this problem, actually making noise about it. And then spread the word just like this fire... Maybe by telling everyone to teach everyone about sane practices to follow in their buildings and then asking ur friends and foes(yes them too) to vote while keeping these factors in mind..
utopian? well to quote Rang De Basanti: 'Koi bhi desh perfect nahin hota.. usey perfect banana padta hai'.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Mumbai and Kochi and the rest of India's shame
Well the new year was gr8 for me and my friends, when we celebrated the new year at our apartment...
Not so for a few women who were visiting India for new year's... I have a few American friends here who are visiting India for new year's, and I was kinda waiting for them to come back so that I could ask them about how they found out my country!
But after watching the news about a few foreigners being molested in Mumbai and Kochi (apart from many other instances which were not even reported i guess), I am left with shame and no words to ask my friends about... The Swedish being interviewed in Kochi was kinda right when he actually deplored the whole country for the doing of a silly uncouth 17 year old. I am sorry, Our visitors... Next time I meet any foreigner who knows abt this incident, I would be categorised with that molester...
I think the stuff we hear about the gap between the 'haves' and 'have nots' in India is actually right there in front of us. The better offs, which are mostly the cream of the country, go out and market India. I am filled with some kinda pride when I see the Incredible India ad on Chicago Airport. But when these foreigners land in India, they are exposed to these 'have nots' created by us the 'haves' (maybe by not paying our taxes, by being greedy, or simply by not caring about them). When they do a wrong thing, it becomes a shame on all of us.
And as India becomes more of a global destination, more of this will come to fore. The dirty underbelly of India will rub more with the rest of the world. If we are to be the next great thing, we must take up our responsibility and do our part in rectifying these follies.
I remember the 'each one teach five' campaign poster in my school, which was kinda vetoed by all students, since they had to study for their final exams! Lets actually start volunteering to teach at say CRY institutions, or orphanges. Our if the school fees for our maids' kids is a petty 300 rupees a month, maybe we can start funding that, or at least pool it.
I am gonna start participating in the ASHA foundation here, that collects funds for supporting students in India. If we have to pull our 1 billiion strong country out of the mess, we gotta start now.
Well the new year was gr8 for me and my friends, when we celebrated the new year at our apartment...
Not so for a few women who were visiting India for new year's... I have a few American friends here who are visiting India for new year's, and I was kinda waiting for them to come back so that I could ask them about how they found out my country!
But after watching the news about a few foreigners being molested in Mumbai and Kochi (apart from many other instances which were not even reported i guess), I am left with shame and no words to ask my friends about... The Swedish being interviewed in Kochi was kinda right when he actually deplored the whole country for the doing of a silly uncouth 17 year old. I am sorry, Our visitors... Next time I meet any foreigner who knows abt this incident, I would be categorised with that molester...
I think the stuff we hear about the gap between the 'haves' and 'have nots' in India is actually right there in front of us. The better offs, which are mostly the cream of the country, go out and market India. I am filled with some kinda pride when I see the Incredible India ad on Chicago Airport. But when these foreigners land in India, they are exposed to these 'have nots' created by us the 'haves' (maybe by not paying our taxes, by being greedy, or simply by not caring about them). When they do a wrong thing, it becomes a shame on all of us.
And as India becomes more of a global destination, more of this will come to fore. The dirty underbelly of India will rub more with the rest of the world. If we are to be the next great thing, we must take up our responsibility and do our part in rectifying these follies.
I remember the 'each one teach five' campaign poster in my school, which was kinda vetoed by all students, since they had to study for their final exams! Lets actually start volunteering to teach at say CRY institutions, or orphanges. Our if the school fees for our maids' kids is a petty 300 rupees a month, maybe we can start funding that, or at least pool it.
I am gonna start participating in the ASHA foundation here, that collects funds for supporting students in India. If we have to pull our 1 billiion strong country out of the mess, we gotta start now.
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