Lateness Guranteed

What is it in India that takes 20 hours on an average for a 14 hour thing, is completely unable to manage disasters, has no plan B, keeps on growing on the number of the people using it day after day while its size still remains the same?

Unable to get it?

Or are you confused between a few things that happen in our beloved country. Well…let me give you a hint.

It was established by the british during their rule in our country. Today after winning an election politicians battle over the post for this particular ministry. It opens up 90 days in advance and even if you have a ticket on which you cannot travel and which gets automatically cancelled if not confirmed, you still need to pay up a small amount and yes, it keeps bringing people closer(literally).

Most of you people must have got it by now. For those who did not, I am talking about our Great Indain Railways.

The trains almost never arrive on the right time, and probably never leave at the right time. They have been unable to find a better solution to the naxals blowing up their tracks which caused the gyaneshwari accident except not allowing any trains on that patch after dark. And yes not to forget who literally  aree bringing people closer to each other. These are but a few problems that we the people face due to the lethargic attitude of the Indain railways. But here I focus on one problem in particular, the waiting time for the trains.

Go to any railway station, one announcement can be prominently heard,”passengers please take note, train number xxxxx up/down going from ABC to XYZ, so and so express is running late for so many hours. The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.”Now my question is when do these people really start regretting it? When to they really feel regertful and do something about it? Or is it some kind of a situation where absolutely nothing can be done? As far as the last question is concerned, i dont think YES could be an answer. There is always something that can be done.

Take the Gyaneshwari Incident for example. Naxalites blew up the tracks during the dark, caused a train to derail and thereby many people got killed or injured. So until a solution to this problem was found out no trains were allowed in that patch after sunset. Ok, wise decision. But for God’s sake that was almost an year ago now. Why do they want to show their ineptness to deal with things, by still continuing with the same solution. And if you do really wish to keep doing that, atleast revise the train timings. How long does that take now. Given the complicacy and the mutual dependency of the vast Indain Rail network, I don’t think it should take the authority more than a month. After all that is their job.

The solution that I feel can bring the Indian Rail Authority out of this obesity is if there comes in effect a law which mandates the Indain Rail to return back a part or whole of the fare depending upon the extent of lateness. I believe that they have nothing to lose in this particular area, which is why they are unable to get the proper motivation for work. If they start losing money for late trains, they will automatically do something or the other to save the money. And whatever we get in the end will be better than the present. And yes, if they want we can also say while taking the money,”aapko hui aasuvidha k liye hame khed hai!!”

AN ULTIMATE DIWALI

Imagine a Diwali away from home in a lonely place called Surat, where in you have never ever stayed away from home for the biggest festival of India. Sounds lonely, isn’t it! But imagine a Diwali, the biggest festival in India with some of the nicest people, good friends and awesome colleagues around (read Onkar Singh, Ankit Shukla, Sujoy Das and Mohit Kamra),

dosen’t it sound great. Well I had this awesomest Diwali experience this time, when my work forced me to spend my Diwali in Surat, away from home with none of my family members around. This is post is nothing but a manifestation of my experience of Diwali 2010. If I would have posted this post on confluence a year ago, I would have had to face music from Gaurav and Deval, but since now I own this site and also people do not visit this site any more with the same enthusiasm as before, I don’t think I will have any issues with this post being put up on confluence. Anyway it was always about giving your idea a stage, if people were interested in it or not has always been a different issue and totally upon the people.

In more than one ways, this Diwali was very abnormal for me. The first thing was being away from home during the one time everyone is home. But add to the list having no restrictions, bursting firecrackers on the footpath with traffic on both sides, getting involved in a rocket fight with the other side of the road with some completely unknown people as my teammates and then being in the crossfire of the same war, standing on the footpath watching the expensive crackers light up the night sky as if it were a firecracker show, bursting firecrackers at 12 am after everyone has slept just to wake them up make the abnormal sound above normal. This once this abnormality was actually above normality for me.

But with this Diwali experience I realized one thing about the surti public. These people are totally insane and got no sense of shame. Normally it sounds bad, but don’t forget here everything is abnormal. Why else would anyone come lock their homes and come out on the streets just to light their firecrackers. Why else would anyone light a rocket horizontal instead of vertically, with its direction towards the other side of the road. Why else would anyone buy a “4000 ki ladi”, tie it to their bikes and light it up while the bike moves on the road full speed in full traffic. If you can imagine it was quiet a stunt. Why else would anyone burst their crackers right in front of the shop where they bought it (this one thing we did too…the madness had to get us..we could not escape it ).

 Yet such kind of mindless behavior, though good sometimes, may not be good at all times, and in some cases even harmful to others. What we need to think is that why do we need to have fun at the cost of others’ safety. Why can’t we devise some harmless ways of having fun? Why do we need to blow up huge amounts of money in fire crackers also at the same time affecting our health, others’ health and also damaging the environment, just to have fun? Yes that feeling of joy comes in our hearts when the sky lights up. No doubt about it. But is it worth it? If everyone just donated the money they burn in crackers for nothing but a mere show of spectacle, India would become a lot better place. But some mentalities are not easy to change. Some traditions are hard to give up. After all it is these fireworks that make us unique. Also the very large industry making these very fireworks provides employment to a lot of people. Yes there is a problem of child labour, but if we stop buying these firecrackers, we would then though prevent a lot of fires, save lot of children from getting their childhoods spoilt, also give rise to unemployment, which is also a big problem in a country like India. But it is not that we cannot do something about it. Buy firecrackers, but see to it that they are not made by children. Try and burst only such crackers which pollute as least as possible. Donate some amount of what you blow in fire crackers as charity. Try and make Diwali a festival of joy for all, not just for some who can pay money for it.

And above all, please don’t have fun with firecrackers at the expense of others. Don’t be an incendiary, just for the fun of it. Be responsible and behave responsibly when you light firecrackers. Who knows today you are having fun, tomorrow someone else will be having fun while you burn. For the next year,

WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE DIWALI!!

AAPNE JEETI GAYA!!!

Being in Larsen and Toubro Hazira has its advantages other than just the job experience. Being here I have learnt more Gujrati in the last 3 months than I could in the 4 years of my college. Today was the 5^th and final day of the test match between India and Australia, and in what can very aptly be called a nail biting match, India won the match on a bowling pitch while chasing by just a mere single wicket. Well the match was quiet interesting and though people at Larsen and Toubro were not in front the television sets watching the match ball by ball, but nothing could keep them from keeping a track of the scores.

Work was going on at its normal pace as it always goes. Though “Score kya hua??” was asked by many, many times. People were discussing technicalities of the job while some were actually doing the jobs. The most interesting case to see was that of two people, one from the shops and the other from some other department involved in a heated argument over some issue. Things like this are not uncommon though on the shop floor.  But what was worth noticing was what happened next. Of the 2 people arguing, one’s cell phone rings into a massage tone. He opens the massage and happily shouts,”AAPNE JEETI GAYA!!” The argument is instantly forgotten and scores start getting discussed and the argument now changes to who should get the man of the match title.

What caught my attention was the phrase,”AAPNE JEETI GAYA”. Meaning WE HAVE WON. Not quiet often do we get to hear the ‘WE’ over here now do we. At this moment I recall one of Akshay Kumar’s dialogues from the movie Khaata Meetha (wait…don’t stop reading here, I never said about liking the movie),

”AAP AMERICA JAO AAPKO AMERICAN MILENGE

ENGLAND JAO TO ENGLISHMEN MILENGE

FRANCE JAO TO FRENCHMEN MILENGE

LEKIN INDIA ME…INDIA ME AAPKO MILENGE MARATHI, GUJRATI, PUNJABI, MARWADI…”

So true, is it not! We actually are Indian at very few instances. Unless we are out of India or some outside power is intruding into India, or unless there is a cricket match we are just so very non-Indian. Just look at the today’s match as an example. When Zaheer Khan took 5 wickets and was made the Man of the Match, he was an Indian and not a Muslim. When Sachin scored 98 in the first innings, or when Dhoni got out for 2 in the second innings they were Indians and not a Maharashtrian and a Bihari(No grudges against Dhoni, I love his shots and more even his attitude, this was just for an example). But what happens to us after the match ends? We go out and start the discrimination on the basis of caste, religion, region and what else not. The question that really comes to my mind here is why so? Why just can’t we be Indians at all times?

Why do we fall for some power hungry politician’s words in which he makes us fight against each other. Who in a so called secular India whose constitution treats every religion and people of all religions equally, puts his religion’s claim on something that should rightfully belong to all? Why do we fight for the Ram Mandir or the Babri Masjid of either of which today who knows what exists where? Why not build an orphanage or a school on that site? Haven’t all the religions always asked to help the poor of the society? Don’t our religions say that we must donate some part of our earning to the society? And when we remember everything else about the religion, why do we forget this good part?

Why do we fight for what language should get importance where? Why do we not understand that language is simply for expressing the feeling within us, that it is simply to convey our massage to the person standing next to you? Why do we attach so much importance to the regional language, or should I say force importance on it when we have one National Language? Why do the south Indian’s do not study our National Language? Why do they give so much importance to their regional language to the point of creating a hatred for the National Language? Why do we need to print our sign boards in a regional language rather than print them in a language that is understood by if not all, a lot more people? Isn’t it supposed to be bad for one’s business? If one cannot understand what a particular shop sells, why should he go in there and buy stuff from there?

Why do we let a few corrupt government officials and selfish political leaders, ruin our country’s image by letting them organize a world event that makes us all feel sorry before the entire world community? Why don’t we unitedly stand against this and demand for a change? India is supposed to be democracy I guess? Right from the traffic policeman who takes a bribe from us for us not having an insurance of our own vehicle to the minister who bungles in huge amounts of money for issuing a public works contract, or steals the money that is meant for the flood affected people in helping them building their homes back? Why can’t we just stand up for once and say a simple and strong NO?

Why do so many questions plague India today, when they can be vanished by a minute change in our mentalities? Will these or should I say, can these questions ever vanish?

AAPNE SACHI MA JEETE SHAKE CHE?

A New Beginning…

It has been a long time since I actually wrote something. I have no idea as to why that happened. I don’t know the reason but I know the cause that keeps me from writing. It is none other than me. My last article (not so good though) one got me selected in my campus placements and as the purpose of me taking up writing as a hobby (to be able to tell a hobby in my interviews) was fulfilled I abandoned writing. I got a stimulus to write many a time but I sidelined it, ignored it.  But now I have decided to begin again. It will take some time before the rust is removed and a lot more until I re-attain my full flow, but this time I will not quit like I did last time.

Hindu culture has always promoted that whenever you start a new endeavor, start it with the name of Lord Ganesha. In Hindu mythology Ganesha is regarded as the remover of all obstacles, as the giver of happiness and borrower of your sorrows. Hence the first place in any religious ceremony first Lord Ganesha is invoked. He is the one who is called first and prayed to, to reward our efforts with success and keep our path free from obstacles.

But it is not just for this sole reason that I am writing about the half elephant God. He holds a very special place in my heart and since long I have wanted to devote one of my articles to him. This is THE ONE. So continuining with this one, the fact Lord Ganesha occupies a special corner of my heart is not only because of the fact of me being a maharashtrian. It has also to do with an important and very interesting incident that happened about 5 years ago. This incident changed my very outlook towards life and with it Ganesha sat in that very special part of my heart and continues to be there ever since.

It was the time of examinations. Not any college/school examinations but the entrance examinations for engineering admissions. Knowing that I had done very badly in some of the exams that had happened just before this one, this was actually my last option of getting admission into a good college. It was the exam for admission to the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences, and by the time only this exam was left for me, I had become quiet desperate to do good in at least one out of the half a dozen entrance exams I had written. I had worked really hard. Why should this happen to me. At least one exam I had to do good to show myself that my hard work had paid off. It had to. What else would have I done. So the point is I was very desperate to perform in this one. I had to score and get selected. But some things happen in strange ways. The exam was supposed to be in Mumbai and a day before I was to leave for Mumbai, I fall ill. Not a big thing other wise but in my case it was as if my entire life depended on it and everything was supposed to go against me. My preparations go down the drain and doctors are consulted. Medicines that are given to me cause drowsiness and I am unable to study even one line. In such a condition, I catch the train and leave for Mumbai. We reach Mumbai a day before my exam is scheduled. That day while everyone of my friends is studying, I am feeling totally sick. And still as the medicines continue I keep feeling drowzee. It is as if everything is decided and I am doomed and this very feeling makes me feel more sick. That evening all decide that it is enough of the study and all decide to go out. We go out and roam around. After some time of roaming, someone comes up with the idea of going to the Siddhivinayak Temple. Ok I thought, the only thing that I could do was ask for divine intervention. But I had also tried invoking the Gods before my other exams as well and inspite of that my other exams had been big blunders. But what else could I possibly do. So we go to the temple. As expected there is a long queue and lots of security to go through just to have a look of the God. But we go in anyway. We stand in the queue pass through security gates and metal detectors and physically inspected by policemen for any weapons and when finally they don’t find any of them with us, they allow us to proceed. As the queue moves very slowly, everyone is nervous about the next day’s exam. But amidst the nervousness I do feel a peaceful feeling inside the temple premises. Some places have a distinct personality of their own. Finally after a long time of standing in a slowly moving queue, we reach the main temple and now we are able to see the God’s Idol. We inch closer towards the place where we can actually fold our hands and pray. While inching ahead, I observe something strange. Some people after praying to Ganesha went over to the mouse’s idol in front of Ganesha’s idol and whispered something into it’s ears. It was amazing and confusing to see. When I enquired about it, I came to know a really amazing thing. Whenever you have a wish in your heart that you want fulfilled, you whisper it in the mouse’s ears with a request to take it forward it to he Lord. And then sometime later, the mouse who is also Ganesha’s vehicle(Vahaan as is called in Marathi) puts our problem directly in front of the Lord to solve. Amazing I thought. And I followed the practice. I went over and prayed over to the Lord to cure me of my illness so that at least I could give the exam my fullest and whispered the same in my ears of the mouse. Soon everyone offered their prayers and put forward their desires in front of the Lord. And after time we had our dinner and left. As we went back, all of us were still nervous about the exam next day. We reached our rooms and dosed off.

As I wake up next day, it is the big day and wait a minute, I do not feel sick anymore. It might have been the medicines, it may have been the rest. But for my heart it was the Lord who had answered my prayers. It was Ganesha who cured my illness so that I could the exam all that I had got. What happened next is not that relevant. I gave the exam and scored enough to satisfy myself that my efforts had paid off. But this incident has given that special place of respect in my heart to Ganesha. The Lord had answered my prayers that day. And till today he has kept me fighting fit for the exams I have had to face. And here the exams I am talking about are not only the ones that you give after studying/mugging up from books. And I am sure that he will be with me always to help me get up whenever I fall, to help me always give my best, to keep obstacles away from my path, to provide me with the much needed support one needs during testing times.

With this I now re-begin with my writing. No matter who reads it or does not. No matter who cares for it. May Lord Ganesha give me the strength to keep my word of not quitting this once. May this New Beginning be successful…”GANPATI BAPPA MORAYA”

Foreplay;-)

What happens before we voice our opinion? There’s a very interesting psychological phenomena I came across. I would pose a question and carry out it’s analysis. A person asks you something or puts forward a statement. You voice out vehemently that you would never even think of doing it. But saying that “you’d never think of doing it”, doesn’t prove in itself that you already thought of doing it? Let me take an example. I’d pick up a topic which would seem gruesome to many. Incest. It disgusts? Right? You’d say that you’d never ever do it. But the very moment you consider the thought of doing it, there’s a probability that you would do it.

Leave alone someone asking you. Suppose you come across a subject and you think about all the possible responses. All these responses have some probability of you doing it. Even though you oppose few of the considerations, you already considered them and so you might do it. Someone might argue that any such issue is bound to have an affirmation or a negation and so a person would definitely consider all the factors in his ken which would surely include a yes or a no making it impossible for a person to overlook these possibilities. The human mind is analytical. But is the person deceiving himself when he says he would never do something (or will always do something). Is it just will power or is the unconscious playing a part? If we lose consciousness, would we do it all without any prejudices? Look in deep and you’d find that you’d do anything. There are a few explanations like the thing that brings consciousness is the brain or the ethics and the surroundings of a person are what is shaping this reluctance. But I would go ahead if it generates a few responses or else I’ll keep amusing myself.

You can’t handle the truth

Hello everyone! This post is the work of a talented blogger who goes by the name of A.S.Krishnan and studies at SVNIT in 3rd year of Mechanical Engineering. He wanted to publish his post on confluence but did not have a wordpress account. So i am posting this on his behalf. Happy reading!!

Colonel Nathan Jessup was put on the stand. Lieutenant Kaffee faced him “I think I am entitled to the truth”. Jessup says the 29^th most prominent punch line of all time.

“YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH”

Ok, sons and daughters of this holy land, we live in a world that is under a constant media scrutiny. Every single move, whether I talk, tweet or do anything a normal guy does turns into a scam. Every confidential letter is leaked to the press for money. All right, education it is. We live in a country that has 28 states, 7 union territories, 23 languages with 1650 dialects out of whom 64.8% are literate ( 57.3% females and 75.3% males) with a sex ratio of 1:9.4 males : females. There are 350-400 people below the poverty line i.e. 36%. With every state having a different government and having n number of parties with n number of propagandas, it makes it tougher to implement a law. Every problem has a way of redressing, a system is in place. For example if a bus window is broken, if I have a speedy replacement, then the cost has to be covered for that person. The bill has to pass through 10 other people and by the time it reaches the concerned person, it takes 5 days at least. Then the money has to be sanctioned and looked after properly or else my head will spin off for an IT raid. So tell me who will take care of such a system, you, the random guy on the judge’s seat or the common man? No, it has to be the government always. All right now, education it is.

There are 23 languages and every student is the same for me. I need to bring all to the same level they pass out at the 12^th grade or else we will have a mismatch at the college level. So, I say a uniform text book standard has to be there. So what happens? A few governments oppose it saying they are against this, why? I am from a party X. if you are from a party Y then your first duty is to oppose what X says. A sane person will be suppressed and the politically correct one will continue to live at the expense of a common man. They do not realize that until a concrete step is taken, the BPL living families will suffer and continue to suffer till the law passes. Now coming to the concept of tuition classes or rather coaching classes. In early days, tuition was given to those students who fared badly in exams and required assistance. I presume it must be the reverse in the current situation. The top student goes to a class so that he can become even better. If he needs a coaching class to teach him what he learns again, then why have schools. Ok, to negate this, IIT JEE was made easier. But no, today the society takes advantage of this and wants the paper so easy that even a monkey with black ink on his/her tail marks the paper in a random permutation, he/she can get through. So what do I do now, make sure we do well in 12^th exams. But no, I am an elitist. If I decide against it, I play vote bank politics. So you people tell me what I have to do. Why does caste, money have to do with education? Education is something so important to all, so much that it has to be free. Why do people have to charge money to teach people? Isn’t passing on knowledge an important duty that we have to do for the society, but Robin Hood style- I insist.

Another point, why engineering? Why is every single Indian hell bent on pursuing a useless degree in a college which will make you go outside the country, never to come back, when you very same people talk of patriotism. You will go there, live there, pay taxes there and that country will flourish. We lose a taxpayer of the highest order. We lose revenue. Don’t you realize that this is an infinite loop and that this may be inadvertently a cause for poor education; the fact that the taxpayers don’t pay taxes. Also why is engineering the only thing kids are interested in? It is like a public toilet where the students inside want to leave and those outside want to enter. I can hear students say “I will miss my friends, but not my college”. The sanctity of an IIT, NIT has become so much as that it is referred to as public toilets in public. And you NIT dudes, you must have definitely come thinking that I have lost my life as I lost a seat in IIT. But believe me; NIT students should have more fire in their hearts to come out on tops. But no, you people get worse once you reach college.

So solutions, first before shooting your mouths off, see what facilities your teachers and their families have before cribbing about your life. What is their motivation to teach you if all you give about them is a time to criticise them. Can you better them and teach? By all means, take up teaching. Goodness knows that we can do with more teachers. Next, encourage all 10^th standard students to take up other professions. Why doesn’t anyone take up sports? I mean a real sport, not a “game” called Cricket. Take up football. Don’t you realise that a Didier Drogba means so much to Ivory Coast than Yuvraj Singh does to a random common man of the country. Be a Drogba, Essien, Zidane and not a Yuvi, Mahi and Bhajji. Goddammit take up hockey, your national sport. Isn’t it shameful enough that you see India getting a golden spoon in Hockey world cup? Take up commerce, no company can be without an accountant or a manager. In fact, if you do a B.Com and then a MBA rather than engg. and then a MBA, then you actually have a year in hand for fruitful purposes. Waise bhi, you don’t learn much in engineering. Take up music, dance, and journalism if you are faint at heart. For the true patriot, join the NDA-National Defence Academy; take up IPS, IAS, UPSC and what not. Don’t talk about patriotism sitting in your chair in Silicon Valley that too through Twitter.

So for the current “engineers”, at least pay taxes properly. For those budding engineers, IIT is not the only thing in life. MARKS are not the only thing in life. Get a life, join the Chipko movement. To the rest, GFAT!!!!

Kaffee asks “Did you order the IIT entrance law to be forged?” “You are goddamn right I did”

Kaffee puts forward his argument. The courtroom waits with baited silence. The jury arise. Jessup has a sly smile.

The jury pronounce Jessup guilty of forgery, corruption and of so many other charges. There is no room for an educated person in a country like India. That’s why we Tweet in Silicon Valley.

Bending the Arch

I’m looking through the window of my room. Gushes of light flood into the room through the netlon (which is now a generic trademark for nettings I guess). The hyacinth sunlight blinds my eyes while they try to look into the future through the window.

The view

The picture is very vivid and gives me a clear picture of reality. As the saying goes, there is always room at the top. I see the opposite wall of the square building in which I reside. The walls are filled with arrays of windows and from each of these windows, someone is peering at exactly the same things towards which I do. The walls are enshrined at the top by arches and there is a smaller hollow arch inside these bigger arches. They’re like these teasers trying to lure me into the bait and asking me to jump up and go through the hollow arch. I think there is freedom on the other side. Freedom, although overrated, is definitely one thing that tops my priority list.

Above the arches, is the endless sky; pure blue sky with no clouds to distract. The stability and the constance even when viewed through the tiny netting holes, endorses permanence. Change or stability? Yet another another big question.

I ask questions! But do I ever find answers? Am I waiting for 2012 for the ultimate truth? Will that happen? Now, that’s one thing I’m looking forward to. One thing which is like a huge dominoes pizza to me! I want to have a bite of it. Please, let me.

Okay enough of that. Coming closer to reality, the sunlight is falling on a bottle of water. The water sparkles. I’m looking at it for answers. It tells me, “Go do your work, arse!” I pry further, trying to coerce it into giving me the answers. It still sparkles in its permanence. (The mood i website is open in the background. Wow! Give it a shot. Ubercool. Does it depress me? Naee…).

What do I do next? I close the window… The sun is shining too much. Next? Wait for 2012. Till then?

What? Dive into that hollow arch of mine. And if you miss your aim, who cares? There are many on this side of the arch and even if you manage to go beyond, the others wouldn’t notice you there because there are many more arches to bend!

My buddy G

Warning: Readers are hereby informed that following article is full of crap and I do not take any responsibility for any intellectual damage. And F readers (I hope there are and if not M readers please send it to your girl friends), if any of you like my thoughts feel free to contact me. My inspiration for writing this article is my senior Mr D and article is dedicated to my friend G.

My buddy G

ME- Fifteen years spent in the school, didn’t even know her name and never even noticed or felt her existence

Pervert part of my soul,

P – Not her fault because recently, I was informed by a girl from my school days that the fairer sex thought I didn’t like to talk to them. Well guess what, it’s not true and whoever reads this, I under social obligation of no fellow being dying virgin, plead you to inform them I would love to talk to them 24 x 7.

ME- Finally, we met through lamest and most pathetic way in the world (yes through Orkut!!).

ME- Now our story is certainly not ending with two bodies (or souls for dirty minds) completing each other.

P- It’s not a phrase. According to Greek philosophy, there were quad legged, quad armed di headed creatures (like two humans stuck back to back).But Zeus, Greek God, feared that these creatures will become more powerful than Gods. So he separated them with thunders and thus when two creatures mate, they are actually completing themselves with the part they had lost centuries ago. Alas, Greek Philosophers didn’t see people screwing dozens around them at that time!!

ME- And my relation with G is also not a sad ending like Romeo and Juliet and tears running down viewer’s cheeks.

P- Including me .Yes ladies note it I also get carried away sometimes. THAT means I can get emotionally involved with you and satisfy your so called “emotional needs”.

ME-My story with G is more like a mast less ship stuck in midst of a storm, uncertain of being completely destroyed or being thrown onto some treasure island. Yeah I know it’s not interesting; then why am I writing it? I want to write because I want to know how much I have understood her

P-Hey Hey F readers do take a note I try to understand about which you girls complain most “He is just not trying to understand me “

Lets talk something about G

ME- After a year of chatting on yahoo and a date (may be meeting!!), what I came to know about G is that a Gujju girl (you must have understood by now how she is but nevertheless) who considers herself a one man woman but has great artistic skills.

P- But first dear F readers, it’s not my fault for such long chatting before date or whatever, I assure you I am ready for blind date also.

(ME- Three weeks before I had left writing this article and here I am continuing it as I am unable to study because two days back I met serious–hmm yep I mean it literally–crush number 3 of my life. So since morning I am just thinking about my fairy and my fairy-tale.

P- NOTICE : F readers please don’t get disappointed because fairy-tales are hypothetical and especially in my case never becomes real. So I am still available.)

ME- Getting back to G, she is like an ice cream cone. First bite of hers, I definitely assure any M will love but after that will come the harder part of the cone which will take away the joy of the softer ice cream (well we had our share of fights) but if you dig deep deep inside her you will know how chocolaty she is !!

P- All M readers are hereby informed that all the fore mentioned lines are in emotional sense and not what you voracious minds think.

ME- Now what I love about her? (not in literary sense Ohh India everything needs to be cleared) Well first of all like I said her soft ice cream like nature in the beginning

P- F readers if anyone interested after reading this much, an important point to note is that I am usually very bad in the genesis stage of relation so please bear me for sometime.

ME- But she was very cool with me and infact every time I screwed up we came more closer.And other thing I like about her is her artistic instincts and her ability to convert those into reality

P- All artistic F- readers I worship your kind, as I consider artist equivalent to God as after him only, you are the only ones able to convert dreams into reality.

ME-On the whole she is nice girl and all M-readers (who are satisfied by decent looking girl) “Check her out.”(But be prepared to do atleast 90 days of base work).I hope G will get her Dream boy!!(typically gujjuish)

ME- I don’t know where am I directing this article but what the heck its life, we never know its ending.

P- I can get some girl due to this article or I can lose a girl.

ME- But whatever happens I will never forget G because I have had some great moments with her!!!

To vote or not to vote!!??

The results of the Maharashtra assembly election are out. The congress-NCP alliance falls short of majority by just one seat, while as expected the infighting within the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance led to its fall while the Shiv-Sena’s breakaway fraction, the MNS did play spoil sport by dividing the Marathi votes. Everything was almost as predicted by the political pundits and the exit polls as well.

This election was just the same as the elections that have happened before. The campaigning, the mud-slinging, the rebellions, the asset declarations,  the rallies, the demonstrations of power by our politicians and the bragging of our previously elected leaders about the work done by them(however small it may have been) everything was just the same. Like always our politicians left no stone unturned to woo the voters. There were rallies and morchas everywhere. Not to be ignored was the coming of the star campaigners of every party to campaign for their party. No politician left any opportunity to address the media, and whatever may be the topic did very shrewdly use the media attention to glorify their own image and malign that of their opponent’s. The ruling party kept on emphasizing how the state had progressed under it’s able leadership, while the opposition going with it’s name opposed to what the ruling party said. Everything was the same.

Also everywhere people were encouraged to vote, and not to enjoy the voting day leave as a holiday. There were hoardings put up, both huge and small, and also advertisements on the idiot box. Each of them asking people to vote. Vote because it is your right to. Vote because it is your only opportunity to elect your leader, and that if you don’t vote you will be responsible if the state of the state turns out to be a sorry state. Well everything they said is true. If you don’t vote and choose your leader, you don’t have any right to complain later on. If you don’t vote, it is you who pave the way to power for politicians who can win on the basis of bogus votes and money feeding. But after seeing all these I began thinking, ‘why do we vote?’ Well…the answer is quiet obvious, we vote to elect our representative. A person, who can represent us as a whole. A person, who can raise the problems we face in the assembly and get them solved. We vote to show that the person we are voting for enjoys our support and thereby the government such representatives from, is the government of the people. That such elected governments enjoy the support of the people. This elected government must now work as a unit to solve the problems of the people who gave them the power. These people who form the government must end the differences between themselves and work for the betterment of the society. This government must serve the people. We vote because we want all this to happen. But does anything of this really happen? If it does, to what extent?

We have been voting since India became independent. We have been electing our leaders since then. Earlier we did it by the use of ballot boxes, now we do it by the use of EVM’s. But the basic process of the people electing the leaders has remained the same. Yet, the situation of the people and the way their problems are (not) solved has also been the same. Majority of the government officials are corrupt and it still takes a considerable amount of time and a heavy dose of money feeding to the government officers to get any work done. Every time I see the traffic police at the signal, I fear for he would stop me and rob me of 50/100 rupees for apparently no fault of mine. If someone’s bike skids and he falls off on or near the traffic signal the policemen rush to him, not to help him get up but to remove his bike’s key, so that he cannot go away without filling the pockets of the policemen. The pizza comes in less than 30 minutes, while the ambulance takes hours to reach someone suffering from a heart attack. The electricity production still does not match the electricity requirement. And while there are power cuts at other places, the areas which have the houses of the politicians continue to enjoy uninterrupted power supply. The government hospitals are in complete mess, and there are more patients than beds, while the doctors continue to tend to people at their private clinics who can pay them the fees they ask, also enjoying the salary from the government, for not attending to patients at the government hospital. The farmers continue to take their own lives as the government fails to solve their problems. The slums continue to grow, and also the illiteracy rate and the percentage of people below the poverty line. While our leaders continue to amass wealth and grow richer, which is evident from their huge properties, assets and bank accounts. We all know where this money comes from. Almost every one of our politicians is involved in a scam that continues to fill their pockets. Some of these have come in front of all while some remain hidden to this date. The government is negligent towards our policemen who are equipped with age-old equipment and no bullet proof jackets and are forced to face the bullets of the terrorists having AK47 rifles. We saw many of our policemen die at the hands of these terrorists when Mumbai was attacked only because they did not have the proper equipment to face such a situation. And even today almost a year after the incident, the condition remains the same. Though funds were granted, but they got gobbled up in the way. And all this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more things that are a clear example that our leaders have done nothing till date. There may even be much darker and dirtier truths below.

We have been electing our leaders for the past 60 years now. Yet at every election time, the issue of ‘Bijli, Paani aur Sadak’ continues to feature in their speeches. They have shamelessly been giving the same promises and later on forgetting them. Today when we vote, all we get is the choice to select from amongst a set of corrupt, power-hungry candidates. We very rarely have an option who we can say is honest and won’t be corrupted by power. Try asking your candidate to give in writing what he has promised will be kept. Most probably he will chicken out. And if we realize that electing a particular candidate was a mistake, to rectify that mistake we have to wait for a good 5 years. And then at the time of the next elections all we can do is not elect him. There is absolutely no guarantee that the person who we will be electing now will use is powers for our benefit. It is just a process of trial and error with us getting more and more options as the time moves on. And moreover, we can’t undo what we have done until the term ends.

In the end, if our elected leaders can enjoy a 5 year-long paid vacation, why are we shouted at if we take a one day vacation? Why are we slammed if we do not vote? After all what can our voting change, it will probably bring down one person and bring to power the other one. How does it matter to us if the condition still has to remain to same? If nothing is to change, why to vote?

A Tyro’s Guide to EnlighTenment

There are many things towards which we have prejudices or predilections without experiencing it. One such word is ‘Osho’. Different people, different views. What I’ll try here is to dispel the darkness and give you an unambiguous picture of what it really is. I recently paid ‘The Osho Ashram’ in Mehsana (Gujarat) a visit.

In the suburbs of Mehsana, lies a high walled enclosure which is enshrined by a picture of Osho. Once you enter the premises, multitude photographs of Osho will be surrounding you; the photo in itself exuding a kind of glow which is very rare to see. If you haven’t seen his picture yet, he’s pretty similar to the Hogwart’s principal, Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter tale. The ashram is nothing less than a five star resort when it is compared in terms of cleanliness and system. Lush green lawns, flowers in their full bloom and a labyrinth of pavements criss-crossing through a garden and a waterfall leave you breathless.

So how is it different? I was introduced to the concept of commune living here. What this means is that a group of people live here permanently forming their own little community and dividing their labour on an equal scale. Every task is considered humble. Contact with the outside world is minimal. Guests are allowed in cottages throughout the year and they can experience a different style of living. Food is simple and there are five meditation sessions daily which are not compulsory but you’d attend them anyways because there isn’t much more to do. There is no television or bar or other regular sources of entertainment to which many of us are accustomed and so not attending these sessions after coming here wouldn’t make any sense. What osho preaches has a scientific base and it is not a religion. Osho’s philosophy doesn’t preach any god or for that matter, even a physical form of god. What it tells you is to wake up and be aware of yourself. People end their lives in slumber without any knowledge. People should use their energies fruitfully and channelize their energy into the right direction with conviction. Osho isn’t against materialism and as a proof of that, you can find air conditioned cottages and even extravagant merc’s within the commune. You’ll also find biscuits and soft drinks in the ‘zorbas’ which are within the commune. To make it simpler and lighter I’ll list down a few points which will make your decision of either paying the ashram a visit or not a bit easier.

Reasons to go:

1)      If you’re tired of the daily hustle and bustle. The peace and calmness here is beyond the point of imagination. It’s like some exotic Himalayan peak (the only difference being the temperature).

2)      If you want your own space. People respect your space here. You’re left with ample amount to do whatever you wish to.

3)      If you want to visualize a fight between the religious pandit, pujari’s and the creative artists. I’d a very vivid image of this while Osho thrashed this Pujari’s for fooling people with havan’s and Puja’s. He says that artists who are fully involved in their creation are much closer to god than these religious fools. Whatever you do, fall in love with it or rather do the thing which you love to do.

4)      If you want your daily dose of what I call ‘The Mithun dance’. You’re bound to be a witness to this dance during the meditation sessions when many of the devotees burst out into fits of joy and lose all their inhibitions to dance as if there’s no tomorrow. And you can giggle your guts out because you have your space! But don’t overdo it.

5)      If you love to sleep. There’s no one to disturb you. Sleep. Sleep. Zzzz… Sleep until time starts decelerating.

Reasons for giving it a miss:

1)      If you think that you’ll be engulfed by the cult. Yes. For sure. It is a cult. If the worldly matters are not enough for you to keep going, don’t go. You might become one of Osho’s and join the commune.

2)      If you can’t handle too much peace and if you’re an insomniac. Because there’s not much to do other than think and eat and sleep.

3)      If you like watching television for more than two hours a day and if you like watching serial’s like big boss and rakhi ka whatever… Don’t go. There’s too much for you on t.v.

4)      If you like digging your nose. You’ll have so much time on your hands that your hands will desperately try to use it to fill them with something else…

5)      If un-waxed female legs are a turn off for you and you can’t stand it. You’ll find a few of those.

On a more serious note, I’d advise anyone who wants a different view at life, a stay for at least a couple of days. The lectures which are shown are not some religious gospels preaching superstitions and sayings which have very little practical meaning. The philosophy of Osho finds corroboration in the thoughts of great thinkers like H.G.Wells and Karl Marx. I’ll cite a simple example, who runs everything? What Osho says is that there is no supreme being. Everything runs on itself and that is how it is meant to be. If there is a Supreme Being, the question will arise as to who runs this Supreme Being? And it will lead to an infinite loop. So instead of unnecessarily complicating things it is easier to accept that things make themselves happen. A perfectly logical conclusion!

Just go there and experience something mystical. Your brain wheels will start churning and you’ll return to the world with renewed vigour. Because what Osho (or that’s what I understood) says is that living in the world worldlessly and still being at the top of the world is the way to live and leave your mark.

Discretion: If you are aware of these things and believe you’re already at that stage of awareness. Kudos! Go to the ashram for a week. You’ll love it. For those who found the above statement Latin, go for a couple of days to decipher the code and get the experience.

Nothing!

I am writing this sitting comfortably in the chair car of Karnavati, on my way to Ahmedabad. This is how I ll be celebrating Diwali. Its my TOEFL tomorrow. I had booked a chair car thinking I ll be able to prepare for the test on my laptop in the train. Turns out, I cant! There’s too much movement, too much chaos around…. I tried doing some reading comprehension but finally gave up when this kid came close to spilling water on my lappy. So now, keeping an eye out for irritating toddlers, I ve decided to do something that’s long overdue… Write!!

I wrote this thing about New York (the movie) about 3 months back… It was my 2nd post ever. And after that, I got a writer’s block!! (And imagine, an aptitude test I gave in std 11 said I should be a novelist!!) I tried to but couldnt write. Was too lazy. Too busy. And at times too boring. Not to mention the huge complex I got seeing the wonderful and at times awesomely incomprehensible musings of my fellow bloggers. Who’d be interested in what I ve got to say about boring, mundane stuff when there are people talking about smoking, hanging God (nice one Pareek ), estrangements, enchantments and so much more…. I did try some stuff but fell asleep halfway through writing it! So now, with nothing better to do while I wait for Karnavati to reach Karnavati, I am attempting this again.

Topic.. topic.. topic… why do I always need a topic? Why cant I write about anything, everything? Why do I have to be so fastidious? Why always organise my thoughts and present them as if I m giving a seminar (November 7th!! : my seminar )?? No I don’t. Its my blog (ours actually!!), I can write what I want… So here it goes… I cant believe I ve written close to 300 words already, saying nothing!!

Since I am being so open I thought I’ll share with u the different topics I thought I’ll write on before finally deciding to write about: Nothing.

I wanted to write about the flu.. Naah not the swine flu. Swine flu is passé! SVNIT has seen a new outbreak… Blog-Flu!!! Every other day, I saw a new status update among some friend on my gtalk contact list mentioning his/her newly minted blog.. I was happy!! I felt I had the perfect fodder for a biting, sarcastic article ripping the newbies off. But, much to my astonishment and dismay, almost all of them write well. Too well actually. So instead of the biting and self-invigorating post I had envisaged, all I got was self doubt, a complex, and more self doubt. The ‘roller coaster’s, the ‘i got my answer’s, the ‘oneamongdruck’s , and the ‘expiredbond’s bowled me over; not to mention the veteran ‘allpartoftheplan’s, the ‘faultythought’s, the much publicized (or should I say publicizing ?? ) ‘blogging park’ and of course gauravpareek!! And how can I forget our very own blundering malice!! I felt small, silly and dull in front of these awesome bloggers… So I chucked the idea and decided to wait for something else..

Aah!! then came the three lettered golden goose… GRE! I gave my exam and got a decent score. The score was decent enough to be mentioned on the aforementioned blundering malice. It was like being mentioned on Aaj Tak or India Tv!! I was over the moon!! So i decided to write about GRE. I was sure I could write pages and pages on GRE. How to build vocab, how to not touch maths till the last week, which books to use, which classes to attend et al… But again, God (Pareek had not hung him till then. If u don’t get this pls refer to http://gauravpareek.wordpress.com ) had other plans… Just as I was about to complete the post, I googled “GRE help” and realised how redundant my things were. Anyone who had access to the net and spent 5-10 mins on google could write what I was writing. Another thing I found was that there were hundreds of people out there who had done much much better than me. So it was chucking time once again…

So now I was a bit low on self-esteem. Quite low actually. I got thinking about all my failures and came to a conclusion. SVNIT sucks!! I realised I had got nothing out of this institute except contempt, anger, helplessness, and increased sleep… Ya ya I did get great friends and all that cr*p… but still I was too depressed to look at the brighter side. One day when I couldn’t keep my emotions to myself any longer, I decided to write again. I decided to trash SVNIT, its pretentious people, the endless sycophancy, the obscene nepotism. And a whole lot of other things I don’t even remember now. So I wrote and I wrote, for a full 2 hours… Again, the yet-not-hung God decided to stop me in my tracks! It was joyfest!! Joy of Giving week. People out there were doing great deeds, playing with young children, giving them a great time, playing guitars, donating bikes and so much more. Almost every third person on orkut expressed his/her contentment with life. People were in love with SVNIT! I felt marooned on an island while others made merry on the mainland… It was clearly not the time for my explosive, venom-spewing post! I deleted what I had written and decided to find some Joy (not the Barot guy) for me too… On a serious note, hats off to the joyfest guys. U guys gave me atleast some vicarious satisfaction of having done something good!

There were many other passing ideas too. Gandhiji on 2nd October, Barack Obama when he got the nobel, why i want to leave Gujarat forever, Kareena, Israel, etc were some of them. I don’t want to go into details for lack of space, time and intention. Suffice it to say that I chucked everything I wrote or thought of.

So here I am now, writing about ‘nothing’ so that the confluence guys atleast don’t throw me out!

I ve crossed baroda now and am feeling up for a nap.. So I ll end it here. See u in another 3 months time I guess! Dont miss me too much. If u do, there are always other blog-flu affected people u can look up to.
Cheers!!

SEEKH….

MAYBE  IT  SOUNDS BORING BUT IT WAS NOT EASY FOR ME TO WRITE THIS……….

Toote taare ko dekh hasta hai koyee..
muskurata hai koyee..
aur koyee laga deta hai farmaish..
par uss dard ko koi mehsoos nahi karta
jiss dard ki wo taara kar raha hota hai aazmaish..
toot kar..
bikhar kar..
apne falak se door hokar…
aa girta hai wo zameen par
jahan milte hai usse tanhayee aur thokar..
fir sochta hai wo…
aise usne kya bura kaam kiya..??
jiski use saja mili….
andar se ek awwaz aayi…
bohat tha guroor tujhe aasman mein hone ka..
ab le maja apne sapno se door hone ka…
jab dekhta tha neeche toh yun itrata tha jaise aasman ka tu he tha akela sitara
kabhi dekha tune apne pass ka nazara…?
sadaa khud mein he khoya raha..
apne he khwaabon mein soya raha…
toh tune aise kya kaam kiya jisse tujhe aasman mein rakha jaata….?
isiliye tujhe aaj yeh sthaan mila………
aur asmaan se ye jameen ka jahan mila……
TOH DOST YE AKELA TAARA NAHI HAI JO APNE ANTH PE PACHTATA HAI………….
“APNE JEEVAN MEIN KUCH AISA KAAM KAR JAO
TAAKI SUKOON SE MAR PAO……..”

though end is very far but u have to drill in few features into yourself now if u want to harvest the gains later otherwise remorse,repent will be your best friends………………………………………

DO SOMETHING GOOD NOW….

Effect of Money in Deciding a Career

Money…the word that is synonymous with success…is a thing which appears to be desirable for all but a few people….

But can it be the sole or the primary factor in deciding a career??

Well..to inspect that question …we need to look into the mental growth and upbringing of a person..

A person brought up in wants and unfulfilled desires, is more likely to be running after money than a person who has never suffered or known what “want” means…being lavishly showered with whatever he/she has asked for….but…there also exist contradicting examples…

there comes the role of the principles which wer instilled in one by one’s parents,friends or other close ones…

Principles n a person’s family economical condition (when growing up) don’t go hand in hand..

so when it comes to deciding a career…a lot many people go by the returns expected from that job.. not givin much thought to whether they wil actually enjoy doin the job or not…

So the outcome remains…dat after earning well enough for a decade or so..people get frustrated with their careers or jobs…n feel d need to reshape it…

But here comes d twist..wen it becomes too late…to change from sumthing u never liked..

A gud idea wud be to go by one’s passion but check d returns involved in it as well….coz reality n fancy r not d same thing..

Reality is–

we do need sum good amount of money to live life well…

Fancy is-

when we try to opt for something ..which we know wil involve very less return…

but here comes the irony…

Some people dont really have the option of choosing fancy over  reality..dey hav to face d reality….

so dey can really try to fulfil their fancy as somethng  like a recreational activity….to keep themselves “alive” n “kicking”..

thus.. ..a proper balance of “reality” n “fancy” is needed when decidin a career…n even when d former is chosen…life dusnt end der….

u can always kip ur time mixed between what is necessary n what u like doin most…

D “best” is when u start likin what u do n it becomes your passion…:-)

Marke pahucha khuda k pass

Marke pahucha khuda k pass

na jaane kyon uska mood thhanka

aur dimag sanka

lene laga hisaab meri buriyon ka.

dhoondhta gaya dhoondhta gaya

Bola..

Sirf ek he bura kaam kiya tune.

Mujhse jyada kisi aur ko yaad kiya tune..

Iski tujhe saza milegi..

Aur agle janam mein tu dinosaur aur wo chipkali banegi…

Aur chah kar bhi tu use na chu payega..

Aur jo chuaa toh dharti par akela reh jayega..

Main muskuraya…

Aur usko smjhaya..

Kone mein le gaya

aur bataya..

Ki hey khuda tu apni banayee

reet khud bhool gaya..

Aur ek sachhe pyar ko pehchaan ne mein chook gaya..

Wo mere dil mein rehta hai..

Har pal uski yaad mujhe jeene ki nayee rah hai deti..

Gar main aisa he hota..

Toh aaj tere saath main baat na kar raha hota

kahin tanha baith k rota..

Kyonki tune mujhe yahan akela bulaya..

Abki khuda muskuraya

hasa bola..

Bete main tera baap hun..

Aur ye jo bol raha hai na ye maine he tujhe sikhaya hai

bachhe ye aaj tujhe samajh mein aaya hai

ki sachha pyaar kya hota hai

kya hota hai dil mein dard le k bhi muskurana

aur dariye mein reh kar aag lagana

uski ye baaten sun mera digmaag ghoom gaya

do pal k liye bheja sir se nikal dharti ko choom gaya

mere dimaag mein ek khayaal aaya

thodi masti thoda nasha chaaya

aur pooch dala jo dil mein aaya

ae khuda ye sab hai tera banaya..

kya tune kabhi kise se dil lagaya…

Uth khada hua wo ghura mujhe wo chhati ko taan

ye dekh meri to nikal gayi jaan

isse pehle main vinamrata se baat ko ghumata

wo phir dheere se muskuraya

tub mujhe kuch sukoon aaya

aur khat se mu khola aur bola

are yaar tu toh saari duniya k baare mein jaanta hai

har kissa,har kahani har bande ko pehchaanta hai

aaj kuch apna haal bata..

Ki ab tak aayi sabki baari

abki baari khuda tumhari

ki kya teri zindagi mein koi pyaar ka mausam aaya hai

ya yahan baithe tune sirf khayali pulao banaya hai..

Wo bhadak gaya..

Pehli baar uski dhukti rag pe shayad kisi ne rakha tha haath

maine kaha aadat daal le tujhe rehna hai mere saath..

Usne kaha ki he nadaan

yehi hai farak

main hun bhagwaan aur tu insaan

isse pehle wo kuch aur kehta maine dekha mauka aur maara

chauka

bola

kya faida tere khuda hone ka..

Sabse balwaan hone ka

jab tune kabhi kisi se dil he na lagaya

to tune khuda ho k bhi kya paya..

Are tujhse achha wo insaan hai

jo tere banaye zahaan mein

us khoobsurati ka ehsaas karta hai..

Jise tune hai banaya

par kabhi use khud na aazmaya

lekin tu pyaar kar kaise sakta hai..

Dekh sansaar ki sab ladkiyon ko to tune he banaya hai

aur aakash mein sab deviyon ko pehle he kisi na kisi ne

pataya hai

tu toh reh gaya akela

chahta tu bhi hoga aam

par na mila tujhe kela..

Wo jor se hasa..

Aur itne mein mera payr kahin fasa

wo hasta gaya mera payr dhasta gaya

aa gaya wapas apne jahaan mein

wapas apne ghar jo hai hindustaan mein..

Thoda sa jaldi mujhe tha meri ma ne jagaya

warna sahi tha maine use fasaya..

Mujhe uspe taras tha aaya

kya kare wo jisne buna ho har taana

aur usi ko na mile ek bhi daana..

Toh ye tha meri neend ka fasana

jisse chahta to tha gungunana

par sahi samaye pe sahi dhun na ban payee

isiliye aapko kavita k roop maine ye kahani hai

sunayee..

The Rainbow

I fall in the pool with a lungful of lust.

The chain that binds me and I let it bind me.

Aah! Attaining beatitude, elevating me to the seventh heaven;

The pang I feel when I free fall from the highest heaven.

My heart weeps for the angel I desire, the weighty tears not withstanding.

Self-pity is the biggest sin but I find pride indulging in it;

I indulge myself, let the spirit soar up into the skies.

Where mirth inflates to take flight with the birds.

Feel free to leap and jump crushing the fears beneath;

Merging in with the rest, shouting and screaming at my fears.

Doing nothing, saying the obvious!

Wrenching out my angst and saying it out loud;

With mouth wide open to take in the glory.

Wait a second and just look around to feel the energy.

This is what drives to idolize and manifest my dreams;

I don’t care what my dear world does.

Me and my own big space trying to stay clear from the rest.

Steer me through my longevity; keep me afloat!

All said and done, the universe remains a cosmic joke.

I try to break free just like everyone else,

Mocking, laughing and rolling my way through the rainbow.

P.S. Each 3 sentenced stanza represents something different… You can associate it with a person, a feeling, an emotion… Anything… Feel free to post your interpretations… (I mean pls do it:-)

The Good, the Bad and the Evil

The other day I happened to be sitting doing nothing and completly lost in my own thoughts. All of a sudden i noticed something common to every household. Ants. They were there engrossed in their ‘transportation business.’ The ants were carrying a big bug, a bug alomst 50 times the size of one ant. They were taking it to their place. It was a very fine illustration of team work. A bug 50 times bigger than their size, obviously was difficult to carry. But the small ants used teamwork to solve this problem. Some ants pushed the bug while some pulled. While some just moved about trying to find a place to put in their contribution. The ants gave me a perfect demonstration of teamwork and the effort one needs to put in to succeed. They showed me that the problem i faced might be big, but with persistance and the will to achieve the goal even the greatest problems can be overcome. All of a sudden then a bee buzzed off near my ear. I began observing the bee, it was also working. I saw the beehive. Just a few days back it was nothing, and now it housed an entire army of bees in it. It was one busy place literally buzzing with activity. As i further observed, the bees came, landed on the hive, roamed mindlessly on it and flew back. Bee after bee came in from all directions, did the same thing and then flew back.Doing trips between it’s honeycomb and the flowers, it was continously bringing nectar, and this nectar was being collected in the bee hive. No doubt it was the hard work of the bees, the great contribution of each and everyone of them that had caused their colony to prosper.The bees showed me how there is no alternative to hardwork and how the contribution of each and everyone matters. I then noticed the tree on which the hive hung. It was a big tall tree, piercing the skies. Every year, every day & every moment it was growing, it was growing taller and taller. But no matter how taller the tree would grow, there was one thing that would not change for it. It’s association with the ground. It was on the ground since it was a sapling, and it will be on the ground even after it dies. No matter how high it went, it stayed firmly on the ground. The tree showed me how it was necessary to have one’s feet on the ground always. As I fancied the height of the tree, i could see a kite soar in the sky. It reached heights greater, much greater than the tree could have ever achieved, and it did it in almost no time. But then there was a sudden strong wind. The kite lost control and soon came down to the ground, again in no time. The kite showed me that something that goes up rapidly can also come down rapidly. As the kite fell down, the green grass caught my eye. What was it. Nothing compared to the mighty tree. Yet when the floods come or when a storm breaks out, it is the tree’s that fall. The grass just bends along. This bending grass showed me the importance of compromising with the situation. As my eyes again started searcing the kite, i could see it trying to fly again. Achieve greater heights than earlier. The kite demonstrated me the ‘never say die spirit’. Seeing all this all that came in my mind was that this beautiful world is just so full of examples. Examples that are important for a healthly life. Examples that are important to achieve success. Examples that enlighten us. Examples that stand for the GOOD!

Nothing of what i wrote above was original. We all have been hearing about these examples from our parents and teachers since we were small children. But how many of us believe in these examples today?How many of us even observe them happening around us? And even if you believe in them and observe them, do you follow them in their real life? Well, I should not be writing this post, beacuse I am just as same as anyone of you.I am not someone who has seen a lot of this world and know everything about the good and the bad.Neither am I the epitome of perfection nor am I consummate. I also observe these things happening around me. I also believe in them. But in the end I end up doing only that what I feel is right. Not than my perception of right and wrong is wrong or highly inaccurate, but yes it lacks, or it could even be far from perfection. But inspite of all this I am writing this post. Probably because of the same thing that I am as same as any one of you. I write this because I face similar problems, troubles and worries as you.

We all talk how our life lives have so many problems to face, so many objectives to attain, so many expectations to fulfill and yet only a lifetime of time. But what do we do after the talk is over. We forget all of it and return back to our routine lives. Some of us wish to change, while some us just talk of change. Some of us have already changed for the better, while some of us still believe that we do not need to change. Change is inevitable. We cannot avoid change from taking place. It is the only thing that remains constant. Situations change, conditions change, beliefs change, people change, you change. Change just cannot be avoided or escaped from. And if one is foolish enough to resist change, change is wise enough to destroy him. The only thing that matters in case of change is if you are ready to change with change or not. Though we can bring out a change, we cannot prevent it. So the easiest way is to accept it. We all want to be successful in life. The definitions of success being different for each one of us. But how many of us work towards succeeding in life? How many of us posesses the persistent determination to achieve what we really want? How many of us have the courage to sustain a failure? How many of us are strong enough to rise after a fall and start walking towards our goal right away? We talk of hard work and determination being the necessary ingredients of suceess. But how many of us really put our mind and body heart and soul in our work? How many of us do the right thing at it’s right time? How many of us are non reliant and independent of others for achieving our success? We most of the times know that what we are doing is not correct. What we are doing is evil. Yet we do it, out of a myriad reasons. We are just so used to it. We so often talk of removing the bad from within us. We so often talk of destroying the evil inside. And if not talk openly at least we soliloquize about it or at least think about it. But in the end why don’t we change ourselves?Why do we end up just talking about change, instead of bringing about the change? Why don’t we remove the bad and evil and fill the good inside us? Why are we like this? The answers to these questions probably do not exist. And even if they do, they exist deep inside your own mind. It is as if your life’s secrets lie in a box whose key you keep searching for it all over the place again and again, ignorant of the fact that it lies in your pocket.

The world today is full of evil. But what we fail to realizeis that all the evil starts and ends with us. All the time all we do is just talk of removing this evil from within us. All the time we talk about removing all evil and bad things from our surroundings. But end up doing nothing. This time lets just not talk, this time lets do it. Today is Dussehra. This very day, many many years ago, Lord Shri Ram returned to Ayodhya after destorying Ravan. Today Ravan exists inside all of us. This dussehra let us destory this demon inside us once and for all. This time let us actually change instead of simply talking about change. This dussehra may all of us remove what is bad and accept what is good. Let us all change for the better, instead of just talking about changing for the better. This time, let us all JUST DO IT!!

21 grams

How many lives do we live? How many times do we die? They say we all live is 21 grams at the exact moment of our death. Yes everyone! How much fits in 21 grams? How much is lost? When do we lose 21 grams? How much is gained? How much? 21 grams, weight of a chocolate bar, a humming bird, may be 50 paise coin! How much does 21 grams weigh?

Nope it’s not another story about barbarism, killings, rapes and other human acts of devilry. I will not write such things because I haven’t seen them. Only things that will travel from my mind through my hands to paper are facts. Yes my friend only facts. And for me fact is what I have experienced, not even stuff seen on television. I don’t intend to blame anyone neither hindus nor muslims. Well for me, even labeling people as formerly used is throbbing.

The day after train was burned down in Godhra

It was morning time and I was the only one awake and was very happy for school had been cancelled that day due to “BHARAT BANDH”.I was watching news about what had happened in Godhra. Infact the whole day was a picnic for me as after a very long time my whole family spent a day together. Day gave off to night. Mom was cooking food in the kitchen and rest of us were watching news at a very high volume. Suddenly my mom came rushing to the room with her voice collapsing, “Reduce the volume. I think someone is shouting in the vicinity. Instantly someone (out of my brother, father and me) reduced volume and I heard first cries, hauls of my life. Clattering of the vessels mingled with these cries giving rise to some cannibalistic ritual music. This clattering was a signal to gather slayers or a signal to start attack. Dad ordered us to shut off the lights and then he went out to check if the doors were properly closed. Soon after that he called the police and told them,” Sir, some people are attacking our society so please can you send “.To which the man on the receiving end interrupted, “We cannot do anything until next 72 hrs. Riots have broken out in the whole city and we don’t have enough force.” “But” and policeman had already hung up the phone. We all were standing shell shocked in the darkness after listening to conversation. My dad told my mom to take me to the underground cellar we had in our house and not to come out of it under any circumstances, even if they entered the house and killed him, while he and my brother will stay above to guard the house. “How can they do this to us?”,stuttered my mom while we were in the cell. Even after seven years I don’t know what the answer to that question is. The only thing I know is that how it feels to suffocate nearly to death for almost 10 hours in the non-ventilated hot cellar and trembling with fear, listening to cries of my neighbours and hauls of the devils-misanthropists, expecting the doom of my father, brother, mother at any moment and utilizing every instant to gain enough strength to avoid dying with fear and to face death at any second. We were spared for the moment but didn’t they kill a part of us? Is life of the other beings really so cheap to us?

The Comment

This one is not a new article. But as the title says, it is a comment. It is a comment on ,“The Matter of Marathi” given by a friend of mine, Aditya Tohare. So If you at any point of time while reading this get confused, the fault will be entirely mine for shifting this comment and making it a post. In that case, please read the article “The Matter of Marathi”. Thank you very much. And thanks a lot, Aditya, for such a valuable comment. Please read on.

well..i agree with you shantanu.
From the times of the great chattrapati Shivaji maharaj, there was nothing done as restricting any religion any creed from entering into our state as well as the minds of marathi people.But marathi never was dominated over by other languages or i should say that its grandeur was never budged by the presence of these things.n why then it is happening now..
i can give u the reason….
To make important a region or a language..to create a respect for them..does not happen because the region or language inherits great qualities or its soil has that stuff in it..It is the people born in that soil who bring the region and the language pride..
This is major difference the between the times then n the times now.From the times of Shivaji maharaj..i m repeatedly using this ..since many of us know atleast that much history n we have got some knowledge about the important figures of that time…So from those times till the independence of country…the nation saw n experienced many Marathi leaders, experts in various fields, etc..We know Lokmanya Tilak..the reforms he did..the start of newspapers Kesari in marathi and Mahratta in english by him..Mahatma jyotiba fule..the social reforms he imbibed in our society which stood as standards for the entire nation…Mahatma Gandhi’s political guru was Gopal Krishna Gokhale..
n what to tell more about the gargantuan n magnanimous persona of Swantantryaveer Savarkar.These people went to foreign for their studies, were parts of various nationwide groups, participated in different activities..but never forgot their culture , their language….
Strolling on the coasts of England, sawarkar wrote ” ne mazasi ne parat matru bhoomila sagara pran talamala”…
the Marathi Manoos at that time had retained his self dignity self respect..never wanted anybody to feel sympathetic about him..had courage, had valour…sawarkar jumped from the ship in which he was taken to be imprisoned in the deep blue sea near the Marcellus island n swam to the coast to break from the bondages…u know what courage it takes to dive in the sea full of dangers, the presence of only the blue sea creating a sort of mirage which is in desert…blocked direction sense…but still he jumped…

that was the real marathi manoos….

So in that sense i dont agree totally with Raj Thackeray..aggression is no way to prove that we are the best..but still he n Bal Thackeray are the only people who are striving to keep the Marathiness alive in the heart of Mumbai…I totally agree with your opinion shantanu that today’s marathi youth has become lazy…or he feels ashamed to do certain kinds of work…
we know the situation in our home town shantanu..we know that why vidarbha is not getting developed at a rate at which it should had although it has the major resources of the state…why industries are not starting in vidarbha…n if started they are forced to halt..everybody knows the fall of Tata’s empress mill in nagpur…this is because the people here dont like to work…u know in management we read the X n Y workers theory..these are the X type..the situation in west maharashtra is somewhat more digestible..

but still marathi minds remain with all those blockages for doing work of any kind..when any UP bhaiyya comes n puts THELA…starts his business..then develops it into something more profitable , big..buys a Car out of that …our people think that this must be due to black money…
Our people have always confused “profit” by working hard with “PROFITEERING”.Rather i should say they just made excuses to do a socially low kind of work…
All these thinking and ideology is the gift of Generation from the after independence period..mostly from 1960’s to 1990’s. as in my opinion..wherein they used to think that we just have to be satisfied in what we get n it should be enough to fulfill the needs of their family they wanna start..All things revolving around themselves…not a peek in the outer world….just as it is said Ignorance is Bliss..

n they inculcated the same thought process in the future generations..making them more coward and superficial..

This is were Raj Thackeray comes into play..He is telling the marathi youth to fight back for their jobs..to show the skills..n there is no shame in doing any kind of work..he is making them brave n coaxing them to atleast try…
this is what i feel important in MNS ideology.

About marathi, really the quality is deteriorating..not only that the pride which should be there in minds of people about their mother tongue that’s diminishing…talk with a few boys in mumbai – the capital of maharashtra..u will get the evidence..This is not their fault wholly..this is again their parents from the 60’s to 90’s era who wanted to get called of by their sons n daughters as MOM DAD, MUMMY DADDY…to build up their so called social status..

everybody should know that Raj Thackeray is not against the non maharashtrians living in state from decades..he is just against the crowd of people entering into the state with an intention to get prosperous..there is nothing wrong in that intention..but how can it be justified when the original inhabitants still are struggling..though its due to their ignorance their mistakes in perceiving things and situations…but still they are to be stabilized first…there psyche needs to be changed….they have to made strong enough to face every competition. These are the some points Raj Thackeray’s n my thinking have got in common…

Also i want to express one of my beliefs that today traditional Marathi Manoos has managed to sustain the overcrowded vicious jungle of mumbai because some marathi leaders you all know…..

Internet musing

The other day, I was using my time (which we have in plenty) to open the google home page which took its own sweet time. And by sweet, I mean real sweet. Real real sweet. This is a tribute to our Internet speed… I can speak on behalf of H-9 residents at least. We can proudly say that or hostels have wifi or LAN but sometimes its just a redundant piece of technology. I love this… Mocking the college… Its also our all time favourite timepass, also famously known as ‘bakar’.

Yes, back to my musing. I actually think its good that we have such ludicrous speeds. We have so much fun over it. It actually increases social harmony… Reinforcing the point, I was browsing on our superfast net and going through some archaic data showing a graphical representation between the broadband speed and various countries. Japan topped that chart with a speed of about 7.5 Mb/s even in some distant age! USA was somewhere in between and India… Have a guess… Yes, you’re right… It wasn’t anywhere in the reckoning in the chart (I want to use a smiley). India can be called a giant minnow. I gave my room mate a smile at that moment… See! Harmony and good will!

Now, what would happen if someday the government of Japan decides to reduce their speeds to Indian levels? (Hypothetical case. Everything is possible). I conjecture a mass riot in that case. People will come to a halt and announce a strike or something. They’ll be on the streets. This conjecture comes from the fact (though not completely related to internet speed) that just due to some technical glitch recently, gmail faced some problems and couldn’t provide satisfactory services for a day. New forums came up condemning the situation and services and asking for compensation. On the other hand, in India or lets talk about SVNIT (:-) now I use a smiley)… we curse a bit but we also smile! People talk to each other and tell stories of their grandparents while they’re waiting for their favourite google page to open. Again… Harmony and goodwill…

P.S. A bit of mockery never hurt anyone but I hope this does.

The girl with a beautiful smile

After completing most of the daily chores, i headed towards race course tower to do day’s last work .Race course towers ,place like cloud nine from outside as usually surrounded by most intrigue beauties of city .I call them intrigue as till date i don’t know what were they doing outside such gloomy place ? May be they were placed there by the gluttonous traders who inhabited RCT .They provided not only with materialistic desires but also provided techniques to become fittest in this darwin’s world. By the murkiness of RCT one can make out people residing in it where like blood sucking demons who lived on money and sucked it from any innocent soul who entered RCT.

 

After enjoying mystic beauties outside, I went in search of elevator as I wanted to go to fifth floor, topmost floor of RTC.I climbed stairs in hope of finding elevator but there were none, so desperately I went to basement .But before I could reach elevator I had to pass through some goofy eyes who from outside seemed so innocent as newly born baby but I knew beneath was hidden infinite greed. So ignoring them I went elevator and pressed green button although I knew it was already being pressed by other beings waiting for elevator. I could sense uneasiness they were feeling as these modern technologies have though given as much physical comfort as man could ever imagine but it has taken spiritual gift given to man by almighty, named patience. Finally elevator arrived, opening doors and all waiting souls rushed in as if their sole goal in life is to reach their destination. But I can understand and I pity them as I knew there were held under spell of traders who promised to fulfil their desires. Well I was also one of the victims and came under spell of beautiful sorceress who promised me to teach a mystic skill named pro e to draw any machine part in this world in return of money which according to her was very meagre in comparison of what she was offering to me and yes my friend being an engineer, I too was tempted.

 

Finally I reached the office and seeing me she smiled and asked straight away if I had brought her recompense or not .I had brought money in fact I had to as I had yearned so much to acquire that skill. As soon as I gave her money, she called for her aide who on her command handed me a awful bag and a volume which had methods to develop that mystic skill which used the mankind’s most useful and even most harming creation, computer. Her aide guided me to the gloomy place where many such machines called computer were kept and besides them beings full of apathy and exhaustion. But still I could see desperateness and yearning in them to acquire their respective skill. I went inside to become part of that agony to fulfil my hunger of being better than others and to take first step to acquire that skill that will in future help me to earn more and thus an attempt to satisfy my greed of money .Afraid, yes I was afraid like hell as I feared that paleness I saw on their face but I knew soon I will be accustomed to it and will mingle with them and become lifeless like thirsty man in the middle of the desert but having hope to get out with treasures of the desert after harsh suffering in a few days. But out of blue I saw something, so pure so pious, a smile. It was like a ray of light in darkness, oasis in midst of desert, first drop of rain after scorching heat of summer and so beautiful oh my God, my Almighty is that is what feel of heaven? I wondered for this many years what is beautiful possession of woman and at that instant I got my answer it’s not those beautiful curves, not even most disguised den of sensuality. Its her lips so soothing , sensuous, deep red like haima .From the distance I could feel its softness and then suddenly my euphoria was destroyed by the tutor who was going to teach me pro e in two months. While he was telling something to me, I was engrossed in just one thought how could a friger like me feel something so pure like that? So I again looked at that beauty and she smiled again. Seeing her it felt something magical as if deep down my heart, joy was stored in some kind of container and not allowed even to lick till just one gaze made joy and happiness explode from that container and it kept multiplying like nuclear fission reaction.

 

After half an hour my tutor told me to do practice of what he had taught that day. So I went and sat next to her. Again I gazed her in a way she will not notice me but she did and faced me and I saw just her eyes deep blue and I felt as if lost in them as a being lost in vast ocean. Indeed I was lost I reached a neverland. Yes my neverland full of flowers, greenery but no insects nor even a single harmful being around, beautiful climate -mild cold but still snowflakes coming from light blue sky, lounges made of flowers kept nearby and soft music playing nearby which soothed the soul . As I turned, I found a river of chocolate flowing nearby. Was I dreaming? I rubbed my eyes .No it was really a river of chocolate .Then suddenly I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder. It was her that mystic beauty but adorned in white attire like angel. She again showed me her charming smile and instantly I wondered who is she? As if she had heard it she told me” Glass is still half filled, Ray but only thing is you are seeing it as half empty. Did you like this place?” I nodded in affirmation. She continued” It’s your heaven, your cloud nine. See here there are no machines, no people, no restlessness, no competition, just peace, calmness and plain-simple natural beauty”. To which I interrupted “Just like your smile”. She giggled and continued” Enjoy as much as you want dear, relax.”Then she disappeared and then I had most beautiful and happiest moments listening to soft music, bathing in chocolate river and what not. As I lay asleep on flowery lounge she appeared again and softly told me that it was the  time to return. I begged her to let me stay or atleast promise me to bring there again. On which she said “It is your world dear. You can visit it whenever you wish .World is what you see, black to some eyes, black &white to some others and colourful as rainbow or kaleidoscope to few lucky ones”. With those words she faded away and I was there again in that room but it no more seemed gloomy to me nor people around me were sad .And I understood I wasn’t there to learn pro e to survive in this world but was there to do something new, to taste life from different angle, to share few moments of life with different people. Suddenly in the midst of typhoon of thoughts I realized that girl, my angel was not there. I turned to see her leave the room and for the last time I saw her smile so mystic, so pure, and so peaceful that till date and till the day I die, I will never forget it.

 

From that day, traders were no longer blood sucking monsters and nor was RTC anymore gloomy and I stopped friging also as I didn’t consider that nakedness as beauty anymore. The world was just as I saw it, my heaven, my cloud nine.