There's a reason for not having blogged for a long time. There simply wasn't an interesting topic to write :p Honestly, I had to literally dig for topics on which I could have a strong and clear feeling !
I have been following the Economic Crisis taking place in America, for quite some time now. The magnitude of the impact because of the crisis is un-doubtedly the worst ever since the dot-com burst couple of years back (I wasn't there during the Great Depression) !
Let me not get into the details on how the whole crisis started cuz I am sure everyone of us would have heard about it by now. What bothers me now, is whether India could be the next destination for a similar Crisis and the recent developments strongly suggest the possibility!
Let me explain why....
Since an year or so, there seems to be a new unseen Credit Card revolution in our country. Card companies have been hounding the earning-class, especially the youth, to take their Credit Cards for free of cost. There was a time when having a credit card was a status symbol, which only the rich and the elite could afford to. But now, you can find people just out of college piling up atleast 3-4 of these cards in their leather wallets ! Having a credit card has never been this easy and simple !
Buying is on an all-time high in our country. Its almost a disgrace if you don't visit your Mall every weekend and buy something new for yourself or your family. Spending has become part of our DNA. 10 years ago, a great amount of planning, saving and ofcourse a post-mortem was inevitable even if the tiniest of things were to find its place at our homes ! But now, thanks to the increase in salaries, an average middle-class guy doesn't really need to think too much if he sees a nice sleek LCD tv in his local electronics appliance shop.
Real Estate prices have sky-rocketted to unrealistic figures ! While some buy flats or independent homes to settle down, there are others, who would have already purchased a house, but still would want to buy another site or an apartment all cuz of investment sake ! All this leads to an increase in the cost of real estate whose actual value would have been much lower.
The Mall culture, Credit Cards, high-spending etc : All these had been flowing in the veins of an average American long before an average Indian picked them up. It doesnt require an economic professor to tell you that India is slowly marching on the path, once treaded by a "great" country called America, which is currently reeling under severe economic crisis !
The time has come for the Indian Government to have stringent regulations in place before our worst fears turn into reality in our country. The people also need to realise that they need to cut down on their spending on un-necessary goods/luxury items as there seems to be a scarcity of "hard-cash" everywhere. All your assets like flats/gold/stocks are loosing their value and therefore it has become all the more important to hold onto your cash like never before !
Remember, this is only a short-term but very important sacrifice we all need to make, if we want our economy to get back on its feet !
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
I don't want to grow up !
Lot of things happening in my life right now. Never had I put myself into so many tests !
I met one of my old friends from school last Friday. I don't get to meet him as often as I meet my other school friends cuz he doesn't work in Bangalore. He is one of the very few who has been the same and hence he reminds me of my school life more than anyone else. I think its amazing how he hasn't "changed".
I realize it's dangerous to take things for granted at this point in one's life. There seems to be no second chance. People are always judging you. You are always judging people. You seek stability, but you fear that you might get into a comfort zone or might get blinded over certain things that are needed to keep pace with this fast-changing world. You feel the only way to catch up is by keeping yourself open to "change". But, if you have noticed, its not so easy to "change" after all. It is like throwing yourself onto a different planet with no food and transport and asking you to live there for sometime till you get thrown to another planet ! There's un-certainity at each step and if you want to be the winner you better be prepared for it :)
At the same time, you fear you might be getting influenced from outside a little too much and hence loosing grip on your life. You feel your principles and ideals have gone for a toss while trying to keep pace in the rat race.
Finally, you feel it wasnt worth the risk of putting yourself into so much commotion. You want to get back to your younger days where things were certain and the only things you had to worry about was whether you had done your home-work or not, whether you had polished your shoes, cut your nails before your enter the assembly area....
Things were just "black and white" and now everything appears to be grey ... Again there, you are not sure if it just "appears" or if it really "is" grey ! Call me a mad man ? maybe...
I met one of my old friends from school last Friday. I don't get to meet him as often as I meet my other school friends cuz he doesn't work in Bangalore. He is one of the very few who has been the same and hence he reminds me of my school life more than anyone else. I think its amazing how he hasn't "changed".
I realize it's dangerous to take things for granted at this point in one's life. There seems to be no second chance. People are always judging you. You are always judging people. You seek stability, but you fear that you might get into a comfort zone or might get blinded over certain things that are needed to keep pace with this fast-changing world. You feel the only way to catch up is by keeping yourself open to "change". But, if you have noticed, its not so easy to "change" after all. It is like throwing yourself onto a different planet with no food and transport and asking you to live there for sometime till you get thrown to another planet ! There's un-certainity at each step and if you want to be the winner you better be prepared for it :)
At the same time, you fear you might be getting influenced from outside a little too much and hence loosing grip on your life. You feel your principles and ideals have gone for a toss while trying to keep pace in the rat race.
Finally, you feel it wasnt worth the risk of putting yourself into so much commotion. You want to get back to your younger days where things were certain and the only things you had to worry about was whether you had done your home-work or not, whether you had polished your shoes, cut your nails before your enter the assembly area....
Things were just "black and white" and now everything appears to be grey ... Again there, you are not sure if it just "appears" or if it really "is" grey ! Call me a mad man ? maybe...
Monday, June 23, 2008
Nammooru Bengaluru
No matter how much, people (read people who have come here from other parts of the country) complain about Bangalore’s infrastructure, they always
make sure to end it with a consolation by saying “But, whatever it is, the weather here is simply great ! “
So, is it just the weather that’s making Bangalore attractive? or is it the IT which’s generating so much employment?
Sadly, most of us think its one of them (or both).
Bangalore’s a city that’s been home to people from all regions and religions. No where would you have come across
a place where your local kirana shop guy speaks in atleast 3 regional languages apart from kannada, the local language.
You receive the same warmth irrespective of where you come from or what language you speak. The city allows you to retain your
regional identity, and yet it gives you all the freedom to make it home ! I am not sure how many such cities exist in this world ?!?!?
Bangalore’s truly cosmopolitan !
(I remember hearing about Mumbai being one such place. I had visited Mumbai when I was just 5 years old, so
I cant really speak about it now).
But what makes me feel dis-appointed is the fact that, you just cannot take all the good things that the city’s offering and don’t bother to give it back ! Let me start with learning the local language. I know its really not necessary as most of the localites can converse in English if not your regional language. But, you must understand, Bangalore is as much yours as it is
to the local population. It wouldn’t hurt if you could speak a word or two in kannada to ur sabzi mandi guy instead of just continuously hurling out words in your local language. Who knows, the sabzi mandi guy might not be comfortable speaking your language. Why make him a stranger In his own land ??? He really doesn’t deserve this ! Same applies while using the local public transport. Try using the local language while asking for a ticket.
Let’s not forget like every place, Bangalore too has got its own heritage and that comes not just from old buildings or parks, but also from its local language.
So speaking the language of the land, helps in retaining a city’s heritage. As I write this post, a fact that I had read in a magazine, sometime ago, comes into my mind. The kannada language that most of us speak is becoming devoid of some of the classiest and beautiful words. These words are not those that require a dictionary. These are simple words that carry a lot of warmth, and they really make short chats (read “harate” –kannada) more meaningful. Sadly, this only shows that, we being born and brought up here (the localites), have also become indifferent to the language that once used to be spoken by our parents and grand-parents !
So, next time, you think of doing something for the city, learning a couple of words(sentences would be even better !) in kannada won’t be that bad a choice. It will not only help you in building a good relation with your local sabzi walla, but will also help in an attempt in preserving this beautiful language and hence the city !
Make this language as yours, just like the way you made this city as your home. I am sure, you won’t be disappointed !!!
make sure to end it with a consolation by saying “But, whatever it is, the weather here is simply great ! “
So, is it just the weather that’s making Bangalore attractive? or is it the IT which’s generating so much employment?
Sadly, most of us think its one of them (or both).
Bangalore’s a city that’s been home to people from all regions and religions. No where would you have come across
a place where your local kirana shop guy speaks in atleast 3 regional languages apart from kannada, the local language.
You receive the same warmth irrespective of where you come from or what language you speak. The city allows you to retain your
regional identity, and yet it gives you all the freedom to make it home ! I am not sure how many such cities exist in this world ?!?!?
Bangalore’s truly cosmopolitan !
(I remember hearing about Mumbai being one such place. I had visited Mumbai when I was just 5 years old, so
I cant really speak about it now).
But what makes me feel dis-appointed is the fact that, you just cannot take all the good things that the city’s offering and don’t bother to give it back ! Let me start with learning the local language. I know its really not necessary as most of the localites can converse in English if not your regional language. But, you must understand, Bangalore is as much yours as it is
to the local population. It wouldn’t hurt if you could speak a word or two in kannada to ur sabzi mandi guy instead of just continuously hurling out words in your local language. Who knows, the sabzi mandi guy might not be comfortable speaking your language. Why make him a stranger In his own land ??? He really doesn’t deserve this ! Same applies while using the local public transport. Try using the local language while asking for a ticket.
Let’s not forget like every place, Bangalore too has got its own heritage and that comes not just from old buildings or parks, but also from its local language.
So speaking the language of the land, helps in retaining a city’s heritage. As I write this post, a fact that I had read in a magazine, sometime ago, comes into my mind. The kannada language that most of us speak is becoming devoid of some of the classiest and beautiful words. These words are not those that require a dictionary. These are simple words that carry a lot of warmth, and they really make short chats (read “harate” –kannada) more meaningful. Sadly, this only shows that, we being born and brought up here (the localites), have also become indifferent to the language that once used to be spoken by our parents and grand-parents !
So, next time, you think of doing something for the city, learning a couple of words(sentences would be even better !) in kannada won’t be that bad a choice. It will not only help you in building a good relation with your local sabzi walla, but will also help in an attempt in preserving this beautiful language and hence the city !
Make this language as yours, just like the way you made this city as your home. I am sure, you won’t be disappointed !!!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Quarter-life Crisis
A nice forward, guess how many of us would associate with it … :-)
BEING IN TWENTIES - SOMETHING
It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.
You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.
You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.
Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.
You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.
You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap.
Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender! What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends...
maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion...
We call it the "Quarter-life Crisis."
BEING IN TWENTIES - SOMETHING
It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are many things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.
You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you don't recognize is that they are realizing that too, and aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.
You look at your job... and it is not even close to what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are looking for a job and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and that scares you.
Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and are constantly adding things to your list of what is acceptable and what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the next, secure.
You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.
You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out why you're doing this because you know that you aren't a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap.
Getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over, and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans, money, the future and making a life for yourself... and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender! What you may not realize is that every one reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. Send this to your twenty-something friends...
maybe it will help someone feel like they aren't alone in their state of confusion...
We call it the "Quarter-life Crisis."
Monday, April 7, 2008
I don't know my vice-president !
He is the Vice president of our country Mohammed Hamid Ansari.
These are some of the answers I got when I asked people about this photograph.
1) Is this fake or real? (meaning if I had used photoshop)
2) Is he alive now ?
(After I told them he is the vice president of our country)
3) Bhairon Singh Shekawat
Thank God no one said Prathiba Patil :-)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The Woman who knew it all . . .
Here's the conversation, that i heard on my way back home in the cab, between an RJ of a popular radio station and a lady(here after referred to as "The-woman-who-knew-it-all" or TWWKIA) , who said her family is full of s/w engineers(or so she claimed). The RJ was conducting one of those innumerable silly competitions and the lady was jobless enough(blame the US recession ? ) to take part in the competition.
RJ : Hiiiiiiiii, so are you ready to win that 1000 rupees gift voucher ? ! ? !
TWWKIA : CAN'T WAIT !
RJ : great !, I am going to ask you coupla questions . . . if you answer any three of them correctly, you get to win that gift voucher, OKAY ?
TWWKIA : OKAY !!!
RJ : how many colours are there in a rainbow ?
TWWKIA : ( all excited) 7 !!!
RJ : Correct ! Can you name them in the order they appear.
TWWKIA : (telling herself how stupid the question is) Um ...VIBGYOR ! violet,indigo,blue,green,yellow,orange and red !!!
(Now comes the real question . . .)
RJ : great ! what's the name of the vice president of our country ?
TWWKIA : (completely take aback ) WHAT ?
RJ : Who's the vice-president of our country ?
TWWKIA: ou ! I dunno !
RJ : (shocked !) What ! you dunno the name of our VICE PRESIDENT ?????????
TWWKIA: (embarassed and nervous) no . . .
RJ : I cant believe that ! Don't you think you are expected to know that ?
TWWKIA : (trying to save her face and still nervous) well, i know Prathiba Patil is our president, but . . .
RJ : Anyway, wonder how you even got a job . . . maybe you just got it through some luck ???
(now the RJ feels she has done enough damage to the lady's reputation, so she decides to move on). Ok, next question . . . seeing a rainbow makes our wishes come true, true or fales ?
TWWKIA : (struggling to recover from the shock) TRUE !
RJ : (sounding funny) No, they don't come true. Its just a superstition.
(LOL)
RJ : Do you think superman exists ?
TWWKIA : (now, she is back to her senses and she just wants to give it back !) NO WAY !
RJ : (pretending to be serious) How do you know ?
TWWKIA : (almost protesting ) Because I know he doesnt EXIST !!!
RJ : (still pretending to be serious) Are you sure ...?
TWWKIA : ( a little angry) OFCOURSE ! superman doesnt exist . . . he is seen only in MOVIES !
RJ : superman doesnt come from movies, he is a first a comic character (LOL)
(By this time TWWKIA is already exhausted, she just wants to slam the phone down and go back to sleep )
RJ : Ok, next question . . . what does a sandwich contain ?
TWWKIA : (noooooo not agggggain !!!)
(this time, a little careful she gets)
TWWKIA : it contains vegitables like onions, tomatos, sauce, cheese blah blah blah . . .
(What ! was she really that stupid or was it just a wicked attempt to malign the name of s/w engineers ? I had to switch off the radio this time, cuz the lady had proved it beyond doubt that she was out of her senses)
But on a serious note, how many of us know the name of our vice-president ?
Oh before your fingers start pointing back at me, I assure you that I knew his name even before yesterday. But I must confess that around 3 months back,a quiz, this time on TV, had made me look up the internet for his name :-)
RJ : Hiiiiiiiii, so are you ready to win that 1000 rupees gift voucher ? ! ? !
TWWKIA : CAN'T WAIT !
RJ : great !, I am going to ask you coupla questions . . . if you answer any three of them correctly, you get to win that gift voucher, OKAY ?
TWWKIA : OKAY !!!
RJ : how many colours are there in a rainbow ?
TWWKIA : ( all excited) 7 !!!
RJ : Correct ! Can you name them in the order they appear.
TWWKIA : (telling herself how stupid the question is) Um ...VIBGYOR ! violet,indigo,blue,green,yellow,orange and red !!!
(Now comes the real question . . .)
RJ : great ! what's the name of the vice president of our country ?
TWWKIA : (completely take aback ) WHAT ?
RJ : Who's the vice-president of our country ?
TWWKIA: ou ! I dunno !
RJ : (shocked !) What ! you dunno the name of our VICE PRESIDENT ?????????
TWWKIA: (embarassed and nervous) no . . .
RJ : I cant believe that ! Don't you think you are expected to know that ?
TWWKIA : (trying to save her face and still nervous) well, i know Prathiba Patil is our president, but . . .
RJ : Anyway, wonder how you even got a job . . . maybe you just got it through some luck ???
(now the RJ feels she has done enough damage to the lady's reputation, so she decides to move on). Ok, next question . . . seeing a rainbow makes our wishes come true, true or fales ?
TWWKIA : (struggling to recover from the shock) TRUE !
RJ : (sounding funny) No, they don't come true. Its just a superstition.
(LOL)
RJ : Do you think superman exists ?
TWWKIA : (now, she is back to her senses and she just wants to give it back !) NO WAY !
RJ : (pretending to be serious) How do you know ?
TWWKIA : (almost protesting ) Because I know he doesnt EXIST !!!
RJ : (still pretending to be serious) Are you sure ...?
TWWKIA : ( a little angry) OFCOURSE ! superman doesnt exist . . . he is seen only in MOVIES !
RJ : superman doesnt come from movies, he is a first a comic character (LOL)
(By this time TWWKIA is already exhausted, she just wants to slam the phone down and go back to sleep )
RJ : Ok, next question . . . what does a sandwich contain ?
TWWKIA : (noooooo not agggggain !!!)
(this time, a little careful she gets)
TWWKIA : it contains vegitables like onions, tomatos, sauce, cheese blah blah blah . . .
(What ! was she really that stupid or was it just a wicked attempt to malign the name of s/w engineers ? I had to switch off the radio this time, cuz the lady had proved it beyond doubt that she was out of her senses)
But on a serious note, how many of us know the name of our vice-president ?
Oh before your fingers start pointing back at me, I assure you that I knew his name even before yesterday. But I must confess that around 3 months back,a quiz, this time on TV, had made me look up the internet for his name :-)
Monday, March 31, 2008
Plagiarism, thy name !
The song "Pehli Nazar Mein" from RACE kept lingering in mind ever since I heard it on one of the radio stations. I was so proud of the kind of music that was being churned out by the Hindi Music Industry. But, the truth had to show its ugly face ....
Recently, while i was browsing the net for the same song on Youtube, I saw a Korean song in the "Related videos" list. I clicked on that Korean song, and not surpsingly it had the same tune and the beats as its Indian version. I knew that this was not the first time Pritam had lifted the tune from a foreign source.
A small research on the web led me to a site that showed up not just not-so-original compositions by Pritam, but also by many other Indian composers !
The list has not spared even the likes of AR Rahman !
Kudos to the efforts of the site's owner who has not just given the names of the source from which the songs were lifted, but also a short audio of the originals.
http://www.itwofs.com/itwofs.html
Recently, while i was browsing the net for the same song on Youtube, I saw a Korean song in the "Related videos" list. I clicked on that Korean song, and not surpsingly it had the same tune and the beats as its Indian version. I knew that this was not the first time Pritam had lifted the tune from a foreign source.
A small research on the web led me to a site that showed up not just not-so-original compositions by Pritam, but also by many other Indian composers !
The list has not spared even the likes of AR Rahman !
Kudos to the efforts of the site's owner who has not just given the names of the source from which the songs were lifted, but also a short audio of the originals.
http://www.itwofs.com/itwofs.html
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Sanskrit Language: The Most Scientific, Ancient, Spiritual
I happened to study in a school in Mysore for almost 8 years, that gave stress to sanskrit more than any of the modern schools in the cities. We were first taught simple poems/songs and shlokas and later we were introduced to the grammar and its intricacies. Sanskrit was infact part of our compulsary curriculum from standard 1 to 10 ! Though I failed to understand what was so reverred about this language, inspite of being part of a "Sanskrit" school for 7 years, the thought of something divine attached to it was always there within my imagination. We were told, in a way we should never forget, that the keys to some of the world's ultimate truths lies in sanskrit.
Just today, I came across an interview on youtube, where a westerner, being a sanskrit scholar, talks about sanskrit in great depths. I like the simplicity with which the scholar explains some of the most difficult theories in vedas and upanishads. Have a look if you want to know what makes sanskrit the most scientific and spiritual language or simply for the fact that a westerner, talks about a culture and language, that is so alien to him, with such authority.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cQ4hIG9w7c&feature=related
Friday, March 14, 2008
....
I can feel a burst of tears trying to come out of my eyes, as I listen to the song "Gudugudiya Sedi Nodo" by Raghu Dixit Project . "This song, written by Saint Shishunaala Sharif, a 19th century spiritual poet of North Karnataka, urges the listener to smoke a Hookah (a smoking pipe) to understand how one should lead life! Open the small cloth bag called mind, pull out the hash called greed/lust, crush it in a chillum called faith and light it with a fire called intelligence, Smoke that Hookah, he says" (Source : http://raghudixit.com/discography).
I can't believe a song written by a seemingly unknown poet nearly 200 years ago, is striking many a chord even now . . . and striking it is as if one would never forget it !
I am simply marveled by the power of music. Saint Shishunaala Sharif is an unknown figure to the present generation. The only memory I have about this great poet is during a fancy dress competition when I was in Class 4 or 5. One of the participants had imitated him, and as he was a good singer, had sung a song written by the poet which later had fetched him the first prize.
I cant help but feel the Raghu Dixit Project has paid a great tribute to this poet by popularising fe w of his songs.
I don't know why my heart grows weak and my eyes fill with tears whenever I hear of such people. . . I kind of tend to consider them as ordinary people who belong to an extraodrinary world (yeah I flicked it from one of Shah Rukh's interviews). These are ordinary people who have been quietly doing some incredible stuff without worrying about recognition. They don't mind if anyones listening to them or whether they are getting paid for what they are doing . They are simply doing it because they like it . . . You can either put them on the throne or ignore them, but they won't stop whatever they are doing .
Another person who belongs to the same league, is late H. Narasimhaiah, more famous as an educationist and known fondly as HN to the hundreds of former and current students of National High School and the National College (An educationist, these days is more seen as an entrepreneur (sigh). Please don't make the mistake of putting him under the same light ! ).He was a simpleton, stayed in his small hostel room in the college premises till his death and even had deposited his own money in the bank for conducting his last rights. He was a man who lived a life of a bachelor, stuck to his roots and ideals even while abroad, came back unscathed and worked unassumingly for the society . Can we find such educationists today ???? We can't.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to study at his institution (which would have allowed me to observe and possibly interact with this great man more closely . . . something I regret not doing even to this day !).
The likes of Saint Shishunaala , HN, and many more who have made us see the world in a different perspective should never be forgotten ! They remind me of the purest souls that you can ever imagine who knew nothing but what they were meant to do . . .
I am sure I have spoken enough un-connected sentences in this post. Blame it on my abnormal emotional quotient that sometimes shoots up without control . . .
I can't believe a song written by a seemingly unknown poet nearly 200 years ago, is striking many a chord even now . . . and striking it is as if one would never forget it !
I am simply marveled by the power of music. Saint Shishunaala Sharif is an unknown figure to the present generation. The only memory I have about this great poet is during a fancy dress competition when I was in Class 4 or 5. One of the participants had imitated him, and as he was a good singer, had sung a song written by the poet which later had fetched him the first prize.
I cant help but feel the Raghu Dixit Project has paid a great tribute to this poet by popularising fe w of his songs.
I don't know why my heart grows weak and my eyes fill with tears whenever I hear of such people. . . I kind of tend to consider them as ordinary people who belong to an extraodrinary world (yeah I flicked it from one of Shah Rukh's interviews). These are ordinary people who have been quietly doing some incredible stuff without worrying about recognition. They don't mind if anyones listening to them or whether they are getting paid for what they are doing . They are simply doing it because they like it . . . You can either put them on the throne or ignore them, but they won't stop whatever they are doing .
Another person who belongs to the same league, is late H. Narasimhaiah, more famous as an educationist and known fondly as HN to the hundreds of former and current students of National High School and the National College (An educationist, these days is more seen as an entrepreneur (sigh). Please don't make the mistake of putting him under the same light ! ).He was a simpleton, stayed in his small hostel room in the college premises till his death and even had deposited his own money in the bank for conducting his last rights. He was a man who lived a life of a bachelor, stuck to his roots and ideals even while abroad, came back unscathed and worked unassumingly for the society . Can we find such educationists today ???? We can't.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the opportunity to study at his institution (which would have allowed me to observe and possibly interact with this great man more closely . . . something I regret not doing even to this day !).
The likes of Saint Shishunaala , HN, and many more who have made us see the world in a different perspective should never be forgotten ! They remind me of the purest souls that you can ever imagine who knew nothing but what they were meant to do . . .
I am sure I have spoken enough un-connected sentences in this post. Blame it on my abnormal emotional quotient that sometimes shoots up without control . . .
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The new villain in my life . . .
I have a Sony Erricson W810i, which I bought 4 months ago.All the chiding done by my fellow colleagues and friends for not buying a Samsung phone and hence not being loyal to the company I work for, has gone in vain many times . SE w810i is one of the best mobile phones to come out of SE's stables. The sound quality s terrific( its a walkman phone), its got 2 MP camera and apart from those attractive templates you get to use, it comes with a 512 Mb memory card ! Slowly people have come in terms with the fact that my choice was after all not bad.
Couple of weeks back, when I had gone to a doctor for my back ache problem, my phone fell down from my pocket as I was lying flat. It fell from a cool 4 feet and I almost decided in no time that I would have to buy a new phone( I don't really like the idea of getting any electronic items repaired.. If they are gone they are gone forever no matter how much u spend on getting it repaired). But the phone survived ! My joy knew no bounds . . .
The next day, I narrated the incident to whoever I met : in the cab, next to my cubicle, in the washroom . . . I really believed the nearly-killed-but-survived story of my mobile phone was nothing short of a miracle and thus required good publicity ( Oh yeah, this could also serve to prove my friends wrong and keep them from chiding me again for ever !).
3-4 days back, while I was swinging my arms a lil briskly my hand (that was carrying my phone), hit the latch of my kitchen door. The impact was enough to send my phone flying as high as possible and eventually fall like a meteor ready to make a hole on the floor.
My legs grew heavy and my body became numb. I thought it was over . . .
As i moved to pick up the phone, I noticed the memory card had popped out of its place . . . I slid it in and looked at the screen and it was working fine ! I let out a big sigh of relief and decided to never carry the phone in my hands if I am not using it.
But the relief was only short-lived.
The next day,sometime in the afternoon, I got a call from one of my friends asking if I had called him in the past 2-3 minutes. I looked at my phone that was lying peacefully on the table next to my computer, and tried to recollect if I had indeed called anyone. I realised I had kept the phone there around an hour back and never even touched it, forget make a call !
It was as if mystery,suspense,horror , had descended on me all of sudden !
How could a phone call anyone all by itself ?!?!? While I was enjoying the thought of making a movie with this plot, I realised, I could have just fallen to a silly prank.
Without wasting another thought on this, I decided to let go off the incident.
The same evening, I see a missed call on my cell from a friend so I call him back asking what was it . He sounded surprised and said I had called him like 5 minutes back and as he wasnt there at that time, he had called me.
As if that wasn't enough, today I get a call from another friend living in Chennai asking me if I had called him like an hour back ! Now, my mobile had started making even STD calls ! ! ! What if the mobile starts calling my aunts and uncles abroad, whose phone numbers I have stored on my cell. Even worse, what if they receive the calls ?!?! Well, yes, receiving the calls would have disclosed the identity of the caller atleast.. but it looks like my phone just wants to play around giving missed calls.
As I stare at this black little box with some buttons and glass thats lying so innocently on my table, I cant help but give it a human form who in real life I would have butchered without a second thought.
I have slowly started perceiving my phone as cruel, wicked and malicious . . . Never imagined I would be this cruel to something which once was one of my favourite posessions ! Sigh . . . . . .
Couple of weeks back, when I had gone to a doctor for my back ache problem, my phone fell down from my pocket as I was lying flat. It fell from a cool 4 feet and I almost decided in no time that I would have to buy a new phone( I don't really like the idea of getting any electronic items repaired.. If they are gone they are gone forever no matter how much u spend on getting it repaired). But the phone survived ! My joy knew no bounds . . .
The next day, I narrated the incident to whoever I met : in the cab, next to my cubicle, in the washroom . . . I really believed the nearly-killed-but-survived story of my mobile phone was nothing short of a miracle and thus required good publicity ( Oh yeah, this could also serve to prove my friends wrong and keep them from chiding me again for ever !).
3-4 days back, while I was swinging my arms a lil briskly my hand (that was carrying my phone), hit the latch of my kitchen door. The impact was enough to send my phone flying as high as possible and eventually fall like a meteor ready to make a hole on the floor.
My legs grew heavy and my body became numb. I thought it was over . . .
As i moved to pick up the phone, I noticed the memory card had popped out of its place . . . I slid it in and looked at the screen and it was working fine ! I let out a big sigh of relief and decided to never carry the phone in my hands if I am not using it.
But the relief was only short-lived.
The next day,sometime in the afternoon, I got a call from one of my friends asking if I had called him in the past 2-3 minutes. I looked at my phone that was lying peacefully on the table next to my computer, and tried to recollect if I had indeed called anyone. I realised I had kept the phone there around an hour back and never even touched it, forget make a call !
It was as if mystery,suspense,horror , had descended on me all of sudden !
How could a phone call anyone all by itself ?!?!? While I was enjoying the thought of making a movie with this plot, I realised, I could have just fallen to a silly prank.
Without wasting another thought on this, I decided to let go off the incident.
The same evening, I see a missed call on my cell from a friend so I call him back asking what was it . He sounded surprised and said I had called him like 5 minutes back and as he wasnt there at that time, he had called me.
As if that wasn't enough, today I get a call from another friend living in Chennai asking me if I had called him like an hour back ! Now, my mobile had started making even STD calls ! ! ! What if the mobile starts calling my aunts and uncles abroad, whose phone numbers I have stored on my cell. Even worse, what if they receive the calls ?!?! Well, yes, receiving the calls would have disclosed the identity of the caller atleast.. but it looks like my phone just wants to play around giving missed calls.
As I stare at this black little box with some buttons and glass thats lying so innocently on my table, I cant help but give it a human form who in real life I would have butchered without a second thought.
I have slowly started perceiving my phone as cruel, wicked and malicious . . . Never imagined I would be this cruel to something which once was one of my favourite posessions ! Sigh . . . . . .
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
An incident that took place at a restaurant near my office...
As a ritual, every afternoon, I go to a restaurant which is located at a swanky mall in our tech park to have lunch ( These days I rarely have food at my office canteen).Not because the food there is very tasty but the walk upto the mall is a nice exercise to a person who spends most of his time sitting in front of a computer. The mall has half a dozen restaurants each offering from Chinese to South Indian. There is a stiff compitition between each of them because of the "Techie" crowd that doesn't mind spending a little more than the usual price you find in any darshini-kind of hotel inside the city.Each hotel, in the mall wants to make best use of this opportunity.
The past few days have been quite eventful for them. A cockroach was found along with the food provided by one such 'over-priced' hotel . Nothing happened, as the customer, funnily, didnt bother to demand an explanation. He simply showed the hotel-worker what he had served along with his veg biryani and the hotel guy ,trying to sound apologetic mumbled something and the whole incident was played down.
I went to one of the busiest hotels in the mall today for lunch and ordered Pudhina Pulav ( I love anything made of Pudhina and was surprised to see it on todays menu !). After 10 minutes when I walk up to him to take my order, I get suspicious looking at the dish he had just served. It didn't look like Pudhina Pulav at all ! It resembled more like plain Veg Pulav. I just ask him again if he was sure if it was what i had ordered and he answers me in affirmation. I decide to quietly take my order to my seat, just to confirm from my colleagues, before I question the hotel guys again . I ask them to taste it to see if they also felt it was Pudhina Pulav. They burst out laughing, saying it was just plain Veg Pulav.
With the suspicion cleared, I walk up to the hotel guys and tell them what they had served.
To my surprise, one of the hotel guys blurts out that it was indeed Pudhina Pulav ! I tell him that if this was Pudhina Pulav then why wasn't it green, the very essence (and confirmation) of pudhina ! That guy started arguing foolishly and as if it wasnt enough, he was soon joined by his cronies . Finally, one of them blurted out that as i looked like a gentleman he wouldn't want to talk in a rough manner . I was shocked ! First of all he was on the wrong side and on top of that he wants to warn me that if I continue my argument things would get messier !!!
I just wanted to break his head right there !
Anyway, people can go to any extent to do business (like serving some other dish in the name of some thing else).
I see this "conning" almost everywhere these days in Bangalore..be it the autos, or the vegetable vendors and now even inside eateries in swanky malls !
The past few days have been quite eventful for them. A cockroach was found along with the food provided by one such 'over-priced' hotel . Nothing happened, as the customer, funnily, didnt bother to demand an explanation. He simply showed the hotel-worker what he had served along with his veg biryani and the hotel guy ,trying to sound apologetic mumbled something and the whole incident was played down.
I went to one of the busiest hotels in the mall today for lunch and ordered Pudhina Pulav ( I love anything made of Pudhina and was surprised to see it on todays menu !). After 10 minutes when I walk up to him to take my order, I get suspicious looking at the dish he had just served. It didn't look like Pudhina Pulav at all ! It resembled more like plain Veg Pulav. I just ask him again if he was sure if it was what i had ordered and he answers me in affirmation. I decide to quietly take my order to my seat, just to confirm from my colleagues, before I question the hotel guys again . I ask them to taste it to see if they also felt it was Pudhina Pulav. They burst out laughing, saying it was just plain Veg Pulav.
With the suspicion cleared, I walk up to the hotel guys and tell them what they had served.
To my surprise, one of the hotel guys blurts out that it was indeed Pudhina Pulav ! I tell him that if this was Pudhina Pulav then why wasn't it green, the very essence (and confirmation) of pudhina ! That guy started arguing foolishly and as if it wasnt enough, he was soon joined by his cronies . Finally, one of them blurted out that as i looked like a gentleman he wouldn't want to talk in a rough manner . I was shocked ! First of all he was on the wrong side and on top of that he wants to warn me that if I continue my argument things would get messier !!!
I just wanted to break his head right there !
Anyway, people can go to any extent to do business (like serving some other dish in the name of some thing else).
I see this "conning" almost everywhere these days in Bangalore..be it the autos, or the vegetable vendors and now even inside eateries in swanky malls !
Monday, February 25, 2008
My first official post in the third official blog
I always believed that my first post in every blog should always be something that's close to my heart. Well, its not about Auto-wallas or about some movie review (though you should expect milions of billion posts on them in the coming future..).
I have been keenly following all that hoopla about the BRIC countries. Though it's almost certain China would be the next super power after US & A, can we say the same thing about our country, INDIA ?
Well, the much talked about BRIC report( that's almost turning out to be a Bible for all the market analysts and investors) throws out all kinds of statistics to prove the point.But, I believe the 'road ahead' is far from easy...sometimes even IMPOSSIBLE ...
As i write this, people might write me off as an unthinkable pessimist or an un-patriotic brute.
But are we doing anything to sustain the 8-9% GDP growth that we have been witnessing in the recent past ?
Let me not get into the statistics and technicalities. I am sure, everyone agrees that ours is still largely an agriculture-based economy. Our farmers are still largely poor when compared to their counterparts in Brazil, China or Russia. Whatever the government has done to agriculture, farmers in particular, has just not been enough to put them on the same platform as the rest of the BRIC countries . Though we stand among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of GDP, we still largely are a poor nation. What an irony !
I have been wondering for quite sometime about how our country would have behaved to a communist setup. I know its not easy to imagine India being a communist country ! But, I have slowly started believing that implementing a law in a democratic setup is NOT at all easy . There are so many examples to support this theory.
Let us look at one such recent law that was involved in much controversy about Banning cigarette smoking in Cinemas . It came as the most blatant attack on the film fraternity, so much so that some even felt that their fundamental right was violated. The media declared the law as "outrightly dumb " , Ambumani Ramdoss' (Health Minister)name became sinister overnight and the proposed law continues to be debated(like always). If the same law were to be implemented in China, it would have just passed as yet-another-government-policy;No one would have lifted their voice...no hue and cry ...
Every single law, no matter how good it maybe always faces a stiff opposition in our country.
Every time a person suggests a solution, there will be another person to turn it down, so that a solution more favourable to him comes out.
The weapon called 'Democracy' helps to reject easily as much as it does to propose .
So you finally have an atmosephere where "no one listens to anyone" : UTTER CHAOS .
Lets take another example : Have you ever wondered why our surroundings are not as clean as our homes ? I am sure you must have . You would have also gone a step further by thinking of a solution. But, how far have you taken that idea towards implementation ? Chances are the idea would have collapsed as easily as it came up. That's because you almost always know that no one would listen to you if you happened to ask someone not to spit or throw garbage on the road. You would probably have to face a remark like " what right you have to tell me that " .Some people would try to add a logical point of view to their acts saying " you know, there's no place to throw garbage these days" . But when the govt. realised that and implemented a garbage-recovery system, the people still continued to treat the roads as dust-bins .... so you still have garbage piling up.But, if you go back and read those remarks again, you will see that never would they accept their mistake and take back the garbage.
If we had a law ( i know its too much to ask for) to fine anyone who litters, things would have been a lot better. But, you may forget any such thing to happen as some random guy would challenge it saying "what if the person who litters is a poor man.You can't expect him to pay up fines for such things ". Phew !
There was another incident that sparked off a lot of controversy in the recent past. It was about the PM's statement about big business honchos leading an ultra-lavish lifestyle. He asked them to tone it down a little bit. But, the next day itself , all the business class was up in arms against PM saying he had made an unfair remark and they cannot simply live the way he dictates.
All that the PM said was " We are still a country where poverty is ramphant. If the so called business-class live so extravagantly, what signal does it send out to those millions of people who struggle to have even one meal a day ! It only shows how apathetic the business class is when they should be concerned about nation-building along with their balance-sheets.
And, then there was the media which as if behaving as a neutral spectator took sides against the PM.
Such a thing wouldn't have occured in a communist setup where you put stringent limits to anyone who tries to increase the rich class-poor class divide. This ensures that you put Nation-building before individual prosperity.
Communism has always been portrayed in bad light ...
To be continued....
I have been keenly following all that hoopla about the BRIC countries. Though it's almost certain China would be the next super power after US & A, can we say the same thing about our country, INDIA ?
Well, the much talked about BRIC report( that's almost turning out to be a Bible for all the market analysts and investors) throws out all kinds of statistics to prove the point.But, I believe the 'road ahead' is far from easy...sometimes even IMPOSSIBLE ...
As i write this, people might write me off as an unthinkable pessimist or an un-patriotic brute.
But are we doing anything to sustain the 8-9% GDP growth that we have been witnessing in the recent past ?
Let me not get into the statistics and technicalities. I am sure, everyone agrees that ours is still largely an agriculture-based economy. Our farmers are still largely poor when compared to their counterparts in Brazil, China or Russia. Whatever the government has done to agriculture, farmers in particular, has just not been enough to put them on the same platform as the rest of the BRIC countries . Though we stand among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of GDP, we still largely are a poor nation. What an irony !
I have been wondering for quite sometime about how our country would have behaved to a communist setup. I know its not easy to imagine India being a communist country ! But, I have slowly started believing that implementing a law in a democratic setup is NOT at all easy . There are so many examples to support this theory.
Let us look at one such recent law that was involved in much controversy about Banning cigarette smoking in Cinemas . It came as the most blatant attack on the film fraternity, so much so that some even felt that their fundamental right was violated. The media declared the law as "outrightly dumb " , Ambumani Ramdoss' (Health Minister)name became sinister overnight and the proposed law continues to be debated(like always). If the same law were to be implemented in China, it would have just passed as yet-another-government-policy;No one would have lifted their voice...no hue and cry ...
Every single law, no matter how good it maybe always faces a stiff opposition in our country.
Every time a person suggests a solution, there will be another person to turn it down, so that a solution more favourable to him comes out.
The weapon called 'Democracy' helps to reject easily as much as it does to propose .
So you finally have an atmosephere where "no one listens to anyone" : UTTER CHAOS .
Lets take another example : Have you ever wondered why our surroundings are not as clean as our homes ? I am sure you must have . You would have also gone a step further by thinking of a solution. But, how far have you taken that idea towards implementation ? Chances are the idea would have collapsed as easily as it came up. That's because you almost always know that no one would listen to you if you happened to ask someone not to spit or throw garbage on the road. You would probably have to face a remark like " what right you have to tell me that " .Some people would try to add a logical point of view to their acts saying " you know, there's no place to throw garbage these days" . But when the govt. realised that and implemented a garbage-recovery system, the people still continued to treat the roads as dust-bins .... so you still have garbage piling up.But, if you go back and read those remarks again, you will see that never would they accept their mistake and take back the garbage.
If we had a law ( i know its too much to ask for) to fine anyone who litters, things would have been a lot better. But, you may forget any such thing to happen as some random guy would challenge it saying "what if the person who litters is a poor man.You can't expect him to pay up fines for such things ". Phew !
There was another incident that sparked off a lot of controversy in the recent past. It was about the PM's statement about big business honchos leading an ultra-lavish lifestyle. He asked them to tone it down a little bit. But, the next day itself , all the business class was up in arms against PM saying he had made an unfair remark and they cannot simply live the way he dictates.
All that the PM said was " We are still a country where poverty is ramphant. If the so called business-class live so extravagantly, what signal does it send out to those millions of people who struggle to have even one meal a day ! It only shows how apathetic the business class is when they should be concerned about nation-building along with their balance-sheets.
And, then there was the media which as if behaving as a neutral spectator took sides against the PM.
Such a thing wouldn't have occured in a communist setup where you put stringent limits to anyone who tries to increase the rich class-poor class divide. This ensures that you put Nation-building before individual prosperity.
Communism has always been portrayed in bad light ...
To be continued....
Why another blog ?
If you are wondering why on earth i am back to blogging, there are many reasons.
Firstly, its been more than 1.5 years since i blogged and these 1.5 years, especially the last 6-8 months bear special importance to me. Why ? Its simple : I moved from college life into the so called "Corporate" life (or atleast i am supposed to believe so). The transition, obviously, hasn't been without some minor hiccups. But, nevertheless its been a huge learning experience.
Secondly, I just felt like blogging again .
and thirdly, yeah you guessed it right, I couldn't just say NO to all those requests and mails from fellow friends(read fans) to re-enter the Blog-Oh-Sphere !
Guess all of you are eager to read my blog as much as i want to write them ...
So fasten your seat-belts and let the blogs take over !
Cheers !
PS: For people who wish to get a peek into my previous blog, here's the link : www.idlivadesambar.blogspot.com
Firstly, its been more than 1.5 years since i blogged and these 1.5 years, especially the last 6-8 months bear special importance to me. Why ? Its simple : I moved from college life into the so called "Corporate" life (or atleast i am supposed to believe so). The transition, obviously, hasn't been without some minor hiccups. But, nevertheless its been a huge learning experience.
Secondly, I just felt like blogging again .
and thirdly, yeah you guessed it right, I couldn't just say NO to all those requests and mails from fellow friends(read fans) to re-enter the Blog-Oh-Sphere !
Guess all of you are eager to read my blog as much as i want to write them ...
So fasten your seat-belts and let the blogs take over !
Cheers !
PS: For people who wish to get a peek into my previous blog, here's the link : www.idlivadesambar.blogspot.com
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