Pencil Thoughts

My 1st volunteer work overseas

2010-06-05T11:56:00.003+10:00

Hi Everyone,

Life in Sydney has been buzzing for me. My MBA classes, casual job, internship at a telecom management firm has always kept me on toes. But as if that wasn't enough to squeeze every hour of my day, I took up a volunteer work for a cause I believe can't be stressed enough in a country like Australia. Callan Park Mental Health Festival is being celebrated on 25th September 2010 by honouring mental health consumers, their carers, family, friends and the community that supports them. With around 35% of population estimated to be affected with mental health related problems, the statistics speak for themselves.

I started out when the festival's team was being formed. I joined as a marketing intern by the end of February, concentrating specially on social-space marketing of the festival. Last month, I got promoted as the Director for Social Media Marketing, which pushed my responsibilities up further.

Just a couple of days ago, the Callan Park website put up my short blog on its Chatter Box. Do have a look, not just what I have written, but also at other parts of the website. If you are in Australia, Sydney in particular, please support the festival by being a part of it. If you are overseas, you can still be a part of the festival, as we are going to have a live webcast on the Festival day. So tag your calendars for 25th September.

More experiences await..

Cheers!
Mihir

Click here for my mini-blog on Callan Park Website
Click here for Callan Park Festival website

"Fear the Boom and the Bust" - a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Anthem

2010-05-06T10:42:00.006+10:00

Makes a good light-hearted watch for economics enthusiasts and professionals alike!! Smart and well made! (Courtsey: econstories.tv)

Our lecturer started with the first lecture of Macroeconomics with this video!

"What's a 'border'?"

2010-03-05T16:00:00.000+11:00

A friendly chat between my friend and her Aussie mate brought up a blatant truth that this side of the world is incognizant of. Blissfully so!

This conversation was conveyed to me via telephone. The chat was light-hearted, touching upon Indian cuisine, places of interest in India, the more recent hyped 'attacks on Indians' in Oz, et al. Her Aussie mate asked, "In India, you must be living so dangerously with firing taking place every day, bomb explosions and stuff (whatever 'stuff' means). How do you manage?" To which my friend replied, "Oh! Don't worry. I don't live in the border area. It happens there on everyday basis." Confused, the Aussie mate asked, "What's a border?"

This last question hit me in the eye. I first thought he must be kidding. But on second thought, I realized it was a grave, stark naked question! How are you supposed to explain to an Aussie what a border is? Just a territorial line for delineating enforcement of a State's rule? Could fit a textbook definition, a raison d'etre; but is it all that is attached to real-life meaning of border? What about a multitude of issues, humanitarian distress, conflicts, deaths, diplomacy, tears & hopelessness that is associated with 'border'. As Indians, we can easily relate to this term, albeit in a small measure because almost all of you reading this blog would be from a region far from the border. Still, some amount of appreciation would be expected.

But how do you explain this to a citizen of a continent-nation not sharing border with any other nation? Covered by ocean on all sides, for Australia, borders are nothing more than checkpoints for smuggling, illegal migrants & quarantining goods. How diametrically different from the concept of a border we have! Australia would never come to terms with a hard reality of 'border'. And I pray it never does...

Sena still bowls dead-balls!

2010-02-20T12:19:00.012+11:00

Yes, I am speaking about Shiv Sena, a right-wing militant organization based in Mumbai who has recently lost it all! Having no new political agenda at the moment, it is either clinging to the issues that date back decades ago or otherwise making issues out of non-issues. As a sportsman, I felt disgusted when Shiv Sena 'roared' that it wont allow Aussie cricket team to play in Mumbai. But anyway, it didn't come as a surprise from a party traditionally playing cricket-politics! Well, the point is, you all have heard enough about it and had heated discussions about it as well. Through this blog, I want to drive a point home to the Shiv Sena. Well, actually not me, but Lisa Sthalekar.

Confused??? Who is this Lisa Sthalekar?? I am sure you never heard about her! She is a Marathi for starters. Don't reach for Google yet, she will speak for herself... And yes, Sena, read it if you have still got some sensibilities! See, you have two so-called agendas: one, the Marathi cause and two, the cricket politics. But what would yo u do if both your agendas combine and stand against your face as one? What would you do if a Marathi person becomes a stalwart in Australian cricket circuit? This is the new face of Australian cricket that you are up against, and ignorant about! This is the Marathi-manoos for you, the one you don't stand up for!

Lisa Sthalekar (born 13 August 1979, Pune, Maharashtra, India) is an all round cricketer who plays for the Australian national women's team, as well as the New South Wales women's cricket team.An integral part of the team, Sthalekar is noted for both her batting and bowling (right arm off break) capabilities. She scored her maiden Test century against England in 2003, and has a Test bowling average of less than 20.

She currently serves as vice-captain for her country, and in the 2006-07 season she guided the New South Wales Breakers to their ninth Women's National Cricket League title in 11 years, scoring 83 in the final.In both 2007 and 2008 she was named the Australian International Woman Cricketer of the Year at the Allan Border Medal awards, Australia's annual cricket awards ceremony.

She became the first player with 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Women's ODI.

Lisa had spent just three weeks in India before her family moved to Australia, where her father introduced her to the game, when she showed promise as a backyard cricketer.

"I first picked up the bat at the age of six or seven in the backyard with my father," she said. "Throughout my career, my family supported and encouraged me to follow my dreams."

"The smell of the sun, the grass and sunscreen again has got me excited," she told the newspaper. "In Sydney, everyone goes, 'the smell of sunscreen is like you're going to the beach', but for me it's the cricket ground."

Sthalekar, who works full time for Cricket New South Wales as high performance coach, also has an arts degree majoring in psychology.

More links on Lisa: http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2010/02/15/2819651.htm
http://www.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/53461.html
http://guyanafriends.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/541601562/m/86610003931?r=30610513441#30610513441

A new art learnt!

2010-01-06T00:22:00.005+11:00

What could be a better way to wave goodbye to a passing year than to take lessons in art in its twilight hours? The year 2009 ended for me with a 'hands-on' Mood Indigo '09 during 21st to 24th December 2009! Mood Indigo is IIT Bombay's annual cultural festival, attracting thousands of students from all over India and Asia. This time, I could experience a bit of dullness in the festivities, but nonetheless, I had a good amount of take-aways!!

The spotlight of the festival for me was 'Garnish- The Fruit Carving Workshop'. With about a 30-odd students attending it, it started with distribution of a watermellon and a knife-blade. I was all pumped-up because the fruit-carvings were displayed right in front of us, and with the equipment in place now, it was time for some serious carving. We started step-by-step following the instructions. First I peeled off half of the oval watermelon, so that I could have one face of the watermelon to work on. Then, it was time to make an initial design at the centre of the face with the blade. With a floral design in place, I carved out the portion between the petals by initially etching out a circle linking the tips of the petals, and then fine-tuning the cuts so as to extract the portion between the required design. So now, I had a flower at the centre. The next step was to etch out more petals by starting at the tip of any one petal and continuing into the circumference of the next outer circle. Following the same steps, I made three outer petal rounds. Then, in order to make it look more attractive, the petals had to be sliced a bit from inside, so that just a green border of petals was visible with the red colour of watermelon forming the inside of the petal. This had to be done on all petals. Finally after some 2 hours of art-attack, the carved watermelon looked like this. (see photo)

A sense of satisfaction made the rest of my evening, after taking the art-work home, saving it from the pushes and squeezes of the maddening crowd in a BEST bus!

12 Days of Christmas by Boymongoose

2009-12-08T10:10:00.006+11:00

This is a very funny song-spoof of the Christmas carol: '12 days of Christmas' by Boymongoose. Boymongoose is an Indian Christmas popstar who specializes in comedic remakes of all the classic Christmas Carols (www.boymongoose.com). This spoof hits at 'desis' and would send you into peals of laughter; more soever if you are an NRI and living in Australia. So, enjoy while it lasts, mate!!

(For more information on the true meaning of '12 days of Christmas', click here)

Laxmi Pujan in Sydney

2009-10-21T19:08:00.005+11:00

Diwali festival has always been one of the most celebrated festivals at home. And since every day in Diwali has a special meaning and occassion attached, the festivities and ways of celebration are diverse. Not to mention the relish of traditional Diwali sweets and savouries!!

Down Under, Diwali is celebrated in Indian-dominated pockets, like Parramatta in New South Wales. Diwali shows are arranged and celebrated with colours of music and food. Unfortunately, this year Diwali was at a time when exams are just round the corner. So, going to Parramatta (net travelling of 50-60 mins from Sydney CBD) was out of question for me. Nevertheless, tradition had to be upheld and celebrated, so I planned a modest Diwali at home.

The night before, I made 'diyas' (lamps) out of the flour I had at home, and made some cotton wicks. By next evening, at the time of Laxmi Pujan, they had dried and hardnened and were fit for purpose. I performed Ganesh Puja first and then proceeded with Laxmi Pujan.

This was quite a make-shift affair. My mom had sent me a picture of Goddess Laxmi as an email attachment, which now was the wallpaper on my laptop. This was used for pictorial representation for the Puja. The home-made diyas furnished the sides of the laptop and the touch-pad acted as a place for placing some dollar bills (since Laxmi is Goddess of Wealth in Hindu mythology and wealth is worshipped on this day).

I felt strange as well as happy performing a Puja like this, but then, thats how you achieve maximization through minimum resources. I felt glad I achieved it in my own small measure!

The Caramelized World

2009-10-17T17:07:00.006+11:00

Sweet words, sugar coated,
Rightly and politically crafted
Deep down lingers the smell
Of the caramelized world.

The confluence of politics and business
Flows across the oceans deep
Enhancing the sweet salinity
Of the caramelized world.

Cold wars, increasing days afresh
Greys gaining over blacks and whites
The freezing, frosted numbness
Of the caramelized world.

A helping hand and selfless love,
Harsh words filled with concern
Soothing the daily burns
Of the caramelized world.

Picture this mate: Parking sense!!

2009-10-11T18:56:00.002+11:00

Now, that's some parking sense! Optimization of parking space...

Picture this, mate!: What's gonna end?

2009-09-19T15:35:00.004+10:00

Is it the end of the bicycle track as well as the people walking? Sounds like a no man's land!

Picture this, mate!: Road signs!?

2009-09-04T02:31:00.006+10:00

I am starting a new photo blog series titled "Picture this, mate!" on my blog which essentially is a collection of interesting pictures I have clicked in Australia. So here goes the 1st one out to you:

How would you read this?
a) AHEAD HUMP
b) HUMP AHEAD

Howzzat!

2009-08-31T18:16:00.003+10:00

The word is inescapable, if you are watching a cricket match. Me and my roomies were watching the Ashes series live on TV and suddenly an uproar from the almost calm fielding side broke through the air... "HOWZZAT!!!"

Its a word of appeal thats synonymous with the cricket world. The word that brings the game and the spectators to a brief, anxious halt! And when it is a nail-biting scenario, the word kicks up emotions more than just anxiety. But observing the word from a linguistic focus, it seems incomprehensible to word-intensive person like me. The word "HOWZZAT', actually a shorter form of "How's that?" would in a worldly sense of proper usage would invite replies like "that's good", "awesome", "hmm..not bad", "good work", etc. But instead, umpires don't waste their energy replying to such appeals asking for praise!! They just raise their finger or just nod the head sideways.

Moreover, just imagine a scenario where someone comes to you and asks you "How's that?".. And you turn in some other direction, raise both your hands and point finger to sketch a picture of a square in the air. Doesn't it look funny? But thats what umpires do on the field to refer to the third umpire!

I can't imagine what would happen to me if I was made to stand behind the stumps and judge the game! I would probably reply, "Oh! That's a great piece of bowling" to an LBW appeal. I can't imagine the brickbats from a team of 11 on the field!

That was just a passing thought then, but I later tried to google the origin of the phrase/word "Howzzat" in cricket, but I couldn't find any references. Maybe any of you cricket devotees could help me out. Just for etymological curiosity!

Oz 'racial' attacks: A Low-down

2009-06-23T18:40:00.000+10:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7V0999j08g

Okay.. so you 'heard' and 'read' much about the 'racist' attacks against Indians in Australia! And obviously, since we Indians have inherited the passion for protests and demonstrations, there had to be a protest planned against these attacks! Protests did take place, unfortunately somewhat Indian way, exhibiting much of rowdiness, indiscipline and loud slogans! Let me make couple of points here.

I saw the clip of the protests of Indian students in Melbourne (the video link featured above) and I was ashamed by the way they were protesting. They crowded on the streets marching away, raising loud, angry slogans, whistling and displaying indiscipline of protest - very much the way they behave in India! For the average Australian, who sort of sympathized with Indian students due to the attacks, this type of 'mob-like' protest was not at all welcome. A sort of bitterness could be seen a few days after these protests. Australians made it blatantly clear that such kind of anger-display wasn't at all appreciated in a country where civic discipline and peace is respected and upheld. I gathered this from my network of people who have been in Australia with their families and working here for many years now. Their Australian colleagues used to ask them whats wrong with the Indian students? Why are they behaving like this? It was very obvious that such actions from Indians like taking to the streets in hundreds, disturbing the civic life and peace, created unpleasantness amongst the locals; even Indian-Australians. But Indian students were far from respecting the culture of the land and were further edged on by the amplification provided by the Indian media, ever hungry to make a mountain of a molehill... Display of uncalled patriotic jingoism like shouting slogans of "Bharat mata ki jai" did nothing but further alienate themselves from the masses. How would you feel if a bunch of Aussies took to the streets in India shouting patriotic slogans about Australia? And if foreigners stay in your country and show the infamous middle finger to your police force as they did during the protest, in front of the Australian media? (see the YouTube clip). It certainly ends in a bad feeling! Now if this happens to further alienate Indians from mainstream Australian culture, who is to be blamed to cause racism? Predictably so, Indian media never highlighted 'how' the protests were carried out!

Let's now come to the point of 'racism' by Australians. I fail to get how can Australia be called racist when there is no such thing as Australian race! Indian can be a nationality as well as a race, but Australian is a nationality. The 'original' Aussies were the aborigines, who themselves were a victim of the European racism. The people we see in Australia have ancestral or parental linkage to different countries in the world - Indian, Chinese, Greek, Vietnamese, Croatian, Lebanese and many others. Hence Australia becomes a nation of heterogeneous races... so which of these would you call the Australian race? The attacks which took place in Harris Park, near Sydney were a result of a feud between Punjabis and Lebanese population there. So if a Lebanese bashes up an Indian, still do we call it racism?

If you say yes to this, what would you say about India then? India is much more racist than Australia is! Temples are still dominated by Brahmin lobby which doesn't allow any other caste to enter their domain. There are bitter quarrels between communities, linguistic groups, states. If a Gujarati is mugged and bashed up on a lonely street of Mumbai, would the newspapers publish the next day that Mumbai is racist?

Now here's a final thought to the series of events that unfolded. Build up on these cues and it is rational enough to view these attacks without being carried away by irrationalities of mass sentiments. Indian students in Australia have a lifestyle that consists of leaving for work or university in the morning and usually returning back home early or late at night, usually in public transport or walking. Since most of them are not rich enough to afford property rents around the city hubs, students prefer to live in suburbs (some of them notorious) where property rates are low and hence they afford rents by sharing with other students. Mostly these suburbs are lonely after evenings and people in Australia don't usually come late from work. The people who can be seen on these streets are mostly Indian students walking back to their homes. In these circumstances, it is but natural that most of the victims of mugging and bashing would be none other than Indian students!

Also it is interesting to note why only 'Indian students' and not 'Indians' were at the receiving end of the attacks which happened. If Australians are racist, believing the media propaganda, then Indians in general should have been the victims, which is not so! That leaves a question unanswered, right? And no one seems to ask that question!

No cOZ for fear!

2009-05-31T18:25:00.006+10:00

Hi Friends,

That is the news report in today's Pune Mirror, voicing out students' reactions who are in Sydney to the recent Aussie attacks. I had given a small email interview to this journalist and the report has finally made it to the print.

Just posting the link here. Please do put your comments so that we could make good use of this webspace for sharing viewpoints!

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=PMIR&showST=true&Enter=true&Skin=MIRRORNEW&GZ=T&AW=1243756423765

(Go to page 2: See inlay image for reference)

Cheers mate! No worries,
-Mihir

Does your vote really count?

2009-05-04T14:30:00.000+10:00

41.24!!! That was the voter turnout in Mumbai for the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections. Shocking? Not really... What more can you expect when elections are mostly scheduled around a 4-day long weekend and soaring mercury? This has been a consistent trend, because it naturally and almost delusively keeps away the middle-class and the upper-middle class from the polling booths. I mean that tactic is just so obvious not to be noticed!

So we heard a lot of 'election-jargon' like 'anti-incumbency factor' and what not! Organizations undertook campaigns on a massive scale, creating 'more aware' voters (I take it with a pinch of salt!) and emphasizing the masses to 'jaago' (awaken) and vote! Though, this piece of writing would somehow hurt the sentiments of these campaigners, let me assure, this is not against the campaigns which are certainly run with a very good motive.

The question I am contemplating is whether the vote of the commons really makes any difference to the polls? Do we blindly follow the adage 'Your Vote Counts?' Ever wondered why 'anti-incumbency factor' fails to do anything else than embellish the statements of psephologists? And if I may go a step ahead and raise your eyebrow saying that it hardly matters whether you vote or not, would you call me a non-conformist?

Maybe to a great extent I am, but then again, I am proud of being one! But this topic is not about the helplessness experienced due to dirty politics and vote banks! The core of this blog concentrates on the rationality of a logical theory which underlines why voting of a common man doesn't count... Why majority doesn't play a decisive game as does minority!

The reason I say what I say can be made clear by taking a fictitious, yet trend-proven example of an election scenario. We know that there are countless parties in India, each 'following' its agenda. These numerous parties float their candidates which fill up a long page of the ballot paper. Suppose now that in a certain constituency, there are 20 candidates contesting elections. Take for example a population of 20000 of that constituency. Now, without deliberating on their patterns of voting, let’s simply assume for instance that each candidate gets equal number of votes, i.e. 1000 votes each. Or otherwise, if you want to assume a distribution of your choice, say, 1300, 700, 500, 1500, 300, 1400... etc. This is the voice of the 'common man', i.e., a majority of you reading this blog. Is it giving out any verdict? Certainly that would be wishful thinking!! Now let’s introduce a 'specific interest group' into this scene. This group maybe a business group, a social group or any group you can think of as long as it has a specific purpose for its formation and existence. Now for the time being, lets assume it is a group of local businesses in that area who need to acquire government lands in that constituency. Now, this group is searching for candidates who can fulfill their demands and in turn, candidates are always looking for such 'interest groups' who could leverage their count. Suppose out of a population of 20000, 1500 are aligned to this group, then it is anybody's guess that the candidate who assures the maximum benefits gets these 1500 votes... Now add these votes to our equiprobable vote count of 1000 per candidate. It becomes 2500 votes for that candidate. Compare 2500 with vote counts like 300, 700, 1000, 1200, 1500 or even 1700 (assume 1700 is the vote count of the most deserving candidate getting most votes by people). Still the margin is very high, and imagine if amplification factor is applied to this example, the margin amplifies more and more.

So at the end of it all, whose vote matters? Your vote (as you have been always told) as an individual? Or your vote ....... as a part of an interest group? The answer is obvious and not surprising at all. Hence, even if you religiously believe that your vote would help to elect the best candidate and bring in reforms, you certainly are in Utopia, because even if you go into a denial mode, the hard facts remain! And could be proved over and over again!

So what do I suggest? Well, the idea to contemplate is how you can make that difference and how your vote would 'really' count! There are various ways I believe this could be done, although I am not an authority to evaluate these options. What I believe is that to begin with, we need to streamline our efforts. I recommend we can start with being a part of an 'interest group'. This need not be always vested interests; sorry if the example cited offers you that bias. But then if you see in western countries, like-minded people follow a cause, however trivial it is and become one when it comes to electing the person who delivers what they stood for!

Even in countries where only 2 parties exist, this is observed. And moreover, when it comes to a multi-party setup as in India, this becomes a necessary step. Uniting votes and streamlining them for reforms is the issue at hand and maybe would pave a way ahead to make your vote 'count' and not just another increment in a vote count!

A tale of two cities

2009-04-20T23:39:00.002+10:00

Having been Down Under for more than 2 months now, I can say I have experienced Sydney at least to a level where I can write about it. I avoid writing first impressions of the city, because they may not be always stay that way over a period of time.

Nevertheless, my first impression of Sydney was that of a city 'complicated and laid back' at the same time. I arrived at my temporary accommodation in Sydney in a shiny black taxi, the address being fed initially by the driver in the GPS navigator. Cabbies here have to be told the exact address at the beginning of the journey, complete with the house number and name! The navigator calculates the optimum path to your destination and the cabbie follows it.

Being used to a stochastic life, back home in Mumbai; the city that never sleeps, closing down of shops by 7 pm was quite queer. Everything followed a specific system, even in places where there is no such need. My initial days were spent adjusting to the new lifestyle, the city had to offer. I had nothing to do in the initial few days, except searching for a permanent accommodation. Google maps were the only source of moving around the city, since I didn't have a GPS navigator. There's no relying on the local residents of the area for the address, because people hardly have any know-how about the area other than important places, although street names are clearly visible everywhere.

Over a period of time, one thing has struck me that Sydney (or Australia) is overly reliant on systems. It may be true with all 1st world countries, but it definitely plays down human efforts or mind. People are used to follow only a set system and being guided for smallest instruction by it. Any change to that is not easily comprehensible by the person using that system. Even in the service sector, systems are followed which leaves very little scope for a challenging thinking or decision making on the part of the person delivering the service. In the event of system failure, I believe the functioning of the city would be drastically affected. The city lives by the dictum: 'We are for the system. The system is not for us'.

Things diametrically change in Mumbai which follows: 'The system is for us. We are not for the system'. The systems in Mumbai are not a set of rigid processes, but are more or less interpretative processes, which encourages lateral thinking and snap judgments. That is why, even if systems are not state-of-the-art in Mumbai, people 'know' how to react to divergence from normal behaviour of the systems.

At the end, life is smooth, with 'risk-averse' behaviour prominently seen amongst almost all citizens. People prefer to be guided by safe systems with little appetite for risk.

More thoughts to follow...

The Blogger Returns

2009-04-13T20:45:00.000+10:00

Yes, I know its quite some time since I have posted anything up here. "Some time" could be an understatement, but nevertheless, I am making a re-entry into this web space.

Time flies and so do distances. I have been subjected to a new life and environment here in Sydney, away from home. Blogging was lost somewhere amidst this new beginning. Friends asked what happened, and I just used to tell them.. "yes, soon I will blog".

But now, I think enough is enough; I shouldn't act that busy and get to what I love the most: write, write and write...
Expect some new stuff on this blog, new experiences in new city, new people, family away from family and some reflections!
See you guys soon.. Thanks for sticking to this space!

Musings by the sea

2008-12-15T20:07:00.000+11:00

An evening spent with 2 of my closest friends on the Marine Drive is enough to take away life's worries away for at least the moment. The sun setting behind the cloudy horizon casts a magic spell all over the place. The calm sea ahead of you and the bustling city of Mumbai behind you makes you smile an irony. Moments are cherished; photographs embellish them. Sitting on the facade of the rocks on the sea-face, sometimes words are lost. All of a sudden, there is nothing to speak about, but everything to experience. Even the fallen breeze makes you fresh and lively! That's nature! And that's us; an integral part of it; of the sea, of the tides, of the sun. A look at the horizon far away makes you feel a part of it. The horizon doesn't know how much more to tread on, where is the end, or for that matter, where should it begin... Illusion: thats what we live, and thats what is the horizon we see. But then if life is an illusion, we should enjoy every bit of it. Illusions can be conquered by human bonds, and that makes us special.

Chuckles of laughter stir the placid calmness and suddenly there is so much to say, so much to talk about. But the clock ticks away to glory; you can't bribe it... The twilight hour decks up the 'Queen's Necklace' as the place is called due to the literal resemblance. People throng to this captivating place to catch some much needed fresh air. Fresh air - a much sought after commodity in this concrete jungle. The worldly sense now takes over and wristwatches get a quick glance. Its time to return to our abodes and to life's frontiers.

What more can I ask on a Sunday evening?

Reply to an SMS

2008-12-04T04:27:00.000+11:00

The terrorists attacks of 26/11 certainly invited the anguish and wrath of people of Mumbai. SMSs were doing rounds ranging from kudos to the armed forces to blindly attacking Raj Thackeray and MNS. Many of you must have come across this SMS:

"Where is Raj Thackeray and his brave sena? Tell him that 200 NSG commandos from Delhi (No Marathi manoos! All south & North Indians!) have been sent to Mumbai to fight the terrorists so that he can sleep peacefully. Please forward this so that it finally reaches the coward bully!"

And today I want to answer that SMS. First of all, let me tell you, Raj Thackeray and MNS has made me proud as a Marathi. I really don't expect this piece of news to be followed up by Hindi media channels because we are well aware of the convenient sidelining of issues by these biased channels. They have their own 'politics' of hiding the truth conveniently for their own vested interests. Nevertheless, for those who appreciated the message and also went ahead and pressed the forward button on their cell phones, this is what MNS was upto when news of the attack came in:

When he first heard of the attacks, Arvind Gawde, MNS ward president from South Mumbai and MNS workers pressed into action immediately. Their first priority was to arrange for blood. They contributed more than 1500 bottles for the injured. They made food arrangements for the cops and the NSG commandos, and distributed more than 2000 Bisleri bottles. They arranged for free medicines for needy patients and also provided medicines which were not available at hospitals. More than 2000 workers were helping victims at GT, JJ and St. George hospitals. Vaibhav Shinde, President of Students' Wing of MNS arranged 10 ambulances to take injured to hospitals. They also took 90 victims on their own to the hospitals.

The welcoming thing to appreciate is that Raj Thackeray didn't behave like any other politician. Even if he wasn't in any authoritative position unlike those in power, his party was not politicizing the issue but got down straight to be a part of the helping hand. And I sincerely feel that should be appreciated. Please rise above the petty politics played by the delusive media and look beyond. Infact Maharashtra CM should have been asked this question who had the entire state machinery at his disposal. Kudos to the MNS workers who were working behind the scenes, not caring for any sort of political brownies. Did Narendra Modi do anything fruitful for the Mumbaikars at that tragic moment? A press appearance is all that he gave us, and no one questions him what did you do than just expressing solidarity? But the name Raj Thackeray makes all guns to be diverted to him and pull the trigger without thought. Aren't we unconsciously biased? Do you want to be happy, being puppets in the hand of the media?

The second part of the SMS talks about NSG commandos (no Marathi manoos! All South and North Indians) being sent to Mumbai. Firstly the Mumbai police, essentially a Marathi force, did not just sit there waiting for someone else to take action. The very first heroes of the operations were none but 3 top Police officers from Mumbai, all Marathis. And NSG commandos also comprised of bravehearts like Rajendra Kore (a Marathi), who was injured in Nariman House operations.

Next time you make a statement like that, first get your facts together...

For those who need proof supporting what I just stated, do go through this picture. Its a report in "The Afternoon" dated 27th November 2008

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/761/1afternoon281008wm7.jpg

"In India, life is cheap"

2008-11-30T03:18:00.000+11:00

"In India, life is cheap."

Those were the words of a US citizen when asked about her reactions to the terrorist attack of 26/11. And I can't agree more. Being an Indian, I very well know that here, life has no pricetag. The events unfolding after 26/11 just go a step further in establishing this known fact. What have we lost? Nothing! What have we gained? Nothing. What remains is blood, anger and superficial bursts of patriotic euphoria... I was sceptical about writing this blog, but then I had to vent myself out. I know not many people are going to like this piece of thought. Criticize me, hate me; throw brickbats... but then this is what I feel about the entire situation...

You may think I am angry. But I am not. Am I shaken? Certainly. But the feeling that is coming out strong and clear in me today is that of being ashamed. I am ashamed of being an Indian today. By India, I mean to point out to the 'system' of which we all are a part. No, no fingers at politicians for heaven's sake. I know we Indians are very well trained and love to throw brickbats at our politicians, but something more larger is accountable than just politicians. So am I being a non-patriot? Think as you like, but thats certainly not the case. When your sibling does something that makes you hang your head in shame, does that mean you don't love him/her anymore? Then can't we digest the fact that being ashamed of one's nation is equally natural? More soever, over an incidence that exposes your incapabilities and lack of will in front of the whole world?

SHAMED

10 terrorists. Over 400 NSG commandos. 60+ hours of operations. 3 locations. 100s of army personnel. This equation would certainly make any crisis management team, red-faced. Around 10:45 pm on 26th November, the police had an inkling of what they were up against. With very little information about the whole scenario, the police initiated an action. The Mumbai police stepped in quickly and tried to initiate primary operations. That was very commendable and Mumbai police truly lived to their expectations. Sadly, with the loss of 3 top brass officers, the operation hit a major hurdle. Karkare, Salaskar & Kamte suffered multiple bullet injuries and died. An observation that has come up now, in one of the dailies is that the bullet-proof jackets worn by these bravehearts bore marks of bullets passing through the protective covering! Is that what we give our saviours to wear when they lead from the front without caring for their lives? When they don't think twice about sacrificing their lives for the nation, is it not our duty to protect them in any way we can? Compromising on quality of bullet-proof jackets can happen only in India, I am sure! This is also a good indicator of how our priorities on defence spending are grossly misdirected. We spend millions on producing indigenous missiles and long range nukes. But when it comes to a soldier on the ground, we cant even give him a proper state-of-the-art equipment to deal with the enemy face to face? Do our missiles deal with terrorists holed up in cities? Are we not aware of changing nature of conflicts and defence situations that we would be confronting in the future? As I said, life is cheap... jackets are costlier!

The decision to call in NSG commandos came in quickly, but the time span between decision and action seemed like light years. I was again reminded of the Indian Airlines hijacking at Kandahar. 9 hours for beginning a commando operation of highest priority is something to be ridiculed. What message do we give to the international community? Is that our face of commitment and will to fight terrorism? And when they finally came, I thought that it was now time for the terrorists to count their minutes. Minutes transformed to hours, hours to days. This wasn't looking to be quite a commando operation, considering the typical parameters of one. I wouldn't go in depth commenting on what was expected. But experts in this field would surely agree that the operation was ill-planned and lacked proper logistics. It certainly wasn't one of the commendable operations as per international experiences and standards of operations was considered. Clearly, some major shortcomings on the commando action is clearly pointed out. When NSG commandos are used to provide security to top-brass politicians, I better not comment on the quality compromise that stares us in the face. Another very disturbing piece of news that came up was that our commandos didn't have the basic floor plan of the hotels! Now thats something that is really not expected of intelligence inputs and logistics team. And don't we feel ashamed when the international media takes note of this? Was it really that difficult for this input not to reach the daredevils on ground zero? Again, I have no words. On one hand we speak of making Mumbai another Shanghai, and on the other, thats the crude system of information we have in place as of now! Making a mega city dwells much further than just building state-of-the-art highrises and flyovers. And logistics is a subject we fail repeatedly.

RESILIENCE

Even in the midst of operations, the resilience of Mumbaikars and the undying spirit of Mumbai was in newsroom discussions. Politicians too followed upon the same recurring statement which comes after every crisis Mumbai undergoes. The fact is that this has gone too far. We feel proud when someone flatters us about this 'resilience', whereas in reality this has become a popular way of dealing with people of Mumbai. Praise them, sugar-coat your words in tried and tested tastes of bravado and valiance.. and Mumbaikars feel proud and sky-high. Its high time we know how much we are taken for granted by the use of these words.

Ok, forget everything. Lets apply our mind into this word 'resilience' which is used over and over again. In fact, we should realize that not being resilient is a luxury for us. We do not bounce back because we unitedly decide to, but because, we 'have to'. We can't afford staying back in our homes after any calamity. The city has an incredible appetite, and if you dont work or carry out your tasks so as to satiate this ever-growing hunger, you yourself would be eaten. That is why, even if you want to stay at home, you are 'forced' to come out and start your day's work. The bottomline is: "You don't have a choice".

If that is what we call resilience, we are grossly mistaken. And the 'spirit of Mumbai' that is talked about is nothing but smilingly accepting this mistaken phenomenon. And that makes Mumbai special, because the city doesn't allow you to sit down and think!

POLITICIANS

As always, politicians are quick to respond to any situation; apart from the fact that the response is misdirected and rarely of any valuable help. And politicians certainly lived up to their 'expectations'. Our honourable PM and Sonia Gandhi made a quick dash to Mumbai a day after the operations started. And it was anyone's guess what a great deal of support they were going to provide. In fact the situation in the city was that policemen had already been deployed in large numbers since the whole city was a war zone. Now, a VIP coming to the city requires another large deployment for the security arrangements to cater to him. That certainly put an additional pressure on the police presence in the city. But then who cares? What difference does it make to us when politicians come to the city? Nothing! But then, do they spend a small thought for the policemen who bear the brunt of this indifference?

Narendra Modi made his presence felt. Supposedly he came to stand up and be one with the people of Mumbai in this hour of crisis. But what he did was nothing but to criticize the PM's speech and immaturely announce 1 crore to the families of the martyrs. Only he can talk business when the city is grappling with bullets.

ANGER & FRUSTRATION

Anger! Thats an integral part of us all. In this situation, we too were angry and frustrated. Our blood was boiling. We don't know what we were angry for.. Do we ever think about that? People get killed, so you are angry! They bomb our city so you are angry! They killed our soldiers, so you are angry! Ok, so be it. Our helplessness manifested into anger and frustration. But then what do we do when we are angry? NOTHING. We just wait till the anger cools down! Meanwhile, we can do what we do best when we are angry - lash out against Pakistan. Its a classic example of misdirected anger. We need to realize that Pakistan is equally helpless when it comes to crushing terrorism. As a state, Pakistan is in a bad shape today, almost on the verge of going bankrupt. Both Pakistan and India are victims of terrorism - and they have failed badly tackling it. Not that India has been very successful, but then the blame game is easy and rides on the rival sentiments of the people. And when we vent out anger against Pakistan, we are quite off the track. Even if its quite popular in India, that doesn't justify it in any way. One of my friends had put his display quote on Orkut: Kill all Pakis. That grossly demonstrates the traditional anger target. As Premshankar Jha pointed out in a TV discussion, "Anger in a civilized society is a luxury, unless channelized properly".

There could be another reason for anger. This reason could be a subconscious one and you may or may not accept it. Is it so that we are angry because somewhere in us we know that the terrorists achieved their objective - terrorizing people? We killed the terrorists, but we didn't defeat terrorism. We won the fight, but lost the battle. Today I am shaken. I am scared. Scared that me and my family are not safe anymore in this country. Whether indoors or outdoors, the fear factor prevails and thats what the objective of terrorists was. And I believe they successfully completed the mission.

Another thing I would like to point out. Do not take it in a wrong sense. But I need to appreciate what is well done. I sincerely believe that the terrorists should be appreciated because they finished the task at hand with determination and with professional skills. 10 terrorists fighting against 400+ NSG commandos, the most elite of India's military force; for 3 days is a praiseworthy achievement. I hope we take a lesson from them that dedication to one's task should not be compromised.

MARTYRS

Finally after 3 days of gunfire, its the time for counting. The brave sons of India who died fighting, got a tearful goodbye, with a promise that we will remember you always. A promise that is never kept. The euphoria and the mass reaction certainly are encouraging, but it dies out soon. In no more than 6 months, Karkare, Kamte, Salaskar, Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Gajendra Singh would be forgotten. And I am not saying this; our history stands as a testimonial. The valour of our martyrs soak in the wetness of our euphoric patriotism and dries out soon as the sun of getting back to life shines brightly and warmly. How many of us truly will remember them? You think you will? Ok, take this simple test..

Tell me, who won the 'Indian Idol 1' competition? The name 'Abhijeet Sawant' would come to your mind instantly. If not instantly, after racking your memory for a minute or two you would get the answer. In the worst case scenario, even if you don't know, ask your family members or the neighbours and you will certainly get this answer.

Now answer this: Who was the 1st martyr of the Kargil War? I know it wouldn't come to you instantly. Rack your brains, take an hour or two.. still no answer, right? Ask your family members or neighbours. Google '1st martyr of Kargil war', still you wouldn't get the answer. Thats because 'Lt. Saurabh Kalia' is a page lost in the history, almost a decade ago...

We remember 'Abhijeet Sawant' but not 'Lt. Saurabh Kalia'. Some of you may argue that its not his name but the sacrifice he made for the country that we remember. Fair enough. Now be honest to yourself and see whether you take Lt. Kalia's name in the same state of emotions and euphoria as you take Maj. Unnikrishnan's name... Certainly that wont be the case. Soon Maj. Unnikrishnan would be Lt. Kalia and the process will continue...

WHAT REMAINS

What remains is a shaken nation that would soon stabilize, even in the face of inaction. Lessons won't be learnt just as they have never been in the past because questions will go unanswered. A few measures here and there would be initiated and with no one to follow up and due to lack of political will and determination, it would go down the drain or some middle-man would reap its monetary benefits. Strong condemning would follow, eminent people would be showcased on newsroom talkshows, security would be momentarily tightened up, people would be vigilant till 26/11 is forgotten... What it takes to stir up the nation is only an attack of this magnitude, and till lessons are not learnt, we are going to face these attacks more frequently. Taking note of 9/11 for the US, there hasn't been a single terrorist incident after that, whereas in India, a bombing here and there is a routine practice. If a country like US, a country so vast in geography can keep a check on these activities, why can't we?

The bottomline is that your nation is not going to provide for your safety. A day may come when we have to burn candles every week; worse every day. Its every man for himself and that leaves us divided in the end. And still we will say, "I am proud to be an Indian".

Irresponsible hypocrites

2008-10-28T03:45:00.000+11:00

I am breaking my silence on this blog after many months, and today I think I need to stand up and speak. Not only because I can, but because I should.

If there's anything that Indians should be most ashamed of, then I feel it should be the Indian news channels. I have never seen anyone so hypocritical and spineless as these news channels. If Raj Thackeray is to be blamed for being an extremist when it comes to the issue of anti-Bihari propaganda, news channels are lending a helping hand by instigating one state against another. And today, the Mumbai Police was made the scape goat by this irresponsible media.

This goes to all the media persons out there.

Do you think the Mumbai police is an irresponsible organization that is made up of people like you who can't even write proper subtitles for news. The police doesn't gun down people like Rahul Raj to gain a whole-day footage. They don't like to pull the trigger because they are trigger-happy, but because they are forced to. And you mud-slingers don't think even for a second to comment on a force because of whom you can comfortably sit in your offices and 'report' (pun intended!) national happenings. And you are no one to tell police how the situation needed to be handled. I don't think anyone of you cowards would be in a position to speak out a word on your cameras with someone threatening you with a gun. You better not tell the police when to pull the trigger. Bihar's CM Nitish Kumar talked 'expertise' when he said that the police could have shot Rahul in the leg. I sincerely believe that the police are rational enough to evaluate choices while facing a deranged youth with a threatening gun in his hand, having injured one of the passengers with a shot. Media persons highlighted the fact that this youth was saying that he had no enmity towards any passengers and that he didn't mean to hurt them. He was simply angry against Raj Thackeray. Imagine yourself in that scenario. Would you react to his actions or listen and evaluate options based on his statements? What if all your media houses' head honchos were in that bus and this youth would have threatened them? Would they have asked the police to exercise restraint and not to pull the trigger and instead engage in a conversation with him? When your life is endangered, the natural choice is to eliminate the threat.

And thats precisely the role the police was meant to play in that scenario and avoid further escalation of this situation. And you spineless jellyfish of Indian media blame the police anyways. You are blaming it now, and you would have blamed it later if it had exercised restraint. And meanwhile if Rahul Raj would have killed or injured any passenger, the driver or the conductor; you wouldn't search for 'carefully selected' words to spare the police. It would have still come naturally for you.

The bottomline is that you are forgetting your true role in the national context. You have been given freedom of speech and you don't think twice about using it even on those guardians of freedom. At the end of it, you have absolutely no right to point fingers, since you yourselves are directionless. If you can't be a part of the solution, we won't tolerate you being a part of the problem...

The Flagseller

2008-08-24T17:14:00.000+10:00

Wrinkled, lifelessly she stands,
holding a wailing child in her arms,
Bearing the brunt of sun & rain,
Unflagged, selling the paper flags.

The woman stares at me with lifeless eyes
An abyss of India's growth story,
Holding a bundle of Tricolours;
The Indian flag made in China.

I wonder if those three colours mean
Anything to the colourless woman.
As India soars high to touch the sky,
Her feeble child welters in her soiled clothes.

As India celebrates the Independence day,
Achieving milestones of glory & pride,
The bed of stones awaits this flagseller
Retreating to a slumber of dreamless future.

Love thy college!

2008-06-26T03:20:00.000+10:00

Recently, I happened to pick up a conversation with my best friend regarding our colleges. Having completed 4 years of engineering, this topic came up sometime before our farewell party. We were discussing our college days & how we enjoyed them in our own way. Then came the statement I have heard a thousand times before. In fact I was expecting it. "I just love my college", was the assertion. I laughed a little over the phone, the laughter sounding a little sarcastic. "Don't you love your college, Mihir?", she asked me. I replied in the negative.

The fact is, I can't relate 'love' to a 'commercial activity'. Love is something very pure & heartfelt. In my weirdest dreams I can't imagine love being related to 'college' - something which is a symbol of nothing but commercialization of education. I don't mean to say commercialization of any activity is bad; even education. But once the money factor comes into play, its just another buyer-seller relation. Introducing a factor so close to the heart as 'love' is just unthinkable on my part. Education is sold & we buy it as consumers. When you say "I love my college", are you really referring to the institutional aspect of college? You like your faculty, you like the infrastructure, your colleagues & friends - and that's what sums up into the word - 'college'. But for me, each of these things is a different entity altogether. I wouldn't equate faculty with college, because that's just not the fact. Faculty includes teachers who are individuals in themselves. That's not what a college is. A college is not even the structure of bricks and cement. A college is, plainly speaking, an institution managed by the administration. It includes policy, working for student welfare, cultivating a bond between the student & the institution. And if you are among those who love their college with this definition at hand, you are one of the very lucky people!!

I wasn't that lucky. Graduating has been a great experience for me. I loved every aspect of it, just leave the isolated word 'college' aside...

The Lost Contact

2008-05-28T15:40:00.000+10:00

During one of my study breaks today, I got down to managing my mobile phone's phone book. I knew it stored a substantial number of 'contacts' who are never in contact. Nowadays, exchanging mobile numbers after being introduced to someone is almost like a customary "Nice meeting you". So I got down to deleting some of these 'not-so-contacted' contacts.

Suddenly I scrolled to a name & I felt uneasy. It was the contact number of the brother of my very good friend. Her brother had died in a motorcycle accident early this February. I hadn't met him personally, although I happened to speak with him a couple of times over the phone. Later, I had also taken his mobile number from my friend so that I could keep in touch with him. I don't remember I called him on his mobile phone more than once after that.

And today, my finger hesitated for a second before pressing the delete option in front of his name!

Horn not-OK Please

2008-05-24T00:30:00.000+10:00

No, I am not stirring up a No-Honk Day in the least. Thats not on my mind as of now. My mind is thinking about some new-found fundamentals about honking! Actually they may appear quite banal to you if you are from Bom..(oops!) - Mumbai (now..now..I am not in a mood for political fencing. I might give it a thought some time later).

Yup, so back to where it started. Not very long ago, when we were children, we were taught & we observed that honking was meant to alert other drivers on the street or the pedestrians apart from 'other' applications like honking to call someone from their homes. A couple of honks here and there meant casual calling - take your own time. A continuous stream of audio signals from the steering wheel meant a real urgent call, without any luxury of extra time. We grew up with these horns, until we got fed up with them and resorted to a loud, silent cursing on those audio-maniac people at the wheel. Little did we imagine that the show was just getting started!!!

Change has been a constant for everyone & has always been the 'in' thing & no wonder "horns" was one huge domain left to be explored. The fundamentals, the basics of honking soon were to be changed. And while I thank God that a majority are still sane about their "high decibel sound equipment", many of the mavericks have their own say (read 'shout').

HORN TYPE: Scaring the Shit!!!
DESCRIPTION: This type of horn, is not meant to alert or signal, but is meant to scare you in such a way as to give your steadfast heart a little run for its own beats.
CHARACTERISTICS: Short, terse & never fails to scare!

HORN TYPE: Rookie DJs
DESCRIPTION: Here's the one which will give you maximum returns on your ears' hearing investment. All you Metallica, Iron Maiden lovers - this one's a 'treat' right from the amplifier. And for all the budding rockers, rappers and DJs.... ride that sound wave!!
CHARACTERISTICS: Upbeat rhythm, high decibel music stream.

HORN TYPE: Ring tone freaks
DESCRIPTION: Specially introduced for those who are so attached to their mobile phone's ring tones, that its now music to their ears. They just want it all the time, even on the road. These horns specially are a hit with the bikers. For them in a list of biking 'must haves', these horns are on #1 spot. And these horns change faster than fashion.
CHARACTERISTICS: Could be confused with a reverse horn.

HORN TYPE: The Classics
DESCRIPTION: These are the ones which are labelled 'conventional'. They are staunch followers of the purpose for which they are meant to exist. Yes, noise levels are still a downside with these, but they still tread along their ancestral lineage.
CHARACTERISTICS: Predicted to be on the 'endangered' list in the coming decade. The prestigious 'Horn OK Please' title has been conferred on them by GAFT-India (Graffiti Artists For Trucks).

P.S.: Do let me know you own horn types with their description and characteristics. Lets 'hear' it for the horns!!!

On a Suicidal Note...

2008-05-06T12:30:00.000+10:00

The scrolling news bars on the news channels nowadays make interesting news. These news scrolls are terse & in most cases - out of context. A couple of days before, my eyes caught such a 'news on the move' on one of the regional channels. It said - Mobile phones for farmers would be made cheaper. Going by the face value, it turns out to be good news. Unwrap the words a little & it spells out a portent.

Farmers in Maharashtra (also read Vidarbha) are already crippling under the heavy financial debt. The 2008 budget promised to turn a new page on the farmers' plight by its announcements of loan waiver. And like all good consumer goodies, this too came with a 'conditions apply' tag tied to its tail. Land reforms which haven't taken place for quite some years now pose a major problem for the much-debated waiver. And for those farmers for whom the package was designed... I doubt (doubt is still an optimistic-sounding word) how much of the total waiver benefited them! The suicide numbers of farmers do not depend on the number of media coverages & there has been no substantial reduction on the suicide front.

So, coming back to this piece of news. Mobile phones cheaper for farmers. Wow! Get a nice handset at lower price, show them lucrative offers like a wolf wrapped in a sheep's cover. Hide the 'conditions apply' tag; after all the farmers can't figure it out themselves! Then, a new phenomena will hit the TV screens in a few months - farmers committing more suicides due to mobile phone bills than financial debt!

Mr. Chidambaram, did I hear you say a bill waiver?

Blood in Stones

2008-04-03T18:00:00.000+11:00

The child weeps in a shackled village,
Naked tears fall to the ground,
The cry unheard, not responded & growing frail
The red soil with corpses around.

They were here, the brutal murderers,
Of the war-torn country in the Dark Continent,
They know only guns, blood & diamonds
Making sure the bloody tears remain persistent.

Amputated men, raped women, maimed children
The axed limbs and the scarred mind
The conflict turning households into ghastly abaddon,
Its the diamonds the enslaved hands would find.

The nascent teenagers brandishing Kalashnikovs,
Homicides being their indoctrinated play
Mining the 'roughs' in the bloody river basins
The black-veined hands under the trigger lay.

Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Congo
Nebulae of man's unquenchable thirst for 'the stone'
Uncut they occur but through the country's fabric they cut,
The helpless child's tears harden into love's material epitome...

(In memory of the thousands of innocent people massacred & crippled by the civil wars in Africa during 1990s which gave rise to the infamous trade of 'Blood Diamonds')

The World According to Americans!!

2008-04-02T17:30:00.000+11:00

Click on the image to view the enlarged size

Colour Blind!

2008-03-23T06:50:00.000+11:00

How can I play with colours,

When Red reminds me of the genocides & the Naxalites?
When Green reminds me of the fundamentalists & the vanishing greens?
When Blue reminds me of the cruel porn industry & Dalit politics?
When Orange reminds me of the flames of power & the saffron mask?
When Yellow reminds me of the Taj Mahal & the endangered tiger?
When Black reminds me of 100 $ a barrel & the dry gunpowder?

How can I not play with colours,

When Red reminds me of unadulterated love?
When Green reminds me of hope & life?
When Blue reminds me of the boundless sky?
When Orange reminds me of the rising sun?
When Yellow reminds me of brightness & energy?
When Black reminds me of the carbon that transforms into a diamond?

How can I, how can I not?

The Sea Inside

2008-03-18T16:50:00.000+11:00

Movies - the man-made audio visual phenomena that enthralls, captures & motivates me. Just like books bring out the magic of the human mind & the creativity that goes in hand with its fertility; movies undoubtedly are instrumental in making a deeper impact on the audience. One such masterpiece among such beautiful works is a Spanish film 'Mar Adentro' (The Sea Inside). The 2005 Academy Awards & 2004 Golden Globe Awards winner for Best Foreign Film, this movie is certainly a treat for your heart & mind alike. Based on a real life story of Ramon Sampedro, a quadriplegic who became paralyzed after an unfortunate incident and struggled for 30 years to legally end his life with dignity, the movie deals with the myriad persona of a man requesting for his euthanasia. During his struggle to acquire legal right for euthanasia, he shares a beautiful relationship with two women - Julia and Rosa - whom he inspires.

Adjectives fall short for this movie - inspiring, thought-provoking, subtle, intricate, philosophical, emotional... the list continues. Writing a review for a movie of this calibre is certainly not my cup of tea. I feel like a pauper when it comes to words for this piece of work. I feel, putting down a review of this movie in words would be an injustice done on my part. The least I can do after seeing this movie is to tell more & more people about it & allow them to experience it for themselves.

Do visit this website for more on the movie: http://www.theseainside.com/

Equations & Inequalities

2008-03-14T16:00:00.000+11:00

This thought passed my mind last Sunday during my CAT classes. We were solving numericals in the module of 'equations & special equations'. We all have solved numerical equations during our academic years. Some problems are given straightforward; the equation stares you in the eye. Others require you to 'form' equations from given statements. Analyze it properly, get the proper equation & then... solving it is just a skill of the procedure and methodology adopted. And thats the easy part. If we ponder a little upon the essence of equations, we unanimously would deduce that every equation in the world revolves around that simple mathematical sign we call the 'equal to' (=) sign.

The sign is all-encompassing; the crux of every equation. And till both sides of this sign are balanced, we keep trying; solving... sometimes in few seconds. Sometimes with many minutes, hours put together before arriving at the answer. And then? What do we do when we finally get that final answer? Just look at the solution key and tally your answer... and rejoice or introspect where you went wrong. Thats what we do with all maths equations, isn't it?

Now lets divert a little away from the world of numbers & get to the world where we live in. Although it has very little to do with numbers, the fact remains that nevertheless, we still deal with equations. The equations of situations, equations of people around you, of feelings, of decisions. Most of the times, life's equations don't appear as do their mathematical counterparts. You really have to ponder much just to get the equation in front of you. And even if it does, most of the times the 'equality' sign is blurred. It hardly appears & the inequality sign takes away all its glory. On what side of the expression that 'inequality' points to, determines a lot in your life's equations. The challenge before us is to convert that inequality sign to that of equality so that both sides balance. That challenge is daunting & how you tackle the challenge decides what you give to your life & what life gives to you. Success & happiness inevitably comes to those who understand the mathematical subtleties of life. These two abstract nouns eventually become the reference solutions for you to tally whether you got the right answer or not. The beauty of life is about getting 'qualitatively' measured solutions... not 'quantitatively' solved!

The Fading Green

2008-03-11T15:00:00.000+11:00

You planted a sapling

Tender & Nascent

All set to gain roots

And eager to send out shoots

You thought it was

A task all complete

And waited for flowers to bloom

Alas! You didn't give it much room

To grip the soil

To anchor the roots

Being the soil, I always tried

To save the plant everytime it sighed

But I couldn't water it myself

For that I needed you

You hardly gave it a thought

And now the green fades away in drought

Save the little green

While some of it remains

Coz if you still can't find water

Maybe the soil won't be there later

Thank God.. He gave us only 2 ears!

2008-03-07T21:00:00.000+11:00

Is this going to be the future of mobile phone consumers in India? The government is aiming for more than half a billion mobile phone subscribers by 2010. We are 'all ears' for the future, aren't we? Mr. Branson, are you listening?

The Oil Painting

2008-02-12T17:30:00.000+11:00

Two flowers bloom together
In a friendship-filled weather
A stroke of Narcissism in the white bloom
The very sight takes over my gloom

The wooden brown frame bound
Against a canvas of white abound
The two flowers.. two friends
On life's canvas they beautifully blend

The allegory painted in delicate hue
Of the friendship like an everlasting dew
The painting, of all the life's treasures
A symbol of love & bonding beyond any yardstick's measure!

The artwork beautifies my bedroom wall
A sight so pleasing before I fall
On the bed only to wake up to the sunrise
The Narcissi smiling at me bring me to life...

(A thank-you expression for you, my best friend... for your wonderful gift. I couldn't think of a better way to say it.)

9.something!

2008-02-08T19:30:00.000+11:00

Winter! The season which habitually went unnoticed to the people of Mumbai all these years. Usually the period of Christmas & New Year was all that comprised the 'winter season' for Mumbai. Winter was considered too lazy to get up & make its presence felt; a lazybone who had no plans to take efforts to grab the centrestage from November to January!

But in 2008, things weren't meant to be the 'history-repeating-itself-once-again' type for dear old Winter. And now, he's back... with a whoosh! He's gonna 'chill out' for some time now & let others take the 'chill-pill' too. Winter met me the other day & told me that he was very influenced by Chetan Bhagat's '5.someone' & hoped in coming days he would release his own book titled '9.something'. Before I could ask him what the title meant, Winter dissapeared into the morning mist & I continued my walk to college with hands tucked inside my pockets with Madonna's 'Frozen' playing in my ears...

It didn't take me many days to decipher that title. Mumbai recorded the lowest temperature in 46 years with mercury dipping below the 2-digit mark, before settling at '9.something'. This dip pleasantly surprised everybody. The woolens that were for many years, kept deep inside the wardrobes suddenly came to 'life' with the chilling winter air, cold as 'death'. Mufflers, sweaters, jackets saw action, braving the fogs (or smogs!) & getting a million hugs from their wearers.

Small, mundane activities suddenly became conspicuous - washing your face in the icy cold waters early in the morning, sipping on a hot cup of tea in the frigid weather & even a warm, mushy hug from your near & dear ones!! Winter for me had never been so pleasant. Hope Winter leaves me with more surprises; perhaps the sequel of his book! May I suggest '8.something'?

Bangkok Post: Day 16

2008-01-26T11:00:00.000+11:00

We finished seeing the remaining malls in this side of the city, namely the Central World, Zen and Isetan. This was to be our last visit to the malls before we packed our bags. Some last minute shopping was still pending, so we set out to cover these malls. Everywhere the atmosphere was the same; that of the Chinese New Year. And 'End of Season' sale was a commonplace signboard. Again, it was a trek through a maze of escalators, corridors and shops displaying fashion that we can't ever get to see in Mumbai! You feel like buying everything that is on display... hardly you will come across any piece of garment that you wont like at first glance. And its hard not to reach for your walet!

Bangkok Post: Day 15

2008-01-25T18:30:00.000+11:00

Gold was on the 'to-buy' list for Bangkok and today was the day to go and buy it. The gold market in Bangkok is centred around 'Yeorat' (locals pronounce it as Yeolat). The name Yeorat must have been derived from our very own 'Zevraat' (Zevraat means jewelry). Doesn't it sound similar. Similarity to Indian names and derivations from them is a common phenomenon in Thai cultural and social life, as I experienced wherever I travelled.

Yeorat was a busy market today primarily because the Chinese New Year is just about to commence (February 7). The place was all covered in red wherever I saw. Red chinese lanterns, clothes, auspicious accessories, wind chimes, bamboo shoots and red festoons. If you ever heard the phrase 'painting the town red', this sight was befitting those words! Even the jewelry shops we went into had lots of pendants featuring snakes, frogs, pigs, etc.. depictions of the Chinese zodiac. The dragon was smiling all over the place, in happy spirits to welcome the new year!

Bangkok Post: Day 14

2008-01-24T17:00:00.000+11:00

Nothing to blog about today, a day spent at home with just a little outing at the local supermarket "MAKRO" in the evening. But I did come across one interesting thing I had never seen before with my eyes. Hearing about it was a different thing but seeing it actually was a new sight for my eyes... (tasting it would be too far-fetched since it would still need some resolve from my taste-buds). In the frozen foods section of the supermarket, all kinds of meat was available. But the signboard that caught my eye was the one indicating 'Frozen Crocodile'! Sharing the signboard with all of you to enjoy. Anyone care for a bite??? (and by the way did I mention frog meat and tortoise meat?)

Bangkok Post: Day 13

2008-01-23T16:30:00.000+11:00

After spending the last few days going out and touring the city, it was a much needed rest day for us. I woke up at 1 o'clock in the afternoon after a good tight sleep & spent the afternoon lazing around.

In the evening, we were visited by two Thai ladies, Yooi and Nok, who were mama's colleagues and Pom, mama's secretary. Soon after they made themselves comfortable at home, soda bottles fizzed out and these ladies sat back and started enjoying whiskey. Oh! I forgot to mention; Thai ladies and for that matter men too, start drinking as early as 13-14 years of age. Hardly you will come across any Thai girl who is a non-drinker. Its as common as a green leaf! But even if they drink, they drink responsibly and wont ever get drunk and behave as drunkards. Same applies to Thai men; you hardly come across any drunkard on the streets.

These ladies were surprised after they came to know that I was 22 and I don't drink. Obviously, according to Thai lifestyle, I didn't fit in the drinking scheme of things. After a couple of glasses were drained, we decided to go to a nearby Karaoke Seafood Restaurant. I was about to experience a dinner with Thai people for the first time. And what an experience it was!

The Thai Dinner Experience

Soon after we selected a place at the restaurant, an open air one along the bank of the Chaophraya river, the ladies continued with their whiskey party handing over the bottle they had opened to the waitress. Here I would like to tell something interesting fact about Thai restaurants and joints. They allow you to bring your food if any, other than ordering food there. We had experienced this a couple of times. Also its a common practice here to ask waiters to pack the leftover food after a meal, so that food is not wasted and they could finish it at a later time.

The ladies then placed the order for all of us. One of them was a good singer and she sang many times later that evening, since it was a karaoke restaurant. I took many videos of her singing Thai songs. Soon food was at the table. The menu for the evening consisted of pla kaphong thot (fried kaphong fish in sauce), hoy naang rom sod (raw fresh oysters on ice bed with condiments), kung phat hed (stir fried shrimps with button mushrooms), pla meuk yang (grilled squid with dip), khao paat poo (fried rice with crab meat), tom yam kung (tom yam soup with shrimp), nom mai farang (blanched asparagus in sweet sauce), tofu song kreung (bean curd in Thai spices), salad phonlamai (fruit salad with salad sauce). That was the pool of delicacies we had on the dining table.

Another fact, here seafood and fish is different, as I discovered this evening. Seafood for them consists of squids, lobsters, crabs, prawns, oysters, octopus, etc. Basically the marine food which is not a fish is considered as 'seafood' here and in most parts of south-east Asia. The rest of the evening was spent dining, drinking and singing. It was a good experience for me. In Thai culture, dinner is not just a meal. Dining out for Thai people is no less than an 'event'. Its not just food and people at dining table... it has accompaniments of songs, dance, long talks with it! Our dinner lasted for more than 4 hours (yes...FOUR hours)!!!! Thats quite a time-consuming ordeal compared to Indian standards. But I thoroughly enjoyed every part of the dinner. Here, restaurants don't give a serving spoon with every dish you order, unless you ask for it. Thats because, Thai people use the same spoons, forks and chopsticks with which they eat for serving food from the main dish to their plates. Unlike Indian dinner where we normally don't get up from the table until we finish our course, Thai dining ettiquettes don't include any such customary behaviour. Everyone enjoys dinner in their own way and they don't treat it as something that has to be just finished off and leave. Even the waiters don't disturb you every now and then and even if you just spend time at table, no one looks at you with expecting eyes that have the 'when-will-they-leave' look. I really liked the whole approach of 'enjoying' the dinner in literal sense here.

Bangkok Post: Day 12

2008-01-22T18:00:00.000+11:00

I had waited for this sunday for the whole week; the sunday when we had planned a trip to Pattaya, the tourist destination famous for its beaches and night life. Starting the drive from Bangkok at around 7:45 am, we reached Pattaya in about 1.5 hours.

Nong Nooch Tropical Garden & Resort

This was our first destination in Pattaya. Its a huge garden located in the midst of hills on all four sides with acres and acres of plants, flowers, trees, gardens & a variety of vegetation. The greenery around coupled with colourful flowers, birds and buterflies makes it a truly mesmerising experience. The trees are maintained and grown intricately, with careful considerations of their shape, size and expanse. With a mellow breeze for our company, we took a 'skywalk', an elavated walk around the place... enjoying the view from the observation points, a vantage point for shutter-bugs like me!! We enjoyed places there like the Orchid Garden, Palm Garden, the Cactus Garden, etc.

Elephant certified!!

The place also had other attractions for tourists like elephant treks and a Thai Cultural show depicting dances and other cultural performances of Thailand. But the best of them was The Elephant Show!! The show with a variety of performances by the elephants, with all types of tricks up their sleaves...er...trunks! Here you can expect all kinds of performances by the elephants... riding tricycles, playing darts, football, basketball, bowling, dancing and even painting. The show also had performances where volunteers from the audience were called. In one such performance, I jumped in to be the part of the act. The act consisted of people lying in the path of an elephant at certain distances from each other. The elephant then walked over the people, teasing them while he crossed over them. While coming across one such lady lying in the path, the elephant raised his trunk and started thumping it on her chest quite a good number of times! The audience was laughing and clapping. Lying there at the last end with my head turned sideways, I was seeing this act of the elephant & was laughing while awaiting my turn. Laughing because it almost looked like an A-rated movie with hordes of people young and old watching it as a funny act!

Finally it was my turn. The elephant came to me, and raising its trunk, brought it down on my pelvic area and started tapping it (yeah yeah...not thumping it ;-)) After doing a little tapping till it was 'satisfied' with the apparent 'check' there, it raised its front right leg and teasingly brought it over me as if it was going to bring it on me, then circled the leg a few times in the air, with its trunk following the same motion and then crossed me. I dunno whether this was in appreciation or that the elephant was doing this action so that it would ward off evil eyes (in India we have a practice of warding off evil by doing a similar action, called 'nazar utaarna'). Mama, mami and mom were laughing out loud. Mama quipped in saying that I had been thoroughly checked and certified by the elephant and that she made sure to ward of evil eyes from me. I then wondered if the elephant was 'he' or 'she'! I told mama that I didn't notice that aspect, to which he replied that if it was a 'he', he would have tapped you and then put his foot on your pelvic area! Males hate competition, he added! ;-)

Mom shot this whole series of action I just described above, but I can't put the video here for 'obvious' reasons. I will share the video with my friends in person and then again laugh out on the elephant's 'seductive' prank!!! he he he...

The beach!!

After moving out from the Nong Nooch Garden, we came to Jomtien beach, a little away from the main Pattaya beach. The Pattaya beach is a crowded one with tourists flocking it, so mama made a decision to bring us to this beach. We had our lunch at a joint on the opposite side of the beach road & then came to the beach. We booked beach chairs for us and left our belongings with mom and mami. It was time for mama and me to hit the water. It was such a good feeling for me... being in the sea water after so many years. Even though Mumbai has a long stretch of coastline, I never feel like even putting my feet into those waters. Bombayites would know the reason why! We enjoyed an hour's dip in the blues and while we were about to come out, mama felt something under him. Reflexively, he put his hand out there and the next moment his palm surfaced with a starfish on it! We both were thrilled and decided to take it to the beach to show it to mom and mami. Mom took photos of us and the starfish (see picture above) & it was quite an experience for us. We again went back and left it where we found it and returned to take a shower & change for the rest of the evening.

The Pattaya Nightlife

Mama then took us around the Pattaya beach road to show us the town's night life. Pattaya is world famous for sex tourism and the town thrives on it. Here you can find all types of 'entertainment' for yourself. He showed me the street-side pubs and beer joints, acquanting me with what goes around at such places. Girls deck up the chairs at such pubs which are covered in pink light, which would give anyone a spooky feeling. If you go into one such place and order a drink, and happen to talk with the girl next to you, it goes without saying that her drink is on you. And then I need not specify the 'services' you can have from her. Such 'pick-up' places are all over Pattaya's beach road. There are regular sex parties, foam parties and all kind of sexually explicit entertainment. Sex tourism is rampant and even for the blind to see. The food joints here also have names in accordance with the theme of Pattaya's night life. For instance I came across a restaurant named "Cabbages & Condoms"! I later came to know that its one of the best places for food in Pattaya...whew!!

Bangkok Post: Day 11

2008-01-21T18:30:00.000+11:00

The weekend market of Chatuchak was on the cards for today. Since its only a weekend market, we had to spare either a Saturday or Sunday out of our 'visiting schedule'. Mami cautioned us that Chatuchak was infamous for pick-pocketting and so we had to be careful. We took the BTS Skytrain (BTS stands for Bangkok Transport System) to Mo Chit, the station where this market is located. Foreigners flock here during weekends to buy cheap goods and souveniers. Its a huge market selling everything from clothes, antiques, porcelain, flowers, food, ornaments, household accessories, decorative material, etc. Its a wholesale as well as a retail market with shops situated at the sides of narrow lanes, where only 2 people can pass simultaneously. Due to this the shops lack ventilation facilities, and covering the entire stretch of the market is a huge task.

But street food is rampant in this flea market. You can try all types of Thai street food here and also some varieties of street icecreams. People also perform on the streets, many play some or the other instrument, some show magic tricks... but they do not beg like beggars back in India. They are just engrossed playing their instruments, but not a voice asking for money at all. People give them money voluntarily, especially the foreigners. It was straining for us covering the market as much as we could.

In the evening, we came to Pantip Plaza from Chatuchak. Pantip Plaza is a huge computer market, with many computer companies selling their PCs, Laptops, accessories, hardware, software solutions and everything in the computer domain. The Plaza also has mobile sections where you could buy mobile accessories. But still, a major portion of the plaza is a heaven for computer geeks.

The front porch of Pantip Plaza had a surprise in store for me. In 1993 when I was in Bangkok, I had seen ice-cream sellers putting ice-creams in bread and selling them. That time I was not at all ready to taste such an odd combination, as I felt it to be. But this time, I wanted to taste this combination for the sake of curiosity of my taste-buds. Ever since the start of this trip, I was on the lookout for these ice-cream sellers (since not all ice-cream sellers offer such a combo). And I found one here, at Pantip Plaza. The ice-cream is sandwiched in the slit of a long bread, a little sweeter than the normal ones. In all, 8 small scoops were put inside it before garnishing it with roasted groundnuts & soaked and roasted moong dal. And it was done! I clicked a photo of this wierd ice-cream combination (see photo above), as we Indians would call it, and eagerly took a bite. The taste was not as wierd as I had expected it to be. It tastes a little like how ice-cream would go with a cream-less cake. For me, it was an okay taste, not too good, not too bad. But at the end of it I had the satisfaction of finally letting my taste-buds have a go at it!

Bangkok Post: Day 10

2008-01-20T16:30:00.000+11:00

Today was a day to catch up with some social visits in Bangkok. Before he shifted to the heart of the city, my mama used to live near Samutprakan which is a little on the outskirts of the city. When I first came to Bangkok in 1993, I was a first grader and stayed with mama for 2 months at his earlier residence. I have fond memories of that place; a nice, peaceful place decked with row-houses on either side of the street. It was called (and is still called) Fortune City. Many Indian families used to stay side by side here and there was a whole gang of children of my age group there. We kids had a blast that time and I remember that time very vividly.

Now most of the families have shifted, some have returned to India. One of the families still lives there and we visited them today. Driving through those much aquainted lanes to arrive at their house was itself a nostalgic feeling for me. I could, even after 15 years visualize how we used to play in those lanes, go cycling on the main street with a small river flowing down on one side, the bridges linking the streets at the 'still familiar' locations and the electricity wires overhead still continuing their typical buzzing noise!! Not much has changed there since I had last waved the place a goodbye!

We revived those memories & had a sumptuous north-Indian lunch with them. After lunch, mom & I had planned to go to the "Ancient City", a place almost a few kilometres away from their house. The Ancient city is a huge sprawling area where traditional Thai culture, lifestyle, houses, places of worship and works from the mythological traditions is depicted. We traversed much of the campus on bicycles & I freaked out on photos. Capturing the traditional Thai architecture, their temples (temples are called wats in Thai), art forms like wall-paintings, sculptures through my lens was a marvelous experience. Since Thai mythology has much of the borrowings from Indian mythology, Ramayana, Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu and many gods and goddesses were sculpted or made into statues. Even the names of gods & goddesses bear a great deal of resemblance to their original Hindu names. For example, Saraswati is called Surasawadi in Thai mythology. Many such resemblances can be found. This place is a must visit for all those interested in Thai culture & its manifestations.

Bangkok Post: Day 9

2008-01-19T17:30:00.000+11:00

Another of those 'check-out-the-malls' day, this time to MBK, one of the favourites with foreigners. The place had hordes of foreigners flocking to buy goods, mostly garments & accessories. In Bangkok, there is a system of walkways, which connects the skytrain stations to the malls at those stations. So coming out of the station, you could directly walk into the bustling malls! Now thats called 'Applied Thought' for convenience!

We entered MBK through one such walkway & soon we found ourselves amidst a sea of shoppers. We entered a shop selling purses & it reminded me of good old India! And not for a good reason mind you... there were Indian shoppers around & they were shopping more with their mouths than their eyes & hands. All other shoppers were quietly shopping with toned down voices if at all they had to speak or ask, but not Indians! Indian shoppers are a class apart! They make their presence felt with their loud-mouthed shopping. I mean I was feeling so ashamed observing the salesgirls' faces while they were attending to Indians. I think we seriously need to rectify this bad habit of ours.

Walking around that floor of the mall, we spent around 3 hours on that single floor... shopping. And checking out the trends & varieties of clothes, shoes & accessories. Here there is scope for bargaining, but if the price we quote is unacceptable to the sellers, they don't call the customer back unlike that in India. In Bangkok, you would find salesgirls (salesgirls because in most of the shops you will find salesgirls... and yes the trans-sexuals) doing only 2 things apart from attending to customers with a wide smile & a sugar-sweet HELLO; that is eating & doing make-up. Yes! we have literally seen these petite girls putting their lotions & cosmetics quietly at a corner of their shops. They maintain themselves very well & will always keep themselves spic & span.

It was also after 8 days I saw Thai people wearing colourful clothes. Ever since we had arrived here, the nation was in mourning since the Queen Mother had just passed away in 1st week of January. So Thai men & women were wearing blacks or whites during the mourning period. Everywhere you could see a crowd of blacks & whites, especially while using public transport. But I really did appreciate their love for the Royal family. Imagine almost over 95% of population wearing mourning colours for so many days. Even the manequines at malls adorned various new arrivals in black & white. I can never imagine Indians putting on a specific dress code, rather a colour even for a day if a national mourning is declared. Even if they were to, they would put them on unwillingly for sure. But here, people willfully put their mourning clothes for almost 2 weeks. That really makes me appreciate them.

Bangkok Post: Day 8

2008-01-18T04:30:00.000+11:00

Day 7 was not a day to blog about. So I let my fingers rest for a day...he he. Yesterday was a day filled with a visit to one of the grandeous malls in Bangkok; the Siam Paragon.

If you are contented with the huge malls springing up everywhere in metros like Mumbai, you have too small an appetite. Thats because the malls in Bangkok are far more sprawling, spacious & offering almost all the lifestyle options for your needs. If you think thats comparable to what our urban malls offer, eat your words NOW! Indian malls may be far too nascent when it comes to boasting. My eyes popped out when I saw the Siam Paragon showcasing dream cars like Lambhorgini, Ferrari, BMW, Lotus, etc. Now if the best Indian mall could speak, it would have screamed, "Show off!!" (he he he)

And if thats not enough, how about an entire floor (and a floor means acres of space) filled with elite brands like Versace, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Playboy and hordes of others. In another of the malls I had been to, the entire floor was filled with nothing but only women's lingerie! From push-ups to thongs, you could find all types & brands of lingerie there. It was lingerie everywhere... every type, every colour, every shape... the ones that would give even Mallika Sherawat an inferiority complex!!

And its not just the goods on sale that make up an unforgettable shopping experience. Its got a lot to do with the ambience, the decor, the lightings on the floor which are an essential ingredient of a mall. And Bangkok's mall have it all.

One more thing about the goods is that you get value for money in these malls. The typical frustration of an Indian shopper is not getting satisfactory item for the cost he has to pay. The quality of item is not in accordance with its price tag. Here, the item is worth the bucks you shell out for it. That is the most important thing for a shopper.

The gist of it is that Bangkok truly stands tall to its name of 'Shopper's Paradise'. Its a fantabulous shopping experience like no other. A word of advice: check out the floorplan of the mall before you start. You will get confused in the maze of escalators & corridors!

The Pursuit of Happyness - Must Watch!!

2008-01-17T02:00:00.000+11:00

After a long time, I have seen a sensible & thought-provoking movie. Although it has been almost an year after it released, I was still yearning to watch it. Based on a true life story, this movie is about the struggle of Chris Gardner to find a good job to support his family; his wife & his son Christopher whom he loves very much. And eventually the story of the pursuit of a little part of his life he calls 'happiness'.

It wouldn't be effective if I had to tell the story here, coz words would take away the sensitivity & intricate treatment given to each part of the movie. Will Smith reaffirms why he is a great actor, given the kind of role he has played. The movie aptly portrays a myriad of human emotions & situations; situations which sometimes we have experienced. Situations which make us think about the extent of human resolve. Situations in which we can 'try' to imagine what it would be to support yourself & your child with only 21 dollars in your wallet!

Though Will Smith is at the centre-stage in the whole movie, his son Christopher played by Jaden Smith equally makes his mark in the movie with his befitting piece of acting.

The bottomline of the movie is that happiness doesn't come to you in life just like that. Happiness is always preceded by a long pursuit that brings out the best in man. And those trials & tribulations alone can bring out the true essence of happiness!

Bangkok Post: Day 6

2008-01-16T02:45:00.000+11:00

It was a rest day today, the day was spent lazing around. I got up late & spent the morning on internet, catching up with some friends back home.

Since there is nothing to blog about today, coz there was no going out, let me just write about the traffic discipline in Thailand. Venture out on the busiest road here & don't be surprised if no one honks inspite of a snail-pace traffic. They honk only if it is absolutely necessary. So noise pollution on roads is substantially reduced, except for the vehicular noise. Secondly, lane discipline is strictly followed & hardly any car cuts the lane. They will wait for the vehicle at the front to move rather than cut the lane & move ahead. Thirdly, no one parks their vehicles on the sides of a main road. So congestion of lanes is reduced.

When it comes to pedestrians, they will always use the footpath to walk & when it comes to crossing the roads, they will cross at the crossing or use overhead bridge wherever possible. That saves motorists the trouble to watch out for jay-walkers. I wish we Indians could learn something from this!

(The photo above is that of a Tuk-Tuk, Thailand's auto-rickshaw. Tuk-Tuks don't have meters. Only the cabbies have meters.)

Bangkok Post: Day 5

2008-01-15T05:00:00.000+11:00

Thailand's famous floating market was on the agenda today alongwith the wax museum. Since the market starts winding up after 10 am, it was advised by mama to leave home by 7 am so as to reach the floating market by 8:30 - 9 am. Our driver was on time & had brought us local food for a morning snack. It consisted of pieces of chicken, pork, pork liver, chicken liver barbequed & arranged on a long toothpick along with a pile of sticky rice in cylindrical shape (imagine how we eat frankie). After having this new street food taste, we drove off.

The Floating Market

Reaching the floating market, we booked a boat. Tourists are taken around the market in small wooden boats in narrow water lanes, fillled with vendors selling fruits, street food, souveniers, hats, drinks, wooden crafts, etc. The vendors are of 2 types: those who sell moving about in their boats & others who have shops on stilts on both sides of the lanes. Normally, food-items are sold on boats & others in shops. Buyers (ie. tourists) have to go about in boats to buy their items. It was a market I had never seen before anywhere. But, the water lanes reminded me of Kerala's backwaters where I had enjoyed in a 'vallam' (the wooden boat with oars is called vallam in Kerala). We started off & soon there were boats everywhere around us. Here, most of the vegetable sellers are women, unlike our 'bhaiyyas'. We bought a few fruits there after mama did a 'taklong' (taklong=deal, in this case bargain) with the seller. I shot the entire video of the water lanes & the market. It would now always remain in my 'memory'.

Don Wai Talat

For afternoon lunch, we came to Don Wai Talat, another 'sight & smell' market (talat=market). But here, there were no non-vegetarian items on sale. Different types of fruits, flowers & vegetables adorned the stalls & there was quite a crowd in the market. Vendors were calling out to sell their eatables. But surprisingly, there was no shouting out aloud & no chaos. The women didn't shout & not one of them had a harsh voice. The entire decorum of the market was full of discipline. Even the buyers didn't push the person in front & patiently waited for that person to move in the crowd. I need not elaborate how the scenario is in India!

Another quality of Thai people apart from discipline & cultured behaviour, that you can't help notice is their hard-working attitude. An example of this was when I asked a florist for a photo of the flowers in her tray. She was having her food & she nodded in affirmative. I was about to click when she kept aside her food & arranged the flower bunches in the tray so that I could have a good photo. I hadn't expected this at all & thanked her for that. She smiled & resumed with her chopsticks. Taking the photo I thought, "could I have expected this in my own country?". The quality of hard-work is inherent in every Thai citizen. They never shirk work & they believe in 'work is worship' in true sense of the term.

Human Imagery Museum

In the afternoon, we headed to the 'Human Imagery Museum' where wax structures of real-life people are exhibited (like Madamme Tussad's museum). The exhibits included people from all walks of Thai culture & life; the monks, king, poets, musicians, children, fairy tale characters, villagers, farmers, etc. It also housed world's eminent personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln. The statues are intricately made with detailed attention to even the most negligible attribute. The museum is simply marvelous & is one of 'must-sees' in Thailand.

We returned home by late afternoon & made a dash for the swimming pool in the evening. The pool situated on the 6th floor of mama's building, offers a good view of the Chaophraya river. The pool has sections where some could laze out in bubbling water, others could swim or just enjoy a view of the river! It made my evening & it was after many years that I swam. It felt refreshingly good & was all ready for a pizza waiting for me back home.

Bangkok Post: Day 4

2008-01-14T10:30:00.000+11:00

Shop till you drop

If I ever lived the phrase "shop till you drop", it was today. The venue was Bangkok's famous shopping centre - Baiyoke. This is the highest building in Bangkok & houses a huge shopping arcade. Tourists visiting Bangkok swarm this place only to return with dozens of shopping bags with them. And we religiously stuck to this 'tradition' today. 7 hours of shopping was all it required to experience the 'shopaholic syndrome' peculiar to tourists here. We bought many clothes & apparels at prices very much less than what would it would have cost us in India. We came across all kinds of fashion while wandering in the arcade... from local Thai to fancy western t-shirts & denims; Baiyoke had it all!

By the time we came out of the arcade back into our car, everyone was ready to drop off to sleep after a hard day of shopping. Now thats what they mean by 'shop till you drop'. Enough written! I may drop off to sleep anytime on this soothing bed! Yaaaaawwwnnn...

Bangkok Post: Day 3

2008-01-13T03:30:00.000+11:00

Day 3 was spent at a local flea market, where we had to go by a ferry. The market was called 'Sampeng market', & it reminded me of Mumbai markets. A narrow lane with shops abound on both its sides. And hawkers clogging it at occassional distances, with most of them selling local street food. We checked out many shops & also bought some gift items & takeaways. While asking the prices, holding the article or sometimes pointing to it, mom used to ask in Marathi, "Hyaachi kimmat kaay?" (what is the price for this?). And the shopkeepers used to quote their prices. Then mom & me used to laugh saying the Thai vendors understand Marathi... he he he!

One thing that struck me was that inspite of the crowding in the lane, neither anyone was pushing the other person, nor was anyone shouting irately. Discipline & utmost respect for the other person are inherent in Thai culture, and it shows!

We returned from the flea market in the evening with our shopping bags. By that time mama had returned from office & he took us to a nearby joint so that we could enjoy some street food. He told me that the best way to taste Thai food was to opt for street food. You find many varieties in street food & thats how you get introduced to a plethora of cuisine. Mama ordered hoithot (shells in omlet), sea-food yakisoba (japanese preparation of sea-food in noodles), phad thai (noodles with sprouts & prawns) & auy suan (oysters in egg base). We tasted each if these turn by turn & liked all of them. It was very 'aroy' (aroy=delicious). We returned home & topped the delicacy treat with a bowlful of 'rum & raisin' ice-cream!

Bangkok Post: Day 2

2008-01-12T02:30:00.000+11:00

Day 2 in Bangkok was a day to venture out as tourists are meant to. But this day was not just another day... it was my birthday! 1st time ever, I was not celebrating my birthday in India. Last time I remember I had cut a mango cream cake in the Bangalore-Mumbai Udyaan express when we were returning from an Industrial visit. I had a good time with my friends then. Ok now coming back to Day 2:

Hitting the gym

In the morning, I was wished a happy birthday by mama & mami. Mom, as per her traditional practice for so many years, wished me at 08:09 hrs IST; my birth time. After a breakfast of Tuna sandwich, I blogged about my Day 1 experiences. Having finished with that, I decided to hit the gym which mama had shown me the earlier day. Since it was a working day, there was no one at the gym at 11 in the morning. I turned on the music on my Palmtop & started with my workout. I pumped iron for about an hour & returned home with inflated veins. Thats a pleasing sight to my eyes! Yeah...

Sky train & shopping centre

At about 3 pm, we left home for some sight seeing & shopping. For crossing over to the opposite side of the Chaophraya river, we had to board a ferry. Soon, we were at the other side & bought tickets (self-service through ticket vending machine) to a station called 'National Stadium'. Alighting at the platform, we straight made our way into the 'Tokyu' shopping centre which is connected directly to the platform. Now thats what I call convenience! This multi-storeyed shopping centre had a lot to offer on the shelves & we didn't have much time to explore each corner. We mostly did window-shopping there, while checking out some local stuff.

Gender-bender

Mom got particularly interested in some dress which she wanted to try out. The salesgirl, a petite Thai cutie was helping her with the size & other things, in her sweet-spoken crude english. For a guy like me, coming across a variety of Indian girls all these years, almost all the Thai girls look the same: petite, fair, chinky eyes, slim & yeah... very beautiful! I jokingly told myself that if I ever were to marry a Thai gal, very soon I would be charged with infidelity! (he he he...) Because they all look very much the same! Now coming back to this cute salesgirl... she took mom to show her the trial room. Mami & me accompanied & when we were waiting outside for mom to change, mami told me, "you know what mihir, this salesgirl is a trans-sexual"(I later learnt that they are called 'kathay' in Thailand). I gulped in disbelief! I mean she... er... he... was actually a male! And quite a beautiful male I must admit! God!!... Thai boys would be facing a tough time! Mami also added that there have been some cases where guys found out after marriage that their 'wives' were... well... guys! Now whoever said "Ignorance is bliss" was 100% not a Thai lad!!

Celebration time!

In the evening when we returned, mama's secretary had come home to see me & mom. She was eager to meet the guests from India. She had brought a cake with her since she came to know from mama that it was my birthday today. I cut the cake, with everyone singing "happy birthday to you". Pom (mama's secretary) also joined in the jingle with her elementary english. (imagine english given a thai accent). Pom then gifted me a set of lovely red chopsticks with a golden design on it. I thanked her & said, "Khun Pom, ani suaay". (Pom, this is beautiful). I was very delighted by this gesture of my new Thai friend to arrange for a cake & gift me chopsticks. Pom then asked for a photograph with me. Now my mama was pulling my leg, saying that I was lucky... a Thai girl arranging a cake for me & wanting a photograph with me. He quipped teasingly, "I wasn't so lucky at 22... celebrating birthday with a foreigner gal". Pom then had Indian dinner with us. While leaving she said she enjoyed meeting me & mom. We also thoroughly enjoyed having her for the evening. It was indeed a memorable birthday for me and also for my mama & mami... their nephew celebrating his birthday in their house!

Bangkok Post: Day 1

2008-01-11T04:00:00.000+11:00

Incidently, 'Bangkok Post' is to Bangkok as 'Times of India' is to Mumbai. I thought of posting daily experiences of my Bangkok trip under this blog name. This is the 1st of the blog series to come. Reclining on a sofa after a good start to my trip, now is the time to write about the day's findings & visits.

We said Sawaddikhap (sawaddikhap=hello) to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport at 04:55 hours Bangkok time (03:25 hours IST) on 9th Jan & I was spellbound seeing the expanse & the ambience of this magnificient airport. The long corridors/walks of the airport were facilitated through conveyor belts with paintings adorning the walls. The rendezvous with the airport ended shortly after we completed the formalities & were warmly received by my Mami. We then drove off to my Mama's residence which took us about 30 minutes from the airport. Cruising on the highway at 120 kmph in Mama's black Toyota Camry was a welcome change for a Mumbai lad used to the banal slow moving traffic scenarios.

Soon mom & I arrived at Mama's place...& what a place! The 25th floor apartment overlooking the Chaophraya river offered a magnificient view of the city, the riverside & the speeding highways! And not to mention, the building has its own gym & swimming pool apart from other places of interest. This is going to be my home for the rest of my stay here.

Till evening, the day was spent in freshening up, lunch & sleep. In the evening, all of us (me, mom, mama, mami) went to a local market to buy some vegetables & eatables. This is one experience we Bombayites never have. The place can be told about or photographed; but you can't make somebody experience the smell! You have to be there to smell that. Its basically a medley of sorts; fish, fruits, vegetables, meat... all being sold next to each other. So you can 'try' imagining the 'aroma'!

We came home & had Tom Kloang (tom=soup) which is a Thai soup, Yam (yam=salad) & Laab paduk (Laab=mince & paduk=type of fish) with rice for supper. Tom Kloang had pieces of octopus in it and tasting octopus for the 1st time, I enjoyed it! The night-view of the Chaophraya river is all the more beautiful, with colourfully illluminated boats ferrying up & down the river. I end my day watching the bedecked boats & bridge and enjoying a dollop of tender coconut icecream!

Dating a million beauties!

2008-01-10T04:30:00.000+11:00

I am writing this while on board the flight to Bangkok. Currently experiencing turbulence & having a lovely cuppa of coffee served by the teenie-weenie eyed airhostess of Thai Airways, i look out of the window. Since this is a night flight & its 1:15 am, the cabin lights have dimmed & everyone is ready to doze off. But for me, sleep is the most uninteresting thing to do in a flight.

I try star-gazing at 35000 feet... its something that i feel is much more worth than sleeping on a night flight. Through the tiny window on my right, I peep to have a hearty look at the galactic beauties! Beauties which shy away from me & hide behind their curtains of cloud when i try to seek them from the city sky, filled with smoke & dust particles. But today, no one can stop me having a sumptuous rendezvous with them! I have never felt more closer to them than I am feeling now. And while everyone is having a good sleep, there's no one to disturb me on this 'date'. Not even the mobile phone!! Enough of words I feel, now let my eyes do the talking!

(Reminds me of the song "We are going to the moon and back" by Savage Garden!!)

Boyfriends v/s I-pods

2008-01-08T13:00:00.000+11:00

I happened to hear a conversation between my friend & her friend (both girls), one fine evening & from their conversation, I couldn't help drawing similarities between the 2 'omnipresent commodities': Boyfriends & I-pods. So I let my mind run free in its own humorous sway & lo! It churned out certain similarities & differences between these 2 'must haves'...

1) Boy 1: Dude!! Look at this cool-drool... the latest I-pod... Its 80 GB & loaded to rock your ears out!

Boy 2: Thats nothing man! Look at this 120 GB bombshell!!

Now a parallel version of this conversation between two girlies would be:

Girl 1: Babe! My guy is a macho. He weighs 80 Kgs & can make guys 'run for' their gals.

Girl 2: Sigh!! My boyfriend is 120 Kgs & I hope he doesn't 'run down' any poor girl.

Moral: Kgs & GBs don't mix... Bigger is not always better!

2) Boy 1: Shit man! Its only 3 months & my new I-pod is pissing me off. I think I better grab the latest one on the shelves.

Boy 2: Hmmm... I was luckier. I bought another one only after I enjoyed an entire year of a music blast with mine.

And girls have their fair share:

Girl 1: Buddy, its only 3 months with my new boyfriend & he is already pissing me off.

Girl 2: So soon? I enjoyed a whole year with my boyfriend before I called it quits.

Moral: STATUATORY WARNING: Sooner or later, boyfriends & I-pods may piss you off. It all depends how much patience you have (or can try to have!)

3) Boy 1: (After an year of full-volume music on his I-pod) You know what? I think my I-pod is deafening me out. I can't hear anything which is on a lower volume.

Boy 2: Sorry..come again. Didn't hear you!

And then girls are not to be left behind:

Girl 1: (After having a boyfriend for an year) My boyfriend just doesn't talk sweetly with me. He is always croaking out loud like a frog. I pretend to be deaf while listening to him.

Girl 2: Yeah!... Its the same old story. Sigh!!

Moral: I-pods make you deaf, boyfriends make you wish you were deaf!

So guys, go ahead... enjoy your ear-throbbing I-pods

& girls, enjoy your boyfriends with all their inherent, quintessential qualities!

Girl 3: (shocked!!) Qualities??? Mihir, you said Q-U-A-L-I-T-I-E-S???? (faints!!)

New Year Cops (version 2008.1)

2008-01-06T18:00:00.000+11:00

Whats so special about this picture? Yes, from a photographer's point of view, nothing makes it special. But, hold on... for all the people of Mumbai out there, isn't this picture pleasantly surprising? Still didn't get it? Look at the traffic cops (we 'fondly' call them as 'paandus')!! Ever seen paandus without an ounce of paunch on their tummies? Maybe these are new recruits, thats why! (no, I am not hinting ;-)). And a little bird told me about what these two were talking about ... the New Year Resolution!!

They have resolved to flaunt paunches by the year end! Now thats something of an 'achievable' resolution. I sincerely pray that their kids get 'home-grown' punching bags as their next year's New year gift! (that will be version 2008.12... lol).

Lost!

2007-12-27T12:00:00.000+11:00

I can't find myself in me
Trapped in the wilderness of thoughts
In this world full of dreadful cynicism
I am Lost!

Looking in the transparent mirror

I find my mind & soul at daggers drawn

And in between this gruesome clash

I am Lost!

Who am I? Am I here with a purpose?

Thinking seems to be the cruelest enemy

In the mixed bag of thoughts & actions... somewhere

I am Lost!

Unnoticed goes the silver lining; at the cloud I stare

Yearning for the rain of comfort to wash me away

And then like a drop in the ocean... unidentified

I am Lost!

Why animals are different from humans...

2007-12-19T05:00:00.000+11:00

A Leopard takes care of Baby Baboon after killing its mother !! Does the 'civilized' man show such a compassion??

Scheduled = Arrived?

2007-12-01T10:00:00.000+11:00

No.. don't reach out for your thesaurus... you won't find it there. You may find it this equation the next time you go to fetch someone arriving at Mumbai's International Airport.

It so happened that yesterday, mom and I happened to go to the airport to receive Mama (uncle) who has come down to India for a brief stay. This is an annual ritual for us and so upon reaching the terminal, I checked out the arrival status screen put up outside the arrival lobby. The CX751 Cathay Pacific (mama's flight) was showing the 'scheduled' status. I told mom and we geared up for an impending wait. I chitchatted with mom for some time discussing miscellaneous things and again after 15-20 minutes, I went to check the refreshed status. It showed the same old 'scheduled' status and I again returned. For about 30-40 mins we were waiting for the change in status, but no luck!!

Then suddenly, mom saw mama on the other side of the glass in the lobby and told me so. I said, "Mom, the flight has not yet arrived. Don't you see... the screen is still showing scheduled. Its not even arrived yet." But then in less than a minute, I saw mama merrily coming out with his trolley! I was astonished & in disbelief I again glanced at the status screen. The screen still showed 'scheduled' for a flight that had already arrived long back!

I couldn't believe this. We all trust the arrival status screens so much that we don't ever question it. But for this incidence, it truly shattered my trust on the display system. And come to think of it... this airport is ISO certified (what a joke!). I left the terminal with mama & a skeptical look at Mumbai International Airport.

The November Errata

2007-11-21T15:00:00.000+11:00

Well, November is almost about to make an exit... and this blog should have come up much earlier!

Whoever said B-schools in India produce world class managers, all accoutred for the corporate hot-seat need to do a serious rethinking. And especially when the spotlight of this quetching piece of blogging is one of India's Top 10 B-schools, churning out MBAs with their dosage of 'Six Sigmas' and 'Peter Druckers'!

I am referring to this year's desk-calendar of SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai (one of India's leading B-schools). The month of November 2007 in this calendar starts with Monday being the day on 1st of November, whereas November actually starts on Thursday! If you think thats all, behold... November has 31 days in this calendar (ouch! God bless my knuckles).

Apparently, it seems just a minor mistake. But then, when it comes from a B-school of a great repute, it certainly makes me think for a minute. The Institute which instills discipline of thought, meticulous behaviour & perfection in its students, ought to practise what it preaches. If this errata has gone unnoticed by any of the authorities, it surely makes me think about the standards the B-school works on! And just like I got a copy of this calendar, many people, many corporate houses related with SP Jain may have also got a copy. When you are creating a brand name in the market (like SP Jain in this case), its absolutely essential to live by that name!

I do not wish to offend anyone from that institute, but as a critical and a little fastidious person, I felt that I had to bring it up on this page. Its just another constructive criticism!

Its Diwali time!

2007-11-11T08:30:00.000+11:00

Greenhouse? Ozone? Sounds familiar.....

Pollution? Smoke? Sounds familiar.....

Noise? Toxic gases? Sounds familiar.....

Cough? Respiratory disorders? Sounds familiar......

Accidents? Fires? Sounds familiar.....

Decibel levels? 10pm deadlines? Sounds familiar......

Be responsible? Have sense? Sounds familiar.....

But hey!!! Get a life...after all its Diwali time... Enjoy!!! Who cares????

The Beauty in the Crowd

2007-10-27T11:00:00.000+10:00

Far away she stood, away from the chaotic crowd

The merrymaking seemed hard to douse

The claps & whistles would never drown

She stood there, alone & unmoved..

Oh! I fell for that girl ... the Beauty in the crowd!

I stopped in my tracks, ignoring the human abound
My gaze fixed at her, hypnotically as it may sound
Her pretty face with a void expression

Evoked my attention, I knew there had to be a reason..

Oh! I fell for that girl ... the Beauty in the crowd!

I observed her face, trying to read her

A hundred thousand emotions resonating on it

Hope, despair, love, tragedy .. I almost lost count

Never had I seen them so vividly, I fail to recollect..

Oh! I fell for that girl ... the Beauty in the crowd!

My feet stepped forward, I knew I had to talk

But she moved before I could, and joined the pervious crowd

I cursed myself in an utter despair

And the next moment, it was all over with a deafening sound..

Oh! I fell for that girl ... the Suicide Bomber!

Sex Sells !!

2007-10-21T11:00:00.000+10:00

Well, I am not talking about prostitution or pornography. I am talking about sex selling in broad daylight, overtly, in front of thousands of people & corporate delegations. I happened to be a witness to this 'sleaze marketing' about 3 weeks back.

Crudely put, it was much of a 'soft sleaze' analogous to 'soft porn'. I happened to visit Asia IT Expo '07 and there I was a witness to this widely used marketing tactic. Many of the visitors may not have been in a state to comprehend these situations, because rationality loses ground in visually tantalizing scenarios. One may not realize that he is getting lured into visiting that stall & checking out the products. Its one of the most successful marketing mantras & is unfortunately, here to stay.

The fact that surprised me was that the corporate houses using this 'soft sleaze' were among the top companies of that segment. Normally, a lesser known company would resort to such gimmicks in order to attract visitors to their products. Why does the world leader in processors require pretty girls in micro-minis to markets its new range? I mean, the name is enough for a consumer like me, to whom features of a new Notebook PC would appeal rather than those of a girl wearing a skimpy outfit. The same applies to a company dealing with security equipment like surveillance cameras, hiring girls in order to rake in visitors to their stall. The visitors' surveillance on the girls was much more prominent than any of their peeping security lenses!

These practices are rampant on most of the marketing checklists. May it be TV shows, advertisements, billboards - sex truly sells. And even 5 star hotels & reception desks in offices are no exception. After all, what matters at the end of the day is the Sales Graph! And sex is a tried & tested way to boost it. The visit to this "Asia IT Expo(sure) '07" turned out to be quite a first hand experience on these 'practices'. And yeah, of course I did come across some great products too!

The Lady in the Blue Jumpsuit

2007-10-08T06:00:00.000+10:00

"We are not powerless specks of dust drifting around in the wind, blown by random destiny. We are, each of us, like beautiful snowflakes - unique, and born for a specific reason and purpose." These words by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross aptly metaphor the essence of Sunita Williams, the NASA astronaut who has made mankind proud by her achievements. She has become a youth icon to say the least, moreover a perennial source of inspiration for our generation. I am feeling highly elated and fortunate to have attended an interactive session by her, yesterday at Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay.

A keynote interactive session was arranged by the Aerospace Department as a part of their ongoing festival "Zephyr '07". After eagerly standing in a long queue for about an hour, finally it was the moment to see Ms. Williams live in person. My excitement knew no bounds and shortly she was right there, before our eyes waving and approaching the centre-stage. This 'lady in the blue jumpsuit' - a term I coined after her trademark blue NASA jumpsuit - got a standing ovation from a packed audience of about 3000. The claps resonated the convocation hall and looked like they would never cease. The enthralled audience (many of which were school children) finally took their seats and waited for Sunita Williams to address them. Ms. Williams begin her session desribing her 195-day spaceflight as her 'Summer Vacation'. She shared her experiences with the help of a video clip from inside the Internation Space Station. We watched, spellbound and agape, as she went about describing her daily chores, eating, drinking, exercising and conducting vital scientific experiments in a zero-gravity environment! It was surely and literally an 'out-of-the-world' summer vacation! She also emphasized on the role of the space station and the various experiments carried out there, much of them oriented towards getting to know the behaviour of living things in a non-terrestrial environment. "This" she said, "would help mankind to find other possible options for human habitation, like the moon!"

She also described her vivid memories of seeing the earth from up there. “From space you realise how beautiful our planet looks with all its mountains, crevices, valleys and streams and you can't see any borders from up there. All kinds of borders - national, caste, creed, gender, etc - exist only on papers and in your mind!", she exclaimed, with an underlying message of a holistic approach that we should not restrict our identity as a citizen of a particular country, but as a citizen of the Earth.

Then the interactive session kicked off, with the school kids dominating the session with their curiosities about the space and Ms. Williams. The organizers had a busy time running about the hall, trying their best to get as many people to ask questions. Ms. Williams gave comprehensive answers to queries ranging from her thoughts on global warming, space tourism to that of encountering any aliens! When asked about her source of inspiration, she replied that firstly it was her parents and then Mahatma Gandhi.

Time flew quickly, and soon it was time to bid farewell to her. A roaring applause showered affection and good luck for her future endeavours - the least we could do for a befitting role model. I came out of the hall with a happy heart, wishing these inspiring memories would forever remain undiffused in my mind and heart. I had just been with one of the beautiful snowflakes in that quotation by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross!

Sunita Williams - A Factfile

Commander - US Navy

NASA Astronaut

Records As a female Astronaut
» Longest Spaceflight (195 days)
» Number of Spacewalks (4)
» Cumulative time of spacewalks (29 hrs 17 min)

Nutshell Identity

2007-08-06T18:30:00.000+10:00

I came across this jingle (well...more like a song) recently while watching a television channel. Inspite of being a Marathi, I hardly have an inclination to watch Marathi channels; so the other day, it was almost like a rare rendezvous with a Marathi channel on television.

No sooner did I tune in to that channel, than the 'Title Song' of the channel started. The channel was 'Mee Marathi' and to my knowledge, has recently begun its telecasts. Now it so happened that many of my friends had happened to mention it to me that this jingle (call it whatever you want) was a very popular one. So just out of curiosity I spared the remote control of another channel switch, and decided to have a look at the entire jingle.

Though I don't remember the exact sequence or the flow of the jingle, I remember that after I watched the entire jingle, I quitely smiled. The jingle depicts the glorious history and culture of Maharashtra, no doubt; but at the same time it doesn't depict anything else!! I mean its okay that you start the jingle with Maratha warriors brandishing swords and the Saffron flag, a part of the history every Marathi soul is proud of. Then the jingle continues into the cultural aspects of Maharashtra, the culture which we have proudly inherited. Even that is appreciated. Then the jingle again revolves around the Maratha warriors; occasionally with bursts of a musical slogan: "Mee Marathi"...meaning, "I am a Marathi (son of the Marathi soil)". The slogan has a effect of reiterating the Marathi identity. Another thing that struck me in this jingle is the body language and the bravado depicted. I feels its uncalled for.

For the time being I assume that I am a third person, hardly knowing Maharashtra and Marathi people. I will surely feel that the identity of a typical Maharashtrian revolves around his pride for the Maratha kingdom and the culture. Thats it! What other impression do I get of Maharashtra from this? Sadly, nothing more! Now if you are a Maharashtrian reading this blog, maybe you would get an impression of me being churlish, but please don't forget I am just referring to that jingle only.

Right from my school days, I have been watching these song videos on TV depicting National Unity and Integration. Surely, culture and history have a major role to play, but they are not all encompassing. These videos used to show the progress India has made in multifarious domains; sports, literature, science, medicine, space, academics, theatre, music, etc., and featured eminent personalities in these fields, and as a whole gave a fair view as to what India's identity is to any foreigner. Had it been the dominant parameters of history and culture, those videos would have only featured the historical rulers and kings of India and the rich and varied diverse cultures. Analogous to this national progress, it goes without saying that every region or state also has its own footprint on sands of progress and rediscovered identity. And that very depiction is amiss in the jingle that I have described. Maharashtra has produced such eminent personalities in almost every field that it makes any Marathi beam with pride. People like Dhondo Keshav Karve, Jyotiba Phule, Dr. Jayant Narlikar, V. Shantaram, Lata Mangeshkar, Sachin Tendulkar and numerous others carry on their shoulders the modern identity of Maharashtra.

The bottomline of my displeasure with this jingle is that it depicts a serious miniaturization of the Marathi identity. In todays' time, we have come out of that nutshell and made our mark in almost every field. So does it convey the identity it is meant to convey- "Mee Marathi"?

URL for this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNrzm3Gudd4

Does Friendship need a day?

2007-08-06T12:00:00.000+10:00

The first Sunday of August! The scraps start filling my scrapbook on Orkut & SMSes wake me up early. The occassion? Well, the much celebrated 'Friendship Day'. It is one of the most popular days in school & college circuits. The day when guys & gals tag their friends' wrists with colourful satin ribbons embossed specially for the occassion. When I was in school, even I used to celebrate this day with much fanfare. But then after one fine Friendship Day in Junior College, I happened to take a critical look on this yearly celebration, and happily that was the last Friendship Day for me.

As I write this blog, SMSes pour in. And I smile sarcastically. I wonder whether we need a day for celebrating one of the thickest bonds of human relationship - FRIENDSHIP!! Have we so much lost our essence of friendship that we need to dedicate a special day for remembering that special bond? My mind fails again and again to grasp the 'reason' behind this hyped celebration. And I am happy to be a part of the small minority which thinks the same.

Thinking about friendship, the first thing that reminds me of this word is the friendship between Krishna & Sudama or for that matter Krishna & Draupadi. Those friendships give us the proud feeling of being a part of a culture where friendship was not just a mere nomenclature of a relation. That friendship existed - and I highlight - was 'celebrated' every single day, every single hour, and every single moment. That friendship did not need a reason to be reminded or kept alive, or a memorial day. And I, for one, believe in that friendship.

Coming back to the college campus, many of the times, Friendship Day is celebrated by many who don't actually know why they are celebrating, but are gripped by peer pressure (they won't admit openly). They don't give it a second thought and are least bothered to reason out. Another ritual which is omnipresent is to decorate the wrists & hands of each other with ribbons & worse - sketch pens! (they make awesome totem poles .. ha ha). Our graffiti kings & queens sometimes don't even spare the clothes. And when its all over, the person covered the most with festoons of ribbons & pen-marks feels highly elated, counting the number of friends who have made a human canvas out of him. More closely you resemble a joker; more is your popularity quotient - that’s the unstated funda! So the marks & ribbons quantify friendships - strange!

Another aspect behind encouraging Friendship Day by the media & the business world is nothing but a commercially viable event! Friendship is looked upon as a commodity which can set your cash registers jingling; and we don't feel sad about the commercialization of friendship at all! The satin ribbons & friendship bands become abound at every corner shop, while the shopkeepers sell them at twice or thrice the cost as compared to any other day when no one gives a damn about them. Well ... its another of those 'Friendship' gifts for the Chinese production houses! Also, I don't need to elaborate on the statistics of single day profits for telecom players who happily provide SMS services to cater the 'wishes' of its consumers (pun intended!). Its a profitable day for them. So why won't they promote the festivities?

By now many of you who are disagreeing with me on this issue must be thinking that I am writing this blog, filled with jingoistic culturalism. But believe me, my lines of thought are different from the fundamentalists who don't even know why they vandalize a gift shop on Valentines' Day (read between the lines!) Maybe we both are antagonists of such events, but its the thought behind the antagonism that differs and counts. Moreover, I wouldn't & won't ever link this to being something against our rich, magnanimous, fertile Indian culture nor being anything which seems typically anti-West (a very handy tool if you can't think of anything else). Most people relating such events to their popular outcry of 'anti-West' don't even know what is to be opposed in being so-called 'Anti-West'. No! I won't ever resort to such arguments.

My argument is simple & straightforward, which should arise in any questioning & thinking mind. Celebrating is not the objection, but the justification of motive behind celebration is in question. Every action has a motive & if that motive is inconsistent & irrational with respect to the action, the whole essence of action is at loss & becomes a subject of mockery for the rational mind.

So next time you pick up that dazzling friendship band or pick up your cell phone to send friendship day messages, its my friendly advice to you to let your mind give it a little thought.

A Trek to Kanheri Caves

2007-08-03T15:00:00.000+10:00

I had gone for a half-day trek to Kanheri caves (Borivali - Mumbai) with some friends of mine on 22nd July. It wasn't a rainy day, but the weather was pleasant with an inviting zephyr. The road to Kanheri caves passes through the forest of the National Park and took us about 2 hours getting to the Caves. The scenic beauty on the way to the caves was very appealing and my friend - an ardent photographer - clicked many such moments in Nature's Garden. The trek became all the more memorable due to these lovely pictures which embellish my desktop background today!

I would like to share those picturesque images of the bountious Nature with you all ! You will find the pictures at: http://picasaweb.google.com/mihirtronics

Have a look !

"BREAKING NEWS"

2007-07-25T23:16:00.000+10:00

NEWS - That is one thing I look forward to watch on television after a day crammed with study and lectures. The true essence of News is to keep us posted on the day's events & its analysis (preferably without a bias... Utopian expectations!!). It is a primary source of information which helps us to keep abreast with current socio-politico-economical situations & to set up a thought-provoking analysis on problems faced on a micro or a macro level. This objective is accomplished only if there is a certain standard set for broadcasting news. According to me, the standard of news of a city, state or a country greatly reverberates the thought-standard of its citizens. Hence quality of news is of vital importance.

But nowadays, I am surprised & equally disappointed by twisted concepts in the world of news broadcasts (here I mean news on TV). For example, the concept of "BREAKING NEWS" is a concept used by news agencies to broadcast news of high priority, or of critical importance that supersedes all other news at that moment. It is urgent, important and needs highlighting. Having said that, it goes without saying that a certain discretion - intellectual & in some cases political - is applied to the news feed before broadcasting it as "Breaking News". This I feel should be the generic parameters of classifying news as "Breaking".

Coming to my point of disappointment, the crux of my disappointment lies in the fact that the basic identity of "Breaking News" is carelessly flaunted & tainted - that’s what I observe as a viewer. This I am pinpointing to some Indian News Channels which I believe, lack the intellectual capacity for classifying news. Let me cite one of the numerous examples supporting my observation.

I suppose the 'chartbuster' "BREAKING NEWS" of year 2006 for news channels was the rescue of a toddler "Prince" from a pit in Haryana. All the news channels were beaming each & every development in the rescue operation as "Breaking News", thus creating a mass euphoria and a hype of such a magnitude that it projected an image that for 2 days, all other news was seemingly unimportant or inferior than this 'significant' event. People sat glued to their TV sets following each and every stage of operation. The news made an overnight hero out of Prince & sure enough made a self-mockery of Indian news channels. As an Indian, I felt ashamed of the fact that it was a Black Day for Indian news agencies & that the standards of "Breaking News" was at its abyss.

Numerous such examples can be cited & still observed if you switch on your TV sets even at this moment. Try India TV, the ace among these "Breaking news"-mongers. This channel can 'create' "Breaking News" till eternity! They even have separate slots for such news - A Breaking News which is preplanned! (should I laugh or should I cry?). They certainly deserve a sarcastic applause.

In my opinion, "Breaking News" in context of Indian news channels is at a stage of serious identity crisis, wherein it is being seriously mistaken as an instrument to gain TRPs & to make insignificant news marketable. Indian media is still in a nascent stage & has a long way to go before it can (hope so...) mature! Till then let me check out CNN or BBC for some 'REAL' "Breaking News"!

-*-*- End of bulletin -*-*-

The Greatest Invention

2007-07-15T17:00:00.000+10:00

This happened when I was in 1st year of engineering. After the day's lectures, I used to sit in the library and study from reference books. This way I got introduced to some of my seniors who used to be regulars there. I especially sought company of a senior named Rahul who was then in the final year. I used to spend about half an hour after finishing my studies, discussing many things with him. This guy had an unquenching thirst for knowledge and was quite an insightful thinker. In our friendly discussions, we touched upon numerous topics including books, movies, education, company policies and much more. I gained much knowledge from our talks and used to look forward to our library-table talks.

During one such chit-chat, Rahul asked me a question, "Mihir, what do you think is the greatest invention made by mankind?" Simple, as it sounded, I was very much baffled by this question. I had never thought about anything like this. Nevertheless I asked him for some time to think. Now my mind was searching for possibilities. 'Internet' I thought, but then I was skeptical whether it was the greatest of all. Electricity, fire, wheel ... all made their way to my mind, but deep down I knew these weren't the greatest of all. There was something that was much more supreme than these inventions. After thinking for about 10-15 minutes, I finally gave up. Then I asked Rahul to tell me what the answer was. The answer he gave silenced all my thoughts and there wasn't any need of further clarification. His answer was, "Language is the greatest invention ever made by man". "How true!", I thought. My mind went back to the Stone Age and the Early Man. Language was one of the earliest and most basic of the inventions which endowed him with the characteristics of a social animal. Man would have never ever intellectually evolved, had 'language' been never invented. His interactions with other humans would have never been possible. The great deal of knowledge now available to man would have been impossible to acquire. The concept of civilizations and their literary treasures and manuscripts would have never existed. The development of language was pivotal in building up the pillars of civilizations on which today's world has been erected. All the landmark events like Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, etc would be unheard of. And the world wouldn't be the one we see it now.

One more peculiar thing about Language is that it has a global presence, in each and every home, unlike other inventions - which aren't omnipresent. From a tribal in the jungles of Africa to the sophisticated businessman in his plush office, language has a presence in each one's lives. Hence the key to man's development and progress through past, present and the future is one great invention - Language!

That day when I packed off for the day, I had a happy feeling in my heart. Being a student of telecommunications, in future I may contribute in my own small way towards furthering the cause of communication among people through the medium of mankind's greatest invention - Language!!

A Monsoon Trek

2007-06-27T16:00:00.000+10:00

It had been almost a year since I went for a trek. The last time I went trekking was somewhere in July 2006 to Takmak Fort. My first trek was to Pratapgad, near Satara when I was in 4th grade. I have been to around 18 forts till date and trekking continues to be one of my most favourite hobbies. Unfortunately due to the schedule of my college and studies, trekking has now become like an annual event for me during the short vacation after semester exams. But whenever I get a chance, I make it a point not to miss this outdoor activity.

This trek on 17th June was a 1day trek to Fort Kaldurg near Palghar, Maharashtra. Our trekking group (Janaseva Samiti) left early morning at around 5 am, boarding a Virar local. After getting down at Virar, a shuttle train took us to Palghar in about 40 minutes. The weather was pleasant, but had no signs of cloud cover, which unfortunately we were dying for! From Palghar, we boarded a ST bus which took us to "Vaaghobaachi Khind" which was the base for starting the trek uphill. We had a light breakfast at a Shiva temple at the base and filled our water bottles from a hand-pump. Soon we started our uphill task, eagerly waiting for first showers of the monsoon. The way to the top was fairly easy, compared to other treks. Last year I remember I had gone for trekking to 'Takmak' fort, which was more difficult than this one. So, we trekked along through the jungle, enjoying the breeze which can hardly be enjoyed in our concrete jungles. With many new trekkers in the group, the climb took us more time than expected. After one and half hour, we finally reached the summit. The far-stretching view of the entire region was a sight to see. The fort being not much of a full-fledged fort, has not much historical credits to its name. The fort was infact used as an outpost, to keep a check on the region under its influence. The breeze atop was very strong and I lay down on the rocks to enjoy it to the fullest.The fleeting clouds created a fabulous shadow-play on the hills nearby. I was watching the myriad strokes on the canvas of nature to my heart's content. We were there on the summit for about an hour and then started with our descent. On our way back, we got a
little sprinkling of water from the heavens, but that was too less for any comfort! Finally we were back to square one, the point where we started the ascent, but still no rains! We had our afternoon lunch at the same temple and then it was time for us to get back home.

We returned home only to find out that rains awaited us back home in Mumbai, where it was raining substantially. And lo! I had to take out my windcheater for the very first time this monsoon upon arrival at Borivali station, much closer home! What a way to
end the 'monsoon' trek!

Information you can use:

How to get there:

1) Board a Virar bound train early in the morning (5 - 5:30 a.m. is a good option)
2) After alighting at Virar, board a Shuttle train and get down at Palghar
3) From Palghar west, board a ST bus which would take you to "Vaaghobaachi Khind", the base camp

The Trek:

1) Trek is ideally suited for 1st time trekkers or a 1-day trek
2) Difficulty level: easy
3) 1.5 hrs ascent and almost the same for descent
4) The pathway to the summit is very straightforward; no scope of straying away from the course
5) Carry adequate water for drinking because there could be no or very little water on the top

Behind Microsoft's 'Stop Piracy' Curtain

2007-05-16T18:00:00.000+10:00

No one reading this blog needs to be acquainted with the rampant software piracy which has gripped the entire globe and moreover the developing countries. Hardly you will come across any person who has never ever used a pirated software anytime. And you will agree with me that the most common pirated software; rather Operating System (OS) used by many users is Windows.

Coming to Microsoft (MS), let me share with you something that
would leave you thinking over one of the most successful dual-policy adopted by this company. MS Windows needs no introduction, being the most popular OS. On one hand, MS calls for a 'Stop Piracy' campaign, and on the other hand.... believe it or not.... they do not want the piracy to stop!!! MS has a long term gain (obviously monetary) in letting the pirated copies of Windows run free on our PCs. Let me explain the crystal clear business tactics behind this.

On an average, say a child starts his primary interaction with Windows when he is only a first grader, ie 5-6 years of age. And since the Windows installed is pirated version (mostly), the cost of using Windows is almost negligible. Now this child uses Windows throughout his school, high school and college life. For almost 2 decades, he has used Windows OS.

Now, when he enters into a corporate world of which IT and computerized processes are inseperable elements, he is already habituated to Windows. So if he is given a new OS to work on, say Linux, he would require say 15 minutes to complete a certain task compared to only 10 minutes on a Windows platform. Now, since the employees and their work time are a part of resources of a company, the company wants to utilize them at an optimum level. Taking this into consideration, the company installs Windows on its system. And when it comes to an organization or an institute installing Windows, they 'have to' buy genuine Windows because they have to be legally safe and avoid being dragged to the court.

For each of the computers in that firm, a genuine Windows has to be bought, and we very well know that genuine Windows costs a bomb (approx. $150-$199). Now, we are the consumers and are directly related with the products or services of these companies. Hence it goes without saying that directly or indirectly the cost of these genuine Windows is recovered from us. So Microsoft recovers the entire cost of the loss they suffered when we used pirated Windows on our home PCs. Think of the millions using pirated Windows. We get habituated to Windows and thats where the crux of profit-making lies.... You make someone habituated to your product, even if it means incurring loss in initial stages. But over a long period of time, its sure to set your cash registers rolling !!

Over a cup of cold coffee

2007-04-30T18:00:00.000+10:00

Summer is here to stay in Mumbai and most of the student community is busy with its vacation plans. Most of my non-engineering friends have already completed their graduation examinations & are raring to break free in the much awaited vacations; following which their colleges would never ever reopen again !!

But for all my engineering friends and I, vacations are a distant dream. Our plans for this summer?.......what else but to dig our summer-baked heads into those heavy-weight engineering books. That's because we are not as blessed as our non-engineering counterparts. Now for those who are not acquainted with Mumbai University engineering, here's a fact file - the semester usually is of 5 months; 3 months of lectures (and 'extra-curricular' activities) & almost 2 months of examinations (including vivas, practicals and a teeny-weeny preparatory leave).

Now enough of grievances and back to the point. Simply put, its a long haul for us. But then its an experience which we would cherish when we will look back after becoming engineers. The clock ticks relentlessly & time flies at apparently supersonic velocity. At the end of the day, we realize that only a single chapter was studied during the entire day. So now, the obvious necessity for us is to burn the midnight oil.

Its said that "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise". But that hardly applies in our context. If we were to follow that, we would be in a soup. As far as studying at night is concerned, its something most of us are habituated with. The studies have gradually turned us into insomniacs.

So now, the night session of my studies commences. After relaxing a bit after dinner, its back to the desk again. As the clock approaches midnight, the silence of the night makes me feel isolated (though books keep me company !!) & then I turn on the music, usually instrumentals like Kenny G or Enigma, so that I don't get distracted by lyrics. And then, like a cherry on the cake, to create a perfect 'ambience' for studies, there's a refreshing cup of cold coffee kept ready by mom. Sipping slowly on it, I make sure that the coffee experience lasts about an hour, before its finally time to catch up some required quota of sleep. What a way to end the day's studies.... over a cup of cold coffee enriched with a dash of mom's love and care!!

Coffeelicious!!

The Namesake - A review

2007-04-08T15:00:00.000+10:00

Last Sunday evening, I had gone to watch Mira Nair's movie, The Namesake. I had heard very good reviews about the movie & I was very eager to watch this movie. The movie is adapted from a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri by the same name.

The storyline revolves around the life of a Bengali family; Ashoke Ganguli (Irrfan Khan), Ashima Ganguli (Tabu) & their son Gogol (Kal Penn) and his sister, who live in the US. Gogol who is born & brought up in the 'land of opportunities' is discontented with his strange name that had become a subject of mockery. He feels desocialized & is perplexed as to what made his father name him after his favourite Russian author Nicholai Gogol. One day Ashoke tells Gogol the story behind his name; revealing the conversations with a co-passenger in the train he was travelling in, before it met with an accident. At that time Ashoke was a college-going lad & was reading Nicholai Gogol during his journey.

A few days after this revelation, Ashoke dies of a sudden heart attack & Gogol soon starts realizing how great his father was & how he had failed to understand him. The quest for discovering his father makes him realize his roots & the journey of life brings him home.

The movie sets its own pace & is never unduly stretched at any point. The characters & the ambience is treated in a simple fashion & absolutely no glamorous scenes are included; which in fact appeals to the viewer & binds him with the characters. Irrfan and Tabu set their own standards & exhibit multifaceted acts. Irrfan depicts the most intricate scenes with utmost ease & sheer simplicity. And Tabu asserts being a top-notch actress, handling all the finer nuances of her role with great maturity of acting.

My verdict: the movie is a very good one to watch with your family & would definitely appeal to you if you are the one who enjoys offbeat cinemas. So friends, go ahead and watch this masterpiece.

Relativity: The way I look at it

2007-04-02T18:00:00.000+10:00

"Albert Einstein". Thats the name that immediately strikes your mind when you hear the word 'Relativity'. People from world of physics know him for many of his theories, equations, relations that are still a matter of deep interest to many. But I think the most popular among the multitude of his theories ought to be the theory of relativity.

My acquaintance with Relativity was a rather simple statement, "If you sit with your loved one, an hour seems like a minute; but when you are with someone whom you don't like, a minute seems like an hour". Well, at first, it didn't quite appear like a theory propounded by a physicist. I wondered how this fitted into the jigsaw puzzle called physics - its physical viewpoint. Frankly, I never treaded deeply into this theory, but it surely gave me a new dimension to look at it.

Relativity, as I see it is much to do with human nature than with the complexities of physics. Human thoughts, relations, behaviour all follow this theory. Everything in this world is subjective, rather; relative. Success is relative, happiness is relative, freedom is relative; even contentment is relative. I think the very concept of an 'individual' or 'individuality' stems up from roots of Relativity. Our perception of material or immaterial things is dependent on our
own parameters or viewpoint on the matter concerned. If you ask any other 'individual' his or her take on the matter, it will always be relative to personal interpretation. And that's what makes us realize the true meaning of the word 'an individual'. You cannot have a comparison between any two persons, for the simple reason that there can be no comparison among individuals, which in turn symbolizes uniqueness. And that's because of the nature of their Relativities.

Sure enough, you cannot expect to have something called as 'degree of relativity' so that you have a yardstick for measuring Relativity. That's because assigning a degree to something needs a 'reference'. And 'reference' too, is Relative !!

So what do I conclude at the end of it? Well, the manifold hues of life; thoughts, experiences, notions, beliefs add a dash of variety to our monotonous lifestyle. The nonuniformities we see around and which enhance and expand our outlook of the world exist thanks to differences in Relativity.

And yes....'conclusion' can also be Relative !!

A 'literal' confusion

2007-04-01T14:00:00.000+10:00

Please help me out with this confusion...

Everyone has friends. And friends can be of many types; just friends, good friends, close friends and.... best friends. Now, some or the other time when I have spoken or chatted with my friends ( I mean to say friends in general; not any specific type ), the topic of discussion has touched a term called as 'best friends'.

"I have 5 best friends", "I made 7 best friends in school"... are some of the statements that make me smile sarcastically. Well, being a guy who loves words and respects their worth and meaning (and I am not being rude to my friends who are reading this), I am very adamant when it comes to proper usage of words. Well from whatever english I have learnt all these years, 'best' is a superlative degree; that means its the highest degree. And it goes without saying that whatever is at the peak, or the highest form ought to be unique. And if it is unique, it surely must be a singularly unique entity.. For example, 'Mount Everest is the "highest" mountain peak in the world'.

By this analogy, a 'best friend' should be one and only one friend. How come there can be multiple "best friends"? Thats what my confusion is.... why this paradox of 'many best friends'?

Please help me out of this..

Prime Duty - A misunderstood concept

2007-03-17T16:00:00.000+11:00

Many a times, we talk about our rights & duties as citizens of our beloved nation India. Our constitution has also laid down certain rights & duties for the citizens. But have we pondered & ever asked ourselves: what is our Prime Duty?

The functioning of India, & as a matter of fact any nation is based on the national policy adopted. These policies, according to which the administrative setup functions, are sketched out by politicians. These policies affect the life of each & every citizen. Now, if any policy goes wrong, or has an undesired effect on our life, we resort to blaming the politicians. But then, the basic question arises: Who are the politicians? We are the ones who choose them. Politicians are the representatives of the common masses.

If we go to the root of the political setup of our country, we find that at the grass-root level, it is the individual who forms the basic structure of the setup. Let us take an example of a tree… if the root of the tree is strong, exploiting the best of its environment, the tree is sure to grow the right way, developing into a healthy tree beautifying its surroundings. Similarly, we, the people are the roots of the political system in which we live. If we are strong, strengthened with political awareness & know-how, having knowledge of policies which are beneficial to the system, surely the political tree will grow the right way. The root supplies only the beneficial nutrients to the tree while filtering away the rest of the materials. Similarly, it is the individual who has the power to supply the political system with politicians who chalk out proper policies for our nation. To nurture & strengthen the political system is our prime duty as responsible citizens.

India is typically an agrarian country. After the huge success of the Green Revolution, a good amount of crops are harvested every year in our fields. However, sometimes the situation can be seen that huge quantities of food grains rot in the godowns while some people starve to death. Food is not properly distributed. What is the cause of this?

India is one of the main producers of sugarcane in the world. Due to proper cultivation techniques, we are able to have a prosperous crop of sugarcane every year. Still, much of the sugar we consume is imported from other countries. What is the reason behind this?

As we all know, the sensex is making a slow & steady climb upwards. Multinational companies have recognized the potential of the Indian market & are readily investing in India. There is also a substantial dollar flow in the economy. Inspite of all this economic progress, prices of commodities continue to soar everyday. The cost of living especially in the Indian cities is much high. What may be the possible explanation for this?

The reason for all these malfunctions taking place is a deficiency in policies. The deficiency may exist at the planning, development or the implementation stage, but definitely, there prevails a shortcoming somewhere. The responsibility for this shortcoming lies with the policymakers & the responsibility for choosing & electing the policymakers lies on our head. And over the years I believe, we have been addicted to blaming & cursing the politicians for the ill-effects faced by us. By putting the blame on their heads, we try to turn a blind eye to our faults. Ultimately, WE are to be blamed for this. The duty of finding solutions to the problems lies with the educated class.

So how long are we going to escape from our duties? Should we continue to live the way we live or should we give it a little more thought? Are we ever going to see light at the end of the long, dark tunnel? It is up to us to think & find a solution to this. IT IS DUE TO THESE REASONS THAT OUR PRIME DUTY REMAINS A MISUNDERSTOOD CONCEPT…

It feels great !!

2007-03-15T16:00:00.000+11:00

That's what the badge I got read: "I donated blood today....It feels great".

Today, a blood donation drive was conducted in our college by the NSS wing of our college. On last two occasions I was unable to participate in this drive, but finally today I got a chance to do a tiny little part for the society I live in.

The response for the blood donation drive was enormous and I had to wait in a long queue awaiting my turn. Finally I was called and a sample of my blood was taken for the haemoglobin test and for the Thalassaemia test. Thalassaemia major is a lesser known genetic, blood disorder which affects the child if both the parents are Thalassaemia minor. The child has to undergo blood transfussion on an average of 15 days. So along with the blood donation drive, we were also going to be tested for Thalassaemia minor.

I was very enthusiastic while I lay down on the cot, since this was the first time I was going to donate blood. The medic came and put the syringe inside me. I lay quietly and my heart went out to the 1 lakh children of India who were undergoing this hellish expeience of being a Thalassaemia major. I also remembered the victims of the bomb blasts when people all over Mumbai poured in to donate blood. And it felt nice that I could actually save lives by lying on the cot for 5-10 minutes. It gave me a great deal of satisfaction as my blood flowed out of me, ready to serve someone needing it more than I needed.

Hardly a few minutes passed and I was on my feet again, feeling no dizziness or numbness whatsoever.My friends and I sat down for a cup of coffee and biscuits. Everyone was smiling and happy for the cause they had volunteered.

And I thought, "Was this one of the selfless act I did?" My heart replied in the negative and my mind told me, "Certainly not, YOU felt nice and YOU felt satisfied. So where is the question of there being a selfless act?"

Smiling, I agreed with my mind and put on my shoes...

...Finally I danced !!

2007-03-14T16:00:00.000+11:00

Dance !!! Another one of the many expressions of art... And art has been an inherent part of me. Throughout my life of past 20 years, I have been exposed to various forms of art...painting, floral arrangements, Indian classical music... all thanks to my mom. Having learnt to play the Tabla for 6 years during my schooling, rhythm flows through my veins.. it has become an inseperable part of me. So, it was very natural that i explore new ways of expressing this rhythm apart from what I have learnt. I thought, "Hey! I haven't tried dancing anytime..." I remembered my school days; the school orchestra, the dramas, etc. But never had I participated in dance. I don't have any such reason, but the fact remained that i never explored my dancing skills. But now slowly I wanted to try it out. The recent dance competitions on television acted as catalysts to my thought and finally I made up my mind to give dancing a shot. And our college's Annual Cultural Festival came at the right time.

In my vacations starting December 2006, I had learnt Red Hot Salsa practising it by watching an instructional video. My dance partner Sneha and I decided to give it a try during the festival. We gave the auditions, got selected... me getting selected for the Group dance too. I was enthusiastic of my new venture.

Came March and the practice for the dance started. But I got a shock on the 1st day of practice when Sneha came to me and told that she would not be able to dance. I was disheartened but nevertheless tried to overlook it and concentrate on the group dance. But then something happened that brought a cheer to my heart. A girl in the dance group, Ruchita happened to know Salsa and it so happened that we two decided to give it a try in the Couple Dance competition...

With hardly a week to go, the first two days of practice had me struggling to grasp the steps... both in group dance and couple dance. But gradually I picked up and tried to bring finesse to the dance. Since we had selected the theme 'Salsa and Jive' for couple dance, I had to learn to do most of the 'guiding the girl' part of the dance. It took us about a couple of days to achieve a good comfort level with each other. And when finally we did, we practised on many different steps and yes....'locks and lifts'!!Now, I knew that I had to try to be as flexible as possible and expressive; since without expressions and proper gestures, the dance won't pull off well. But gradually I managed that, and Ruchita was also acquiring the grace in the steps with each passing day. Managing between group dance and couple dance was very difficult, but with whatever little practice we did, I eagerly awaited the day of 9th March.. the day of Couple dance competition!!

I wore a shimmering full sleeve red shirt apt for salsa with black trousers and she wore a red top and a black knee-length skirt. The competition started and we were going to be the first couple to perform. I was eager as well as tensed.. as anyone giving his first ever dance performance on the stage would be. I just prayed to God to help me pull off the dance well and the next moment the curtains opened.A loud cheer from the audience came instantaneously when we started the dance. The music, the rhythm and the cheering boosted my spirits further more and I felt like being in some sort of a trance.. We performed our locks, lifts and again a wave of cheer and shouts.. I was so engrossed in dancing that I didn't know how time fleeted by. The performance ended again with cheers from the audience. We came back to the Green Room and I was in a very excited mood. I thanked Ruchita for giving a good performance and Shashwat, my friend who had choreographed our entire dance sequence. And so finally I did what I wanted to do for such a long time.... Finally I danced !!

Reminescences of D-day

2007-03-13T16:00:00.000+11:00

This is a poem I composed, the inspiration of which is the wonderfully made movie 'Saving Private Ryan'. The poem describes a first-person witness of the D-day landing of Allied forces at Ohama beach, Normandy. And what followed was one of the gruesome battles of WW-2.

Reminiscences of D-day

The guns boom all over the seas of Ohama

The monstrous splash of a shell drenching me all over

The saline seas appear tainted and accursed

And the thunderous waves appearing ominous.

As a commander, dauntless I ought to be

But I can't help as I feel my hands freeze

They tremble as I take a sip of brandy

Blurred as my vision gets, holocaust of the world I see.

I look at my men, they look at me

Without a word, their void expression speaks to me

The superficial grit and war cries, inaudible to our hearts

Some throw up, others grip the Cross, letting prayers do their part.

I take out my wallet, clearing the droplets away

That damp photo of my family providing me warmth

The memories gush into me like a quiver of arrows

A smile escapes my cracked lips, hoping it won't be the last

I keep the memories back in their place

And think of the dark coast that lies ahead

The final moments of prayer and a final check of weapons

A final pep-talk and into the jaws of death.

The sirens go off and we rush out of the boats

Amidst the blind barrage of machine-guns, we crawl ahead

The first few moments and half of my men dead

Some groan aloud while blood oozes out of their heads

A deafening sound and a blinding flash

A shell explodes chopping soldiers to pieces

I duck down and wait for what's coming next

And the gore of my comrade smears my sand-plastered face

I trudge along, as soldiers are meant to

Dodging bullets and splinters amidst the hellish firepower

With the stench of blood and smoke piercing my soul

Firing randomly as my mind ceases to think

I lose count of time, the battle drawing to eternity

Faceless corpses lying on the beach with fishes for company

The nauseatic feeling engulfing that Doomsday

Man kills man...for what?...why? questions unanswered till today.

From a train's window

2007-03-11T17:30:00.000+11:00

Recently in January 2007, the IEEE members of our college had been on an Industrial visit to Mysore-Ooty-Bangalore. It was almost a 24 hour journey by Udyan express. In the afternoon, as I sat by the window-side, I happened to pen down these thoughts...

As I sit in the train to Bangalore, enjoying the afternoon breeze by the window-side, I see the countryside fleeting away. This view of the countryside is an absolute refreshment for a person like me, so used to the mechanical and concrete life of Mumbai. The fresh breeze, which is nothing short of a luxury gushes in, fills my mind and soul with a new energy. The greenery of the fields and the trees is a bliss, reminding me of my roots which lie well concealed deep inside my outer form. My eyes behold the flora of all sizes, colours and appearance; the trees which have weathered many a storm over the years, the shrubs springing up from the mother earth and blades of grass which are looking as fresh as the morning dew.
Someone like me can’t help but contemplate on the vision outside the compartment. While my friends are playing, some sleeping, others listening to their MP3 players, I am listening to the sound of breeze as it blows across my face. The view tenderly coaxes me to think about the life I have lived, am living and will live. The flora reminds me of the various kinds of people in life. Some of them old, the thick rugged bark of trees reminding me of their wrinkled hands and face. These people are like the pole star, constant and guiding, just like the solitary tree I am seeing on a distant horizon. The shrubs remind me of my teenage life, in which I see my reflections of a boy wanting to grow, expand and flourish; but at the same time, very close to his alma mater. The twigs and the thin stem reminding it everytime that it has a long way to go before it can independently stand on its feet. But the sight that fills the heart and eyes with that happy smile is that of the tender blade of grass, eager and curious to see the world around it. The blade which bends in the breeze and can easily be trampled upon ! It is a manifestation of my childhood; innocent, a blank slate, with people around writing the letters of life and blessings on it. The mind was unbiased and carefree, away from evils of the world and tensions of life. I can’t help but smile again. I extend my hand to touch that blade of grass, but alas ! Its only in memories and photo albums.
As I turn my eyes away from the grass, I again see the distant, solitary tree… far, far away. And then I trace the uneven terrain between this grass and that distant tree. My mind and soul, in unison ask me, “Isn’t that the stretch of life?” Sometimes flat, sometimes uneven. Barren somewhere and greenery elsewhere. Rocky at some places and muddy at the other…
The train meanwhile halts at some station and far away, I see cattle grazing to their hearts’ content. Aren’t these the people who are or have been a part of my life at some stage or the other? Known or unknown to me, these were the people who have shared a give and take relationship with me. There would have been moments when I acted irresponsibly and these people were the one’s whom it affected ! Such a simple scene: that of cattle grazing in a field – but it speaks volumes on human relations.
I close my eyes to capture these fleeting images. A moment later, I hear the train whistle as if to add a bottom line to my thoughts. It resounds the fact that life is short, and so much to be thought, realized and acted upon. The train halts at a junction and a shrill cry of “Chai Chai” jolts me back to where I was !

4th Jan 2007

Yet another blogger !!

2007-03-11T17:00:00.001+11:00

Hey !! It feels good to be a part of the blogger community...
By nature, i like to share thoughts with people around me. I like to listen to their viewpoints, their take on the subject. Sometimes it really helps you getting a totally new spotlight on the subject. I enjoy being in a company that is lively and likes to talk.
When it comes to writing, there's no forcing me to write. I write only when my mind tells me to pick up the 'pencil'.... and then words flow naturally.
In order to share this flow of words from my mind with other netizens, I finally decided to blog.. share my everyday experiences and events that inspire me, appeal to me. And to discuss about topics and get feedback from other bloggers. I hope this blogging experience turns out to be a great one !!