We mustn't abandon our Native Heritage;at any cost!

Everyone will rush to tell you why the Government of Maharashtra (GOM) mustn’t build a Rupees 350 Crore monument of Maharaj Chhatrapati Shivaji larger than the Statue of Liberty near Bombay’s coastline. I am here to tell you why it’s a good thing.

First off, don’t call this just any monument! It’s going to be larger than the Statue of Liberty in New York City! Doesn’t that count for our greatness? The Statue of liberty will look so small in from of the monument of our Maharaj! What better way to show the world that we can do what America does, but better! This will have a lift to go up to the top, a revolving restaurant and a museum with artifacts of the emperor what more can you ask for! Does the Statue of Liberty have any of this?

Then of course the fact that we need as a city to grow to its destined greatness a gigantic and great monument of a great person! Let’s be honest, all the monuments or landmarks we have today are so badly maintained and/or damaged! Who wants to see those eyesores? We need something new!

These are stand-alone reasons to build it. What the many people will say is that we have so many social and civic problems that plague our city and state. The drought-hit areas are severely crippled. But they don’t understand the issue! First of all, the BMC is already spending several lacs of the taxpayer’s money for cloud seeding. So rain is imminent, and more over how can you say there is a rain shortage, when city wide basic services are being shut down because of water logging? Please get your facts right.

The social problems are primarily because citizen lack a guide in their life… This monument will be that guiding light. Just like “Lady Liberty” guides Americans our monument will guide us in following his ideals. Just renaming a vital train station, or our International Airport or having tiny insignificant statues all over the city is not sufficient to commemorate the ideals of a great human being. This one will be an equestrian statue, the way we have come to look up at him.

I have also heard many otherwise rational people saying- in times of recession should we really splurge on a monument?. The Indian Government has said that public servants shouldn't travel in business class, or live in 5 star hotels. So its not like they don’t want to save money. Moreover, its not like we will not be able to make anything from spending 350 crores, it will boost tourism significantly. At a time when tourists are low in number thanks to 26/11, this will help them comeback. The much written about and filmed slums that our tourists see as they land in the Bombay, and this magnificent statue will serve as a honey-pot.

So are they ignoring the apparent poor state of our public offices, the measly salaries of our hardworking (and in certain need of raises) public servants? Are they ignoring the so-called dilapidated education system, or schools, or hospitals? Are they turning a blind eye to poor maintenance of the roads, or poor quality of material being used? Or is it not bothered about the jam-packed trains? The answer is a big firm NO. Those are beside the point!

Sowing the seeds for Rain!

The shortage of rainfall is supposed to be a major problem in India. Now to be honest, from what I have seen of these monsoons in Bombay, I ended up believing that because of excess and un-manageable rainfall Bombay had water logging. But, shortage is the problem that the municipal corporation of Bombay (BMC)  is worried about.

I just read in the paper today that the BMC was planning to go to a "RAIN MAN" to make rain. Now, to a lot of people this might imply that the Rain man was going to perform some kind of dance or sacrifice to please the rain gods! But think again, the scientific method this Rain man will use is called Cloud seeding!

Now, I had heard of CLOUD OS, but Cloud seeding was news to me. So I did what any person of our generation with questions would do... I went online to find the answer. And to my surprise it wasn't just hog wash. Wikipedia had an article on it! 

It is a method that is used to increase precipitation. It uses hygroscopic agents that cause the water to come together, and therefore cause precipitation. The science behind it seems alright, if water molecules come together, they become heavy, and eventually fall to the earth as rain/snow or some form of precipitation. Of course, if it does work one can never really say if it was the effect of the cloud seeding or mother nature. What if it was going to rain anyway?! The rain will certainly bring down the agents that were sent up! 

 However from what I read, people have used this method at times to reduce precipitation rather than increase it. The case in point is China, where they used this method in the hope that there would be no rain during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Also Vladimir Putin had used this method to try to make sure it didn't rain during a G8 Summit...but it ended up pouring!

I guess you can't play around with nature. I just hope that in our attempt to increase precipitation, we don't end up reducing it! Instead maybe find a way to perform Rainwater tapping, it will be the stone that takes out two birds.  

 

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The Data Space Equivalency

I am sure many of you are familiar with Parkinson's Law:

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

This is rather self explanatory, and therefore some computer guy came up with one more...the Corollary:

Data expands to fill the space available for storage.

This single line is so heavily valid in today's context! I have worked with computer when the HDD was 2 GB. That time this law didn't apply... maybe because there was nothing to put in a computer except small files, or that i just didnt know what existed. In the past few years however, having had a desktop with 40 GB wasn't enough. So we added an extra 80 GB for the data. Then when i went on to get my first Laptop, it had 120 GB in it. It felt like all the space in the world. Then soon enough, the internet Broadband became unlimited, so downloads happened. Friends with a LAN came over with oodles of binary data. Which is when I went and bought myself an external HDD of 80GB! Dearth of space continued and i upgraded my lappy to 160 GB of HD space.In the hope that that would solve my problems.

Before my recent trip to Singapore, where i went to visit a friend, i learnt that he had an 8 Mbps connection. Now that meant 1 MB per sec!!! Do you see what thought raced around my head!  Amazing Download speed. Take that one step further...SO MANY DOWNLOADS!

To accomodate these downloads i had to have space. I took with me a fresh set of blank DVDs. My external HDD was almost full with data, so i copied only what i needed and put it on my desktops old HDD. I picked up all the Pen drive i could see at home and didn't push off until i was sure i packed them all!

I am back home now, and not finding sufficient space on my HDD to put in new data, i removed my music library(30 GB). Now i have upgraded my Bandwidth, and to because i can download faster, i download more. I now find myself dealing with OS warning messages of low disk space :( . 

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As always, today too my curiosity and want to find new software and fiddle around with it overcame all other desires. Ascending Maslow's hierarchy i find that pretty low is a "want for knowledge" ;) 

Now downloaded a tool called blogger widget for Mac OS X. My first post from it. I hope it works right. For now short is sweet :)  

Too Busy to socialize???

Its been so long since i last wrote a blog entry, as i begin to write again i feel like i am getting re-aquatinted with an old friend. Even from my real-world friends, i have been kept away.

After the last post here, I had my College festival, the last one i would see. Then friends and I went to a trip to GOA-the famed vacation spot, which turned out to be just like any other place(PS-a lot of people would claim that i feel this way because i did nothing 'WILD'). Then came the most work, the final phase of the magazine i was responsible for.

I am not writing a report on the making of the magazine, although i should, but again there is no time for that now, i have a project presentation to make today and have to run.

My apologies to neglecting my social side, blogging is certainly back on track.

Improvement

You know how our parents or other forms of wise elders always tell us, keep at it, you will improve with time, and we feel one of two things...either that we are good at it already, or improvement will never come. Well, i have reason enough to believe it. 

I was reading my posts of 2006, i was then a sophomore, new to college activities primarily because we werent allowed anything in our first year. My head full of idealism, and thus poured into my posts. While they were not bad, the writing i'll admit was a little childish.It tended to ramble, and go onto tangents and make different points. it seemed like random thougts being noted. Also i think there was obsession to use big words which were unnecessary. 

 Today i am Editor in Chief of my college magazine, and its my job to make sure people can understand without shadow of doubt what another persons article says. It is a need that I be articulate and consice. 

I believe i am more so now than i was before.  

India-where are we headed?

I wonder how many of you read "A Thousand Splendid Suns", those who have will realize the potential danger of letting bullies  and vigilantes who shout out "OUR CULTURE IS OFFENDED" from the roof tops, and to those who have not read the book, let me explain.

The book is set in pre-Taliban Afghanistan where,  as the book reads, it is evident the country was doing well for itself. But the wars set in, and one thing  leads to another, and the taliban creeps in. The hard lined, regressive, and oppressive regime is not news to anyone. We all know, or at least have an idea of the awful state of affairs there. I am afraid that India is poised to get there too.

From the view point of a person fresh out of his teens, has not seen much of the world, let alone much of India, except through news channels, and what I know of the world -hearsay; India in its present state still scares me. These fresh attacks on "PUB CULTURE" are especially unsettling.

Do not mistake me for a person who is PRO pub culture. I am not PRO or ANTI anything in this context. I just do not agree that going to pubs is going against Indian culture. What i would like us to take note of is how the topic of discussion has shifted so conveniently. Instead of telling this moral police to mind their own business, we are discussing PUBS?? We can and probably should discuss pubs but later, once the message is clear INDIA is not a land to spew ones hatred, and ignorance on. AND NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW. We let these "Protectors of culture" go today, tomorrow they will start banning books, tv shows, clothes, free speech, and slowly but surely we are back in time, when women could not vote, and men would be following bonded labor.

Which culture is offended when people go to pubs? Why is it other people's business to deal with it. Going to pubs is a personal choice. You can only offend people (that one can do culturally, physically, morally and in other ways). You simply cannot offend a culture. Let these moral police point out which culture is offended by going to pubs. Is it them who are offended? Most likely. Discussing ANYTHING else is moot right now, and will be off topic. Even saying that our gods and goddesses, kings and queens were all PRO what any MORAL police, or layman would be ANTI, is irrelevant. We are losing sight of the important issue.

A similar case is here back home in BOMBAY. We have another Hitler in the making. No one has the guts to do what is necessary. People are discussing what his ideals are, whether they are right or wrong can be discussed later, you just cannot be a vigilante.

Unfortunately, India is going to be a country that thrives on falsities, pseudo culture, pseudo ideology, pseudo secular, pseudo honest and pseudo hope. I feel jealous of America, they have an honest, straightforward and seemingly strong and intelligent man to lead them.

The Simple Cheese Sandwich

During exam time, when you are practically on house arrest(by choice of course) our Satiety Center in the brain refuses to comply with space in the stomach. Every 5 minutes, i find myself wanting to go around hunting for grub. The following experience is not lifted from Ghajini or Memento, and i do not have anterograde  amnesia, i hit the refrigerator, looking for the left overs from breakfast, i find nothing, so return to my books. Beside my books i find a plate with what was the leftovers from breakfast. I wonder hmmm...perhaps i did eat it some time back. That done....with food on my mind, i cant concentrate on my books can i? so i make a beeline to the kitchen cupboards. And to cut the disappointing story short...Old Mother Hubbard just moved down a notch. 

Grumbling i come back, I don't want to make Maggi or anything, nor do i want to ask my folks to cook  something for me. I come back to my books, and resume my session of study+ reverie. i recall seeing bread in my fridge, and some cheese. Now then.... :)

Swiftly i swing into action...2 slices of bread, one slice of Britannia Cheese, slam them together, put it on a place, and shove in the Microwave!!!

Voila!!!! There it is...the solution to my- perennial, and probably harmful in the long run- desire to be fed!!!

The cheese melting down the side, just the right consistency, and the flavor blending in with the bread perfectly. Couldn't ask for more i think....and head back with the plate to my books....

I read with maximum attention on my sandwich. Savoring each morsel. And before i know it....its gone.

One more i think...but i manage to control myself...like an old Malayalam story says (loosely translated)...if i eat the first one today, and the second one also today....then what about tomorrow? 

So thats my story, of the simple cheese sandwich. Lovers of cheese rejoice.....this is one for the books! 

Ho ho ho hum(bug)...

"The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, made his eyes red, his thin lips blue, and he spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice ..."

-Charles Dickens about E.Scrooge in A Christmas Carol

It is Christmas Season again, and for Bombay University's aspiring engineers its the longdrawn exam season.  I for one am bored already and very nearly Dicken's Scrooge. The examinations stretch from 4th of December to 14th of January, and we have only 5 papers to give. One can only imagine the apathy and complete displeasure at everything around that sets in. Exam time demands that time be spent with the books, if not convention its the conviction that tearing through the books and notes will help keep our head above water.

There is very little else that one can allow oneself to do. Its all got to be sit and home and study. No going out, no eating out, no long chats, no games, no movies, basically nothing fun. The weather in the mornings is so pleasant,so soporific just begs you to continue to snuggle the pillows and stay under the covers all morning, but that pleasure is short lived too-must rise early and hit the books. 

-Rising time from my Bedroom Balcony 

It comes as no surprise then that Ebenezer Scrooge was such a Scrooge, when one tries to put in the context that he too must have faced such a situation. Whats to be merry about? The people who went about setting the exam timetable, must have been scrooges as well...allowing us only a day off on Christmas.  I dont know if am making sense, but i for one am convinced-Ebenezer Scrooge was a student of banking or whatever it is, and his exams were as long drawn as todays engineers'.

So, No merry wishes to you, all I have to say is...BAH...HUMBUG!!!

Nov. 26th Bombay, Among other things....

As soon as I turned on TV in the early night on the 26th and witnessed lunacy at its best- the indiscriminate gunfire in South Bombay, surprise and shock gripped me. I wasn't sure that the Local cops would be able to contain them immediately, but never did I expect it to turn the way we have witnessed all of Nov. 27th 2008.

After texting my friends about the news, i turned in early on the 26th. Woke up early next morning, only to find-the Taj mahal hotel set abaze, and a terrorist situation. Like i am sure you have heard the news channels say, things turned very fast. A lot of policemen were killed including ATS chief, ACP Mumbai and an experienced Encounter Specialist. I don't know them personally, but instant sorrow and grief swept over me.I have found that as soon as you put a face and name to any one among the hundred anonymous victims, a deep sense of sadness fills me.

I was among the relatively fortunate who saw this terrorist situation develop rapidly into a hostage situation  from my home, and not on the streets of South Bombay, or inside those buildings. The news channels albeit doing their best not to perform their tacit responsibility of SENSATIONALIZING the news, were not entirely helpful. They kept repeating what we knew, and showed that they did little to find out more. CNN an American news channel, was the only one I could find who went online to get information. Which was giving more information than the hordes of journalists at ground zero. When i went online myself to find out about the "DECCAN Mujahideen"(seemed so much of a made up name), i found out on Wikipedia a few lines. There was more information about the events that took place last night on the internet(Wikipedia, BBC,word press) than on the news channels.

Our media sadly were found digging for new treasure on an already explored island. The most silliest of questions were posed to a survivor, and the DG of police. One good thing was they were flashing helpline numbers and were calling out for donation of blood. I am unaware of the response people got on those helpline numbers.

While I saw no pattern emerge from the series of events, there were news channels saying it was an attack on Westerners. But in that case CAMA hospital, VT station, Vile Parle all just dont add up. If it was to create confusion, they have not created CONFUSION. And as suggest to me by my friend over the phone, i don't think its just a gang of people with an aim to take lives. They would have killed everyone by now. The mind of a lunatic cannot be understood to have motives, i agree, but surely there must be some reason, even if it is changing from time to time, and pointless.

Our beloved political parties, with their hordes and hordes of activists maintained a conspicuous silence given their proclaimed love for this state and its aboriginals. There is so much they could have done. I don't mean fight the terrorists(although when they start protesting and disrupting daily lives for their leader, they have a countenance that betrays invincibility), but things like getting on the streets, and moving people from crowded hospital to one which isn't as busy. Move victims who make it out to safe locations. Find out about the people inside, and make sure their relatives know.
Patrol the streets of Bombay, and see if they can identify any disruptive acts. There is so much they could have done if they really felt for this city they way they claim. But that i guess, is expecting way too much. Where would the head honchos be able to create their own disruptiveness by helping the city. Even the city's MoS and MLa's presence does nothing really; Apart from wasting the time of the security forces, by getting an explanation of the situation, and doing nothing with it. They and global leaders did what they can do best...Condemn.

The NSG, RAF, Navy and police appear to be doing all they can. It must be a difficult job to identify among innocent hostages -the bad guys, and take them out. While I will salute their bravery and courage, and patience, it is what they have been trained for. They are doing their JOB. ANY LESS would be unacceptable. It is good news that they have managed to capture one of the terrorists and ascertain their identity.

There is no doubt that Bombay is playing host to a deadly situation, but certainly a lot is left to be desired for. I would like to convey my condolences to all those people who have lost dear ones in this battle, hope that the hostages return unharmed, and the perpetrators are massacred unceremoniously in public.

Marilyn Manson --- Songs?

In a bid to listen to new kinds of music, I decided one day deviate from the genre of music I generally listen to when on the move, and switch to what my friends were raving about. And thus went ahead and put in my iPod, Marilyn Manson: Antichrist Superstar. I had already heard two of their songs, and they didn’t seem so outlandish. I regret I expected the same from this album. 

The songs start off with morbid music. Deathly and ghoulish, the start of the song is almost certain to give you the creeps at night. The songs’ intro can be used for the original soundtrack of a film Zombies-a-rising. And those that don’t fit that bill will be just perfect as a dirge. That’s as much as I can say about the intro to any song. 

If perchance, we decide to listen on and not skip the song after the intro, we then begin to understand my peers’ raving in unintelligible noises. They are merely singing the song!!! The words just don’t feature in any language. We know bands like Rammstein is German, so we expect to not understand. A linguist of global nature wouldn’t know what to make of this group’s songs. Their lexicon seems to be borrowed from aliens. 

All these thoughts went through my mind as I sat in the bus, listening to the songs, when suddenly; I was wrenched away from the song by the sound of screeching brakes. I soon realized this wasn’t any accident, because the bus continued to move… the iPod was showing the first song had ended and the next song had begun! What I had heard was the coda, indistinguishable from screeching brakes! The other songs too had similar pieces featuring breaking guitars, screams, and fade-outs in some sort of gibberish. 

Strangely, I didn’t mind all the weird elements to this kind of music. “Alternative metal” it’s called. The incomprehensible lyrics don’t really bother me and I am sure they don’t bother the fans of this Band either. The music is nice, the only thing is that to enjoy it best all you need to do is emerge from the crypt. 

Mellow-dramatics

I have a few articles written for me to share with you tonight, but i feel like writing something. I don't mean something with a point or purpose, just random musings. Please bear with.
I was intrigued by a movie called Sex and the city that i saw on keshav's LAN network. So i brought it home with me. This movie was made after its sitcom version became as popular as a sardar joke in India. I had never seen the show, only heard of its success and fame. Partly curiosity to see what all the hulla was about, and to see if it was in fact true to its name.
I skipped through the movie to make a quick estimation of the story line. As i went through it, i found a scene where the female protagonist was making wedding plans. On the next leap i made by fast forward i found the scene that where the groom had some doubts, and had been a no show at the alter. To which the bride was reacting violently in public. As he reaches to her to explain that he had a weak moment, and was alright now, she turns her back to him and clings on to her friend. What ensues is the height of melodrama! The friend makes such a wild and shocking cry refusing to allow the groom to come close to the bride.with so much invectiveness in expression she cast on him as they moved away. This is an over-reaction beyond all things. True I cannot contemplate and even begin to understand the embarrassment that might be caused to a bride when the groom decides to be absent at the alter, but surely some discretion is necessary when reacting in public.
The motto that this sends out is that there is this kind of female power to be proud of. I see my female friends who would have felt satisfied at seeing this kind of display of standing up for a friend.That anything goes if it is in the name of protection of femininity.
There are two things here: picking up Americanisms and following women empowerment and equality with fanaticism like ideals. The Americans portrayed in their serials and movies are always overly melodramatic. They tend to push things way out of proportion. They over react, shout, yell, throw things and do everything short gnawing each others eyes out. People some how like to follow this. They think this is the cool thing to do. And as a result, girls will react badly to anything on the road, scream, yell, and walk off in fits of rage. This they do with no qualms because they think its the way to conduct themselves.
And the womens' movement fanatics, need to really think about what they are asking. They may not all be maniacs, but if they must fight, it should be to make all women equal to each other. There are some who throw a tantrum if they are denied attention, there are some are not being given a job because shes a she.

The Nag-azine!

Its been long since i blogged. I was waiting for me to be the author of a good article. That didn't happen. I met my friend and blogger bud siddharth online the other day, he asked about the sudden recession in activity on my blog site. It was him that pointed out that blogs were never meant to be perfect little articles filled with "le mot juste" as Gustave Flaubert would have said it.

I have been busy with work with the magazine society of our college.I am the person responsible for it. This year we are starting a college wallpaper. That's sort of an open faced magazine. It is supposed to be fortnightly. this i guess will get people to write more often than just before the magazine is coming out!

The process started way back in August. I being a through professional, or at the very least aspiring to be one, wrote letters to the Principal, which he promptly directed to the Academic In-charge of our college. I suppose everything has to go through th Academic In-charge, so that makes it more like Vice-Principal. These letters were to state that according to the wishes of the previous magazine council i am to take charge this year. And another letter suggesting this Wallpaper.

Now we all know how things lie in the office. Days went by, in getting a new council in place, and getting a notice board and approval for the wallpaper. Only after getting the necessary stuff did we go ahead and invite contributions. Now after many weeks of deliberation are we in a position to release our first every issue of Campus BuZz. Thats what we called our little brainchild. Although we are still waiting for a professor to clear out the notice board that was promised to us, which shouldn't take very long...we're nearly there.

This year i guess our job, our meaning this years council, is to lay the foundation for such an activity. because there are only few more weeks left this semester, and about another 10-12 weeks next semester. So maybe next year this will really take off!
Wish us luck!

We venerate loyalty- to our schools, employers, institutions, friends-as a virtue. Loyalty, however, can be at least as detrimental an influence as it can be a beneficial one.

Loyalty by its definition is complete faith in someone or in some cause. By this definition alone we cannot understand the detrimental side of loyalty. In its simplest form, it is observed as a virtue that reassures us that amidst the vices of man, there is some good. In most things that bring immediate good, we tend to not look for the harm that it could cause in extreme cases. Thus we always tend to ignore the detrimental aspect to it. It is possible to discern the detrimental side to it if we look at loyalty in its extremes. 

The serious leeward side of loyalty is the blindness it brings. A complete lack of cognitive behaviour because of peoples near fanatical loyalty to a faith, are the causes of destruction and devastation today. A more relevant example is not available to confirm the veracity in the fallibility of blind faith. It is a characteristic of terrorism. The fanaticism and insane loyalty to a cause, where they pledge allegiance to their faith, and see it fit for numerous atrocities to be committed.  All attacks on humanity or prevailing harmony, which are globally condemned, are all acts conducted by such intense loyalty to a cause. This loyalty leads one to ignore all reason and then perform dastardly acts.

Intense loyalty is not only harmful to others, it can very often be, in fact more often be harm to ones-self. When it comes to loyalty to God for example, it brings with it blindness; a kind of fanaticism again but which harms the self.  When among the religious, become ill, if they believe that god or his miracles will alleviate them from their disease, and wait for another miracle they are doomed. People are believed to have refused medical attention to treat their cancer, because they believe that God is the one who put in a cancer, he is the one who will remove it.

These are the more severe effects of loyalty which make it as detrimental at least as much as it is beneficial  As it is so with everything, it is so with loyalty as well, in its excess it is extremely harmful.  Everything must be reasoned out. Even loyalty as godly as it maybe, sometimes has its shortcomings.

Jaane Tu..Or dont u know.

The Craze that is following the latest release is amazing. i don't claim to be a movie buff, but i generally have an idea of what the public reactions to a film just released are. The first 2 days following a release are really busy, because a film releases on Friday and then comes the weekend, and its generally with good Pre-release marketing and a rather favorable review that the shows go house-full.

The week that follows manages lukewarm to warm business at the box office, because the days now turn to the working days, and mostly people go to work, and those who don't are engaged in other responsibilities. This takes up the majority of society. The remainder are those who have the time to go to the movies. Even among those there are few who would prefer to watch it with someone so wait till the someone is free, and those who wily few who managed a ticket for the opening weekend.

This particular film has done so well over these few days, that almost all shows every where have been declared HOUSE-FULL! Imagine that. Owing to the fact that it was well marketed before the release, a very very favorable review, and that most people among the target audience lie in the age group depicted in the movie are lazing around with the vacation season over them. 

The movie released 4th of July, and today is the 8th of July the first Tuesday where the shows are declared house-full an amazing three hours prior to the start. Even i managed to see the show with front row seats for the late night show which was declared House-full soon after i bought tickets which was around 8 hours before show start time. 

This is what some site had to say:

The film fetched a flying start, collecting 80% + in morning shows and was 100% in noon shows across the country. It's one of the biggest starts of this year. The reports are very good and the film is expected to enjoy a strong, meritorious run in days to come."

                                                            -http://www.indiafm.com/trade/boxoffice_update/84.html

Well, there you have statistically, 100% in noon shows! I have never seen a response to a film like this.i suppose they initial response is going to go a few more weeks, this is when we can really figure the population of a region. 

Like Ninad (aka Belo) a friend of mine observed today- the title of the film suggests to the people, Whether you know ...Or not - that you just might not get tickets.

But Pappu can't dance

If there were ever a person by the name of Pappu, he would surely by now be hiding some place safe with an attic. And when he'd have to move around he'll have a doggie bag with 3 holes (2 eyes and a nose) handy. Thats all he could do, even to change his name he'd have to reveal it. Everyone seems to have taken a strong passionate liking to the idea of defamation of Pappu!

It all started one sunny morning, when the papers and other forms of media our protagonist enjoyed, accused him of have a chronic problem of failing. All over the tube people began saying itne saal hua pappu pass nahin hua! . At first it was only over the channels that aired children's shows, which pappu didnt really mind. But then shows that aired more popluar adult shows like saas-bahu serials, and the news began transgressing his private school records. When such ideas were in print pappu without being able to stand it any more, decided to take to the courts. Thats when they agreed to let pappu pass. Finally Pappu pass ho gaya!
How much of a relief it brought pappu to have the record set straight was not revealed to the public, who merely took joy in the fact that the guy passed the grade!

They mongers of such slander went a step ahead and even showed people that a really old fellow as pappu who just passed the 10th! The papers and media ever since have referred to people who pass the 10th standard long after their contemporaries as 'Pappu' . He even consulted astrologers who refused to see his horoscope saying that their horoscopes foretold trouble if they tended to his. It seemed nothing was going right.

then there was a lull. nothing much was said about pappu, at least not openly. he still when passing along areas where collegians gathered and 'hung around' heard allusions being made to him when someone goofed up. but that was the most.

Come 2008, it seemed to him that the stars decided to finish off any remaining self respect, they may have missed in the first round. They were rubbing everything he never was right in his face. This lean, shy and reserved fellow was being teased. he was never all those things they said he was....and he knew they knew it. they were just poking fun. He couldn't understand, why they were after him.
They were all after him. He wondered if there were any in his ancestors that were the cause of nearly all his countrymen having such an unpleasant sentiment towards him. he looked up libraries, in search for historical events that connect him to traitors or a variety of bandits.
He found nothing.
One day, he finally gave up, and decided that he would merely change his name. that would end his misery. he went to the court and submitted to change his name to something with more weight. After a few minutes the form was accepted and stamped by a giggling clerk. Pappu was no more, he was now Raj!
A wave of triumph swept over him. he felt he had just defeated all the evil spirits that surrounded him. All he had to do now was go over to the bank, and ration card office to get them to recognize the name change.
He was whistling on his way home, expecting his life to change for the better. At his doorstep he stopped to check the mailbox. It contained a cheque for a PAPPU of 10,00,000. And that not the bearer, but PAPPU himself must cash it.
Why me was all he remembers thinking before he fainted.

Trying stuff out

This is me again, trying stuff out on the iGOOGLE page.
This is an amazing innovation from google, which allows us to add our favourite tools on to our google home page.
to make it lucid...i have on my google home page, my gmail, my facebook account pages, orkut pages, my blog(which i am accessing right now) and more cool stuff like thoughts for the day, the date time and weather, google maps!!!!
I hope this gets posted on the blog correctly!
Kudos to GOOGLE! :D

Make like the birds...

We have grown up knowing and taking for a fact that Birds fly south for the winter. Now, just because we make allusions to dumb people as bird-brains doesn't necessarily make the original owners of those brains dumb.These migratory birds, leave the northern regions in search for alternative food sources, or the 'beat the cold'. The northern parts of our planets can get frigid in the heights of winter, and so these birds fly south, where the climate is far friendlier. So also for the southern parts, where the birds fly North for their winters. These are migratory instincts, that the birds and animals have.

An instinct is an inherent disposition of a living organism to a particular behaviour -Wikipedia.en

The seasonal movement of a complete population of animals from one area to another. Migration is usually a response to changes in temperature, food supply, or the amount of daylight, and is often undertaken for the purpose of breeding.

-Dictionary.com

The instinct of migration was true even to animals and mammals. From the prehistoric era onwards man has recorded that mammals like the mammoth find that the grass is greener on the other side, often of the equator(considering all the continents were joined together). They all went in search of better land and places where food was agreeable to their palates'. And when the climates changed, they would return, to the very same place from where they had left.This shown in the popular film ICE AGE 2. When the ice begins to melt, all the animals begin to move from their habitat.

This instinct i feel was a part of the humans as well, but a little different in nature. Whenever our ancestors found climates were unfavorable, and could not carry on in the same location, they moved. i suppose the difference is that they moved away, which is to be understood different from migrate.Apart from the accounts of Mohammed-bin-Tughlaq, who kept moving his GHQ from Delhi to Daulatabad every so often, we really have not come across anecdotes of migration by our ancestors.

However i feel it is time that we took to migration and learn from the birds and animals. With the seasons of today, we are faced; at least in the city of Bombay, with torrential rains. Where in other countries rain falls, here it comes down with something that can only be described as a wrath or vengeance. And Thanks to all the reconstruction and badly spaced out areas, not to forget the low lying sections of our 'mega' city water collects, claiming lives, or worse, destroying everything that makes life live-able and sparing the life itself.

Why not make like the birds, and leave town starting Early June, and return to where we were, just 3 months later. We could make migratory patterns of our own. We could collectively leave this city, to go anywhere. Pack our stuff, and leave.

They city already comes to a standstill every so often in the rains. Us leaving would just make sure there is no loss of life and distance the inconvenience in living in this season.The picture clearly shows what this city is put through during the monsoons.An entire stream of traffic just clogged,waiting endlessly for the road ahead to be cleared. This is worse than a complete standstill to city life. We leave for a few months, and effectively bypass the devastation, saving us the frustration, anger, irritation and other negative effects the rains have on us. All the Governing body has to do it make if official. June to September is Bombay's Vacation Season.Whats better is we don't have to go only to one place each time, we could plan in advance, and go visit different cities. Every year a new place to see. Its not impossible to do, and since the city would be deserted, maybe the conditions that bolster the chaos causing rains could be corrected. Till then, Lets just Make like the birds...

Long time no 'Siege!'

Ah, its been long, or long enough that i haven't written. its beginning to scare me now. i realize that the less often i write the less capable i am going to be of articulating my thoughts! After a grueling session of examinations i found myself at the liberty to do whatever i pleased. and so i pleased to go on a trip with my friends to a city called Hyderabad. The trip was a good 6 days, not counting the days spent in travel to and back from the place. The noteworthy travel was within the city of Hyderabad. The notes that i claim as worthy on the travel within city limits will be left to another post another time. This time i concentrate on something of lesser worthiness. This is merely a comeback post, to let the ardent fans of this blog know that i am very much here and have not taken to another hobby. Just as Psmith does to reassure his superiors at the bank he works in by leaving his hat and glove at his desk when he leaves for a lunch break, that he will be undoubtedly back, that they at the bank needn't worry that the 'highly efficient, toiler' Psmith has left for good, when they notice his absence. After the 6 days -excluding the one day of travel which is in no great detail explained here because of its already assessed worthiness, i was kept busy with other engagements. First on the 24th when i arrived at home, was my sisters birthday, which we all who are younger brothers know- must be treated with the respect that it is due. the first half of the next day went in coming back to the state where there is no PARTY! and the second half went wastefully in the expectation of my birthday, which demanded its own importance. Having called some people over and asking them specifically to come with presents, i was done for the day. My birthday passed very well, thanks to my family and all the people who made it. it pleased me very much that everyone who did come- had with them some present or the other. those who had no particular object to offer as a present, said they have brought themselves. i made a mental note of that so i may use it when i go for the very many parties i am invited to. The 27th presented me with a driving engagement that i was unable to escape from. again the engager of my activity was an elder sibling , so all my friends who are younger siblings will imagine and take comfort in that imagination that Alcatraz would be a lesser challenge. 28th was spent tiring to figure out what would be my POA or plan of Action for the remainder of my vacations, which i spent ideally- wastefully watching movies on my laptop. the joys of wasting time along the vacations was not exactly what i was planning for the days ahead, only they seemed a fitting way to start. all other means of entertainment failed to present themselves in time to save me from passing away the time they could have occupied. today is the 29th, and i am writing faithfully. I feel that i owe all of the fans of this activity of mine an explanation and a detailed report of those chores that kept me from posting my works so that they may read it. I am glad that this day will mark my comeback to writing, and your comeback to reading. Till later and more noteworthy topics arise, Adios

Whats human about us?

I have this interesting piece of news to give you all. yesterday in Kentucky (a state in the US) there was a Hit-And -Run accident and the driver just drove off.
CNN made THIS NEWS, and it was news because the by standers DID NOTHING! In that country everyone was appalled how a 78 yr old man crossing the road was just allowed to lie there.
the approximately 2 minute video shows very clearly the incident, of him being knocked over.
and the driver just drove off.
(link to the video:=http://www.hartford.gov/Police/)


The police say they aren't sure if anyone called 911. Cars just drove by around the body, as if it were a rag doll on the road. EVEN THEN You would expect them to move it out. people gathered around the body and just stood there for a few seconds, and walked away.

The local paper reported it as "SO INHUMANE". the chief of police even said-"we no longer have a moral compass".

no one even attempted to get medical attention to him. it was only when a police rover came up that they manged to get him help.

Juxtaposed to situations here, we aren't unhelpful, its just that most people would rather stay out of it. a majority of people would do exactly like these particular Americans did, and it would be normal conduct here. While there its national news. Inhumanity is made news on CNN.The people are calling it BEYOND CHILLING.
we are obliged to think we are doing someone a favor if we help. We should help because its the human thing to do.We just haven't gotten civilized natures into us yet.