Salsa, my first attempts of learning this dance form was not a great collapse as I had xpected. ( I didnt the abc of this dance) On the contrary it turned out to be addictive ... :). The dance form is pretty coo n easy to learn for the guys.. .maan women had a tough time twisting, swiveling etc etc. Good fun though.
One of my friends had cursed me 'may u get the ugliest n the bulkiest of the women as ur partner' :). God listened to part of his wishes. My partner wasnt ugly.. but she was a bit bulky ... I was just hoping 'let there be no dance step where I have to kinda support this girl .. ' and fortunately there werernt any such steps in today's class. :). Though am not a born dancer .. kinda slowly learning the artform. The best part of this school is they teach all forms of western dance, and today it was salsa. The dance I enjoy the most is hip hop ... the steps are simply awesome.
Hola! como esta usted ? senorita ... were the first words of spanish I learnt . (Translation , hello, how are u, lady ). Senorita (pronounced senyorita) refers to an unmarried woman and senora (pronounced senyora ) refers to a married woman. Apparently my teacher could not explain the distinction :). The language is easy to learn but the pronounciations and the tone is a bit difficult. Hopefully am able to complete the course and learn atleast the basics of spanish...
xmas, well its that time of the year when literally the whole world is in holidaying mood, partying, buyin gifts, ahhh its unxplainable... so heres wishing everyone a very happy christmas.. and a wonderful new year .. .have a blast guys... just party ... I wl b on vacation n this will be my last post for this year ... hv fun guys ...
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
Thursday, December 18, 2003
War Heroes
I still remember the day in my X std when I was reading about the second world war and Hitler's advances towards France. At that moment, I felt that Hitler should win the war. For whatever reasons, I wanted this man to rule Europe and as I was reading through my history text book that mentioned Hitler's victory over France, I could feel my heartbeat increasing with the anticipation that Hitler wins the war.
As I said before for whatever reasons, my likes of historic leaders always was vague. I adored Hitler, Otto Van Bismarck and Lenin. Studying the atrocities committed by these war heroes, further raised my inspirational spirits. It gives me immense pleasure to read and study about these 'heroes'. 'War and violence' was my mantra in childhood. For these reasons, I never approved of the non-violent means of attaining Indian independence. Mahatma Gandhi was never a hero for me. All these thoughts just flared across when I was wathching this program 'Wars' on the history channel. This particulare episode was about Hitler's failure to capture England. I was literlly glued to the television for one hour. I was not aware of the technological advancement of the Germans. Its amazing to know that 60 years agao, Germans had mastered the technology of rocket launching with what is known as the 'A2'. This technology formed the basis for the 1969 launch of Appolo spacecraft which put Niel Armstrong on the moon. Hitler, as is known was instrumental in the German uprising after their loss in the 1918 world war. His methods were brutal and yielded faster results. For instance, in 1938, German unemployment rate was hovering around 40%. Food requirements were not met. The disgrace of losing the first world war had made Germany a matter of laughter for other nations. At that time, this man took power into his hands and transformed things within a matter of one year. In 1939, Germany was one of the most flourishing economies in the world, unemployment was down to 5% and people were generally happy. But what drove such a thriving economy to a war ? Vengeance. and thats what makes Hitler a true war hero. Vengeance against the jews. He satisfied his vengeance by slaughtering more than 3 million jews in a matter of 2-4 years. However brutal the act maybe, but it requires enormous planning and timely execution. Hitler got his vengeance, but what I feel sad about is, he lost the technologies to Americans. The creme de la creme of German scientists who designed the lethal war weapons, were offered refuge in the United States. Today most of United States' war technology should be endowed to the Germans. All this said and done, in 1940, when Germany was launching advanced lethal rockets towards London, we Indians were staging 'Satyagraha' :). Non-violence and ahimsa has made this country a 'third world' developing nation filled with corruption. Its a different matter that 25 years down the line we will be one of the leading nations, but till then the common man has to suffer in this nation. War heroes, have been instrumental in the success of their countries, be it Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill or George Washington. Yes there are no Indians in the list, because we are still not a successful nation.
As I said before for whatever reasons, my likes of historic leaders always was vague. I adored Hitler, Otto Van Bismarck and Lenin. Studying the atrocities committed by these war heroes, further raised my inspirational spirits. It gives me immense pleasure to read and study about these 'heroes'. 'War and violence' was my mantra in childhood. For these reasons, I never approved of the non-violent means of attaining Indian independence. Mahatma Gandhi was never a hero for me. All these thoughts just flared across when I was wathching this program 'Wars' on the history channel. This particulare episode was about Hitler's failure to capture England. I was literlly glued to the television for one hour. I was not aware of the technological advancement of the Germans. Its amazing to know that 60 years agao, Germans had mastered the technology of rocket launching with what is known as the 'A2'. This technology formed the basis for the 1969 launch of Appolo spacecraft which put Niel Armstrong on the moon. Hitler, as is known was instrumental in the German uprising after their loss in the 1918 world war. His methods were brutal and yielded faster results. For instance, in 1938, German unemployment rate was hovering around 40%. Food requirements were not met. The disgrace of losing the first world war had made Germany a matter of laughter for other nations. At that time, this man took power into his hands and transformed things within a matter of one year. In 1939, Germany was one of the most flourishing economies in the world, unemployment was down to 5% and people were generally happy. But what drove such a thriving economy to a war ? Vengeance. and thats what makes Hitler a true war hero. Vengeance against the jews. He satisfied his vengeance by slaughtering more than 3 million jews in a matter of 2-4 years. However brutal the act maybe, but it requires enormous planning and timely execution. Hitler got his vengeance, but what I feel sad about is, he lost the technologies to Americans. The creme de la creme of German scientists who designed the lethal war weapons, were offered refuge in the United States. Today most of United States' war technology should be endowed to the Germans. All this said and done, in 1940, when Germany was launching advanced lethal rockets towards London, we Indians were staging 'Satyagraha' :). Non-violence and ahimsa has made this country a 'third world' developing nation filled with corruption. Its a different matter that 25 years down the line we will be one of the leading nations, but till then the common man has to suffer in this nation. War heroes, have been instrumental in the success of their countries, be it Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill or George Washington. Yes there are no Indians in the list, because we are still not a successful nation.
Sunday, December 14, 2003
A new sensation
The New Honda City is indeed a sensation. Having sold 800 cars in just 2 days, the waiting period is now 2 months according to this article in Economic Times. The car has had all the critics gaping for their breath, as they touted the car as 'balmy and underpowered'. This 77 bhp vehicle, with the utmost safety standards and a cool new look, priced at 6.67 lakhs in the Indian silicon valley will indeed be a prized possesion. The sales of the new honda city have just proven that the indian consumer no longer just buys a car from a single perspective of either speed or luxury or cost effectiveness. Hyundai and Ford, call back your researchers from their holidays.
Monday, December 08, 2003
Knock Out
Yes, it is definitely the phrase associated with the sport of boxing am talking about and the correlation is to the dream I had last night. As it is common with most dreams, the 'place' or 'venue' will always be something which the dreamer has not seen or able to correlate to real life. My case was no exception. So here goes the dream,
The venue was a boxing arena and a match was in progress. The next thing I realized, I was in the ring, in complete boxing attire. (No helmets as it was freestyle ). My opponent, ahem, was twice my build, head completely shaven, and had that killer instincts in his eyes. ( probably his biceps were bigger than my thighs :) For comparison sake, I weigh just over 70 kilos). Well the match starts and the all I am able to manage is to escape from his punches. I dont know the ABC of this sport but I was amazed at my footwork in the match. Apart from escaping, I managed to hit this guy once on his face in round 1. Then onwards fear starts enveloping, the fear of getting punched by this guy. Just one or two punches would knock me down and I would probably lose my conciousness. Round 2 onwards, I again just manage to escape his punches. The cheer of the spectators, ( to see a first timer managing to stay in the ring without bieng knocked down) was deafening. I think my opponent was not all that hell bent upon hitting me :). I dont know in which round, but I get a punch on my cheek and it starts bleeding. Somehow I manage to stand. The round ends and in the next round, this dude has so much confidence in his eyes, that it makes me literally shiver. Then he misses a punch, and suddenly this huge gap between his arms and his face ( because of the swing ) becomes visible and I just land a punch on his nose through that gap, (man thats unbelievable ). This dude stumbles and then goes and supports himself on the ropes of the ring and the ring master waits for sometime for this guy to get up and then declares the end of the match. I am so overwhelmed, that the match ended, and realized that I had won it !!. I just go to the opponent, hug him and tell 'man this match is yours, I dont deserve the victory'. I just woke up at this instant (thanks to the alarm). It was 7.30 AM.
In the loo, I was just thinking about this dream, in that boxing arena, so many people shouting at you, just drains down your courage. (Adding to this is that killer look in the opponent and his killer build ). To feel that earth shattering noise is something I cannot explain. In reality, I might never be a boxer or any kind of a sportsperson to compete in front of such a huge crowd, but it felt good to just know how it feels to be one, atleast in the dreams. Neverthe less, I can opt to get atleast trained in boxing or some form of martial arts :)
The venue was a boxing arena and a match was in progress. The next thing I realized, I was in the ring, in complete boxing attire. (No helmets as it was freestyle ). My opponent, ahem, was twice my build, head completely shaven, and had that killer instincts in his eyes. ( probably his biceps were bigger than my thighs :) For comparison sake, I weigh just over 70 kilos). Well the match starts and the all I am able to manage is to escape from his punches. I dont know the ABC of this sport but I was amazed at my footwork in the match. Apart from escaping, I managed to hit this guy once on his face in round 1. Then onwards fear starts enveloping, the fear of getting punched by this guy. Just one or two punches would knock me down and I would probably lose my conciousness. Round 2 onwards, I again just manage to escape his punches. The cheer of the spectators, ( to see a first timer managing to stay in the ring without bieng knocked down) was deafening. I think my opponent was not all that hell bent upon hitting me :). I dont know in which round, but I get a punch on my cheek and it starts bleeding. Somehow I manage to stand. The round ends and in the next round, this dude has so much confidence in his eyes, that it makes me literally shiver. Then he misses a punch, and suddenly this huge gap between his arms and his face ( because of the swing ) becomes visible and I just land a punch on his nose through that gap, (man thats unbelievable ). This dude stumbles and then goes and supports himself on the ropes of the ring and the ring master waits for sometime for this guy to get up and then declares the end of the match. I am so overwhelmed, that the match ended, and realized that I had won it !!. I just go to the opponent, hug him and tell 'man this match is yours, I dont deserve the victory'. I just woke up at this instant (thanks to the alarm). It was 7.30 AM.
In the loo, I was just thinking about this dream, in that boxing arena, so many people shouting at you, just drains down your courage. (Adding to this is that killer look in the opponent and his killer build ). To feel that earth shattering noise is something I cannot explain. In reality, I might never be a boxer or any kind of a sportsperson to compete in front of such a huge crowd, but it felt good to just know how it feels to be one, atleast in the dreams. Neverthe less, I can opt to get atleast trained in boxing or some form of martial arts :)
Sunday, December 07, 2003
Lalith Mahal Palace
On the outskirts of the city of Mysore, Karnataka stands this majestic hotel. Formerly it was one of the palaces of the Mysore kingdom. This hotel, is the most luxurious hotel I have ever seen in this country. (Havent been to Rajasthan yet ) and from what I have heard about the rest of the world, nothing can match it's royal splendour. There is an air of royalty in that place, which I could not find in any other 5 or 7* hotels. The paintings, flooring, design, roof tops, the brass railings, u name it and everything is royal.
It is owned by ITDC. I guess that explains the rest of the awful things about this place. service and food . If I were a businessman today and had around Rs 100 crores at my disposal, would definitely buy this hotel (10 crores kept aside for bribes :)) ) and turn it into the most happening tourist destination of Southern India.
It is owned by ITDC. I guess that explains the rest of the awful things about this place. service and food . If I were a businessman today and had around Rs 100 crores at my disposal, would definitely buy this hotel (10 crores kept aside for bribes :)) ) and turn it into the most happening tourist destination of Southern India.
Monday, December 01, 2003
Diff : Having sex and Making Love
When having sex, you worry your spouse will find out. When making love, you worry the kids will :)
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Female Infanticide in Urban India
For those who have read one of the recent issues of India today, the topic needs no explaination. For the rest, here is a brief introduction. The cover article of one of the issues of India today addresses the topic of the falling female to male ratios in 'urban' India, mostly in the NCR and Gujarath. Yes the emphasis is on the word 'urban' here. The falling rates are quite alarming. The study has been carefully undertaken with the correct statistics and figures. (I dont have a copy of the magazine to recollect the exact figures). Now how does this affect the 'Indian' psyche and why is that I am so concerned about this alarming rate and why have I titled this blog as 'female infanticide' though there is no actual killing involved.
First, why 'infanticide'. The study undertaken by the magazine says that most of the urban Indian women ( in the age group 23 -35) do not want to give birth to a female child. Now how on earth do they know that they are going to give birth to a female child. Should I say thanks to the 'sex determination tests' of the foetuses. By determining the sex of the unborn child, women undergo abortion to 'remove' the unwanted 'female foetus'. Now this is why I term this as 'infanticide'. If not killing the child after it has been born, these 'women' are 'terminating' them much earlier. Nothing to be surprised at the fact that sex determination of a child before it is born is 'illegal' in this country. The clinics that offer these sex determination tests also offer 'foolproof and healthy' methods of abortion. These factors are leading to what I term as 'premature killing' of the girl child.
What concerns me more is just the fact that the 'urban' women do not want a female child. These women who recieve the best education, work in some of the best organizations still have a craving for a male child. They themselves are not able to remove the stigma attached to womanhood in this country. Women speak about equality, about their safety, about culture and what not. What are all these talks for ? to prove that they are willing to kill a girl who is supposed to be born and keep getting laid until they 'bear' a male child. When there is no law to even recognize that killing a 'female unborn' child or for that matter any child is an offence, of what good are the laws that punish terrorists who commit genocide.
My interpretation of the falling ratio of females to males: If this ratio continues to decline, it will attain such low levels as (2:10 or 3:10 ), just imagine the state of the males. For every 10 males, there will be only 3 females :). Oops such a gross imbalance. The effect on the male psyche will be enormous. This will eventually lead to an increase in 'desire to possess' a woman amongst males (since there are less women and every man has to satisfy his lust for a woman ). This desire might further lead to various crimes against women, molestation, harrasments, rapes. ( This interpretation is a mere possiblilty and the reasoning could be flawed). Now what about women. they will feel so suppressed in a society that has 70% males. The 'divide' between males and females will further grow instead of bieng narrowed down.
When a dumb guy like me can sit and think all these plausibilities, cant the 'urban women' who are supposedly much much more mature, think about the implications of killing a girl child. These women might be taking such drastic steps, owing to the societal difficulties they would have faced in their lives and thinking that their offsprings might also have to go through the same. That is still not a satisfactory explaination and such an explaination can be rather termed as an xcuse.
Somehow, I just hope that this practice of killing these unborn infants stops. Am just reminded of the 'missionaries of charity' , where nuns give life to such unborn infants.
The women can atleast 'deliver' the unwanted child and leave it at the mercy of these nuns.
First, why 'infanticide'. The study undertaken by the magazine says that most of the urban Indian women ( in the age group 23 -35) do not want to give birth to a female child. Now how on earth do they know that they are going to give birth to a female child. Should I say thanks to the 'sex determination tests' of the foetuses. By determining the sex of the unborn child, women undergo abortion to 'remove' the unwanted 'female foetus'. Now this is why I term this as 'infanticide'. If not killing the child after it has been born, these 'women' are 'terminating' them much earlier. Nothing to be surprised at the fact that sex determination of a child before it is born is 'illegal' in this country. The clinics that offer these sex determination tests also offer 'foolproof and healthy' methods of abortion. These factors are leading to what I term as 'premature killing' of the girl child.
What concerns me more is just the fact that the 'urban' women do not want a female child. These women who recieve the best education, work in some of the best organizations still have a craving for a male child. They themselves are not able to remove the stigma attached to womanhood in this country. Women speak about equality, about their safety, about culture and what not. What are all these talks for ? to prove that they are willing to kill a girl who is supposed to be born and keep getting laid until they 'bear' a male child. When there is no law to even recognize that killing a 'female unborn' child or for that matter any child is an offence, of what good are the laws that punish terrorists who commit genocide.
My interpretation of the falling ratio of females to males: If this ratio continues to decline, it will attain such low levels as (2:10 or 3:10 ), just imagine the state of the males. For every 10 males, there will be only 3 females :). Oops such a gross imbalance. The effect on the male psyche will be enormous. This will eventually lead to an increase in 'desire to possess' a woman amongst males (since there are less women and every man has to satisfy his lust for a woman ). This desire might further lead to various crimes against women, molestation, harrasments, rapes. ( This interpretation is a mere possiblilty and the reasoning could be flawed). Now what about women. they will feel so suppressed in a society that has 70% males. The 'divide' between males and females will further grow instead of bieng narrowed down.
When a dumb guy like me can sit and think all these plausibilities, cant the 'urban women' who are supposedly much much more mature, think about the implications of killing a girl child. These women might be taking such drastic steps, owing to the societal difficulties they would have faced in their lives and thinking that their offsprings might also have to go through the same. That is still not a satisfactory explaination and such an explaination can be rather termed as an xcuse.
Somehow, I just hope that this practice of killing these unborn infants stops. Am just reminded of the 'missionaries of charity' , where nuns give life to such unborn infants.
The women can atleast 'deliver' the unwanted child and leave it at the mercy of these nuns.
Thursday, November 20, 2003
Vacation
I will be on vacation till the next wednesday. Plan to sit at home, relax, read, and catch on with all that I've missed so far ..
Sunday, November 16, 2003
Monday, November 10, 2003
Espionage and Military Intelligence
Was following an Article . It mainly talks about spies and the gadgetry. For reasons unknown, whenever I read about the accomplishments of westeners, I tend to think what was lacking in us Indians then, that prevented us from attaining these accomplishments. Same applies to 'independence'. When America attained its independence sometime in the 18th century, we Indians were busy fighting amongst ourselves and unknowingly letting others take over us. America attained its independence not only by the means of war, but by intelligence and espionage. It was the American spies who foiled most of the British attempts of victory. Most of the success is attributed to intelligence. The same has been carried forward. Even though there have been minor pitfalls, even today CIA is ranked on top of the world's secret service organizations next to MOSSAD.
Its a matter of apathy that India, home to Kautilya, one of the greatest espionage and intelligence experts of all times, fell into the hands of foriegners. Speaking about Kautilya, he single handedly threw away the Nandas and established the Mauryan dynasty as the single largest kingdom in the country. But for his intelligence, Chandragupta Maurya would have never got back his kingdom. Never to forget the intelligence of Amathya Rakshasa. No we cannot blame the generations for not having picked up their knowledge. Kautilya put most of his thoughts and skills in the book 'Arthashasthra', supposedly the bible for political science. History should have a positive growth, but Indian history has shown a potentially negative growth. The country has been invaded by various rulers, starting from Alexander, but it was the Europeans, mainly the British who succeeded in ruling this country. They succeeded not because of their might, but because of their political intelligence. They saw the weakness in the Indian rulers and slowly devoured one after the other.
Had we Indians inherited the knowledge of Kautilya, Amathya Rakshasa and the like, probably we could have prevented the British, probably the first war of independence would have given us the true independence. That mistake has cost us so much that, even 50 years after our independence, our military abilities stands no where in comparison with the super powers. Indian intelligence agencies have no recognition on a global scale. We have not been able to resolve problems with our neighbours, and we are still a developing nation filled with corruption. In today's world of military intelligence and espionage India stands nowhere. The Indian intelligence agencies IB and RAW are probably unheard of.
Its a matter of apathy that India, home to Kautilya, one of the greatest espionage and intelligence experts of all times, fell into the hands of foriegners. Speaking about Kautilya, he single handedly threw away the Nandas and established the Mauryan dynasty as the single largest kingdom in the country. But for his intelligence, Chandragupta Maurya would have never got back his kingdom. Never to forget the intelligence of Amathya Rakshasa. No we cannot blame the generations for not having picked up their knowledge. Kautilya put most of his thoughts and skills in the book 'Arthashasthra', supposedly the bible for political science. History should have a positive growth, but Indian history has shown a potentially negative growth. The country has been invaded by various rulers, starting from Alexander, but it was the Europeans, mainly the British who succeeded in ruling this country. They succeeded not because of their might, but because of their political intelligence. They saw the weakness in the Indian rulers and slowly devoured one after the other.
Had we Indians inherited the knowledge of Kautilya, Amathya Rakshasa and the like, probably we could have prevented the British, probably the first war of independence would have given us the true independence. That mistake has cost us so much that, even 50 years after our independence, our military abilities stands no where in comparison with the super powers. Indian intelligence agencies have no recognition on a global scale. We have not been able to resolve problems with our neighbours, and we are still a developing nation filled with corruption. In today's world of military intelligence and espionage India stands nowhere. The Indian intelligence agencies IB and RAW are probably unheard of.
Sunday, November 09, 2003
Monday, November 03, 2003
Lake Samiti
The most romantic place I have ever visited in my life. It was in late April that I visited this lake. Still the memories are so vivid I can write pages and pages describing this lake. In the state of Sikkim. Lake Samiti is situated in the himalayas at a height of 16,000 ft and sarrounded by snow clad peaks. Just the very sight of this lake is blissful. We trekked for nearly 3 days, a distance of almost 40 kms, and finally all that seemed fruitful. On reaching the log hut, which is around 100 metres from the lake, I just threw my backpack and went to the lake. What a blissful sight.
I could just sit by the side of the lake for hours, just looking at the pristine blue waters. Just fell in love with the place. Added to this beauty, was a lone duck in the lake. Wading through the waters, the duck was all to its own self, perhaps relishing every moment in that lake. No one to disturb him, no one to bother him, no one to be bothered about, the duck was merrily wading through the expanse of the lake.
Apart from one or two occasional yakmen, not a soul can be seen in this region. All the sound that can be heard is the gushing sound of the ever blowing winds, and the clinker of the trinkets tied to the yaks' neck. Sitting by the edge of the lake, Watching the snow clad peaks, gazing at the lone duck generating ripples as he wades through the water, feeling the cold of the winds blowing across the face, I was just lost. The lake is not very big, perhaps an average swimmer can swim across the lake without any difficulty.
I was so wonderstruck at the sight of the lake, I didnt even feel like disturbing the waters. Sometimes at the sight of an object of utmost beauty, I dont feel like even touching it, fearing that my touch might spoil the beauty of the object. The same happened with Lake Samiti also. The freezing cold further prevented me from venturing into the water.
The mouth of the lake leads to a stony path to go to Goche-La, the highest point from where Mt.KanchenZhonga can be seen from a very short distance. The photograph was taken from this path, some 500 metres away from the lake. My so called photography skills havent captured the lake in its true form. Neverthe less this photo was the best I could get, given the limitations of my skills as well as the camera. If I happen to fall in love with someone, all I would wish for is to spend sometime with her at lake Samiti.
Wednesday, October 29, 2003
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Happy Diwali
Diwali/Deepavali as we all know is a festival of lights. But its more a festival of crackers. Whatever said and done, the zooming rockets in the sky, the colourful fireworks, the thundering crackers are a feast for the eyes. As a kid my fantasy for crackers was unlimited. Though money was a constraint in those days, I would be somehow contented. Even today, at the age of 26 I still have an urge for fireworks, but its limited to those big and colourful ones and probably the longest and the most powerful rockets. So tomorrow some of these would be unleashed into the skies, provided the rain god doesnt offer any showers :).
All u guys have a happy and wonderful Diwali.
All u guys have a happy and wonderful Diwali.
Saturday, October 18, 2003
Blessed Mother
Mother Teresa the embodiment of love, the saint of the poor was beatified yesterday by Pope John Paul II. She is now the 'blessed mother'. The missionaries of charity, founded by the mother, whose sole purpose and aim in life is to help the poor and the needy is the one of the organizations that has given charity a practical meaning. There are people who just talk about love, who give lectures, who propound theories, but Mother Teresa has shown what love means. She has seen Jesus in every individual, be it a destitute child, be it Princess Diana, be it a leprosy patient. Without regard to caste, creed, sex, religion, her selflessness has today elevated her to such a position that no man can dream of. Though she died at the age of 87, she still lives, in the hearts of those thousands of inmates of the missionaries of charity. The world today is such that, even such a selfless person is charged with conversion, and television channels do not feel ashamed at all in going and blatantly clarifying the conversion factor with the sisters at the mission. Its high time the people in television media learnt some 'etiquettes' in communication.
I regret, for being an Indian not to have met the Mother when she was alive. Last night emotions overflowed, watching the inmates of the Missionaries of charity in Calcutta and the Indian Tricolour, being waved and fluttered by thousands at the Vatican. For once, I felt proud of being born in India, home to the Blessed Mother.
I regret, for being an Indian not to have met the Mother when she was alive. Last night emotions overflowed, watching the inmates of the Missionaries of charity in Calcutta and the Indian Tricolour, being waved and fluttered by thousands at the Vatican. For once, I felt proud of being born in India, home to the Blessed Mother.
Thursday, October 16, 2003
I call up the HR department to get an address proof document, a lady picks up the fone, says some form is available on the web, download it and get it signed by some one in the HR department. The tone in which she spoke makes u feel as if u r begging for something and this lady did a great favor by just picking up the phone. I dont know what exactly the HR department out here does, 90% of the time the employees of this department are not in their seats, not reachable via mobile, if an email query is posted it goes directly into their trash, and when someone goes with a query they talk in such an arrogant and boastful tone. I feel most of the women in our HR department think that they are the 'Apsaras' and 'Menakas' of the industry and the first thought they have in their mind is to treat other employees like dirt, especially if the employees arent the managers or directors or someone whom they dont have a good rapport with. So much of discrimination. Upon this they are also boastful of bieng the Alumni of some of the top B schools of the country.
Monday, October 13, 2003
Late night talks :
Some thing which I always loved. It was during college days that it all started.
Hostel is the place I guess where it all began, life would start at 10 in the night and wouldnt end till 3 or 4 in the morning. We would talk talk and talk, mostly arguments, disagreements, career prospects, higher studies, happening girls/women, sex, movies and what not. Added to that the overnight train/bus journeys. During the initial days of College we always travelled in big 'gangs', minimum 10 members :). Later towards our last year, it decreased to 2 - 3. However we rarely slept in our journeys, always talk talk and talk.
Soon after college, it became quite difficult to get out of this routine. Late night talks, teas, walks. Even after 4 years, I still long for them. Incidentally I happened to come across a Nepali girl in some SMS confusion and gradually the SMSs led to conversations and further conversations and talks and talks. I simply love talking to this girl without knowing her, without seeing her, without regard to anything. I am usually not very comfortable speaking to women but I donno how I end up talking to this girl so much. Since I will be busy through out the day, I pick up the phone in the night between 11 pm and 3 am. She bieng a college grad, adds further nostalgia, as if am back in College. It feels good to get back into the late night talks, though not accompanied by the road side tea :). God knows how long it will last...
Some thing which I always loved. It was during college days that it all started.
Hostel is the place I guess where it all began, life would start at 10 in the night and wouldnt end till 3 or 4 in the morning. We would talk talk and talk, mostly arguments, disagreements, career prospects, higher studies, happening girls/women, sex, movies and what not. Added to that the overnight train/bus journeys. During the initial days of College we always travelled in big 'gangs', minimum 10 members :). Later towards our last year, it decreased to 2 - 3. However we rarely slept in our journeys, always talk talk and talk.
Soon after college, it became quite difficult to get out of this routine. Late night talks, teas, walks. Even after 4 years, I still long for them. Incidentally I happened to come across a Nepali girl in some SMS confusion and gradually the SMSs led to conversations and further conversations and talks and talks. I simply love talking to this girl without knowing her, without seeing her, without regard to anything. I am usually not very comfortable speaking to women but I donno how I end up talking to this girl so much. Since I will be busy through out the day, I pick up the phone in the night between 11 pm and 3 am. She bieng a college grad, adds further nostalgia, as if am back in College. It feels good to get back into the late night talks, though not accompanied by the road side tea :). God knows how long it will last...
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Vedas:
I am a firm believer in the Vedas. I believe that the vedas are an energy form which is even superior to what people term as 'God'. All my knowledge w.r.t to the vedas are theoritical. I have heard from some experts in this field that vedas are not something u can learn but something u need to experience. Sitting on a mat and chanting the various 'shlokas' is of no good, unless one allows oneself to delve deep into the chasm of the vedas. There is no end for this experience. So no one can literally claim that he/she has finished learning the vedas. There are so many misconceptions about this very concept of 'vedas', thanks to the present day priests and other revered sages of the 'brahmin' community. To give an example : There is a particular shloka 'yopaam pushpam veda, pushpavaan prajavaan pashumaan bhavathi' and the priests chant this shloka in the temples and other festivals while offering flowers to the god. People stand in the temple with closed eyes and think that the shloka is appropriate, because all that matters for a common man is 'pushpa = flower' so the shloka is logical and correct. The essence of this shloka is totally different. This meaning I got to know from a renowned scholar in sanskrit. He said 'pushpa' does not mean 'flower' in that context, it actually means the birth of planet earth. The shloka actually explains the origin of the first forms of life in water. I have forgotten the entire meaning but each and evey word in that shloka refers to the basic life form. Alas, today most of us dont bother to know about one of the greatest treasures of mankind, the vedas, which ultimately makes the person realize his true self. Instead we worship the rishis, the various forms of God, celebrate festivals and ultimately fight in the name of God and religion.
I am a firm believer in the Vedas. I believe that the vedas are an energy form which is even superior to what people term as 'God'. All my knowledge w.r.t to the vedas are theoritical. I have heard from some experts in this field that vedas are not something u can learn but something u need to experience. Sitting on a mat and chanting the various 'shlokas' is of no good, unless one allows oneself to delve deep into the chasm of the vedas. There is no end for this experience. So no one can literally claim that he/she has finished learning the vedas. There are so many misconceptions about this very concept of 'vedas', thanks to the present day priests and other revered sages of the 'brahmin' community. To give an example : There is a particular shloka 'yopaam pushpam veda, pushpavaan prajavaan pashumaan bhavathi' and the priests chant this shloka in the temples and other festivals while offering flowers to the god. People stand in the temple with closed eyes and think that the shloka is appropriate, because all that matters for a common man is 'pushpa = flower' so the shloka is logical and correct. The essence of this shloka is totally different. This meaning I got to know from a renowned scholar in sanskrit. He said 'pushpa' does not mean 'flower' in that context, it actually means the birth of planet earth. The shloka actually explains the origin of the first forms of life in water. I have forgotten the entire meaning but each and evey word in that shloka refers to the basic life form. Alas, today most of us dont bother to know about one of the greatest treasures of mankind, the vedas, which ultimately makes the person realize his true self. Instead we worship the rishis, the various forms of God, celebrate festivals and ultimately fight in the name of God and religion.
Monday, September 29, 2003
Last month I had a chance to visit the Osho International Commune in Pune. After spending some time in the commune as a visitor, all that remained in my mind were a few thoughts about the place and some videos of Osho that were shown. Day before yesterday I was spending some time in a book shop and accidentally came across a book by Osho, 'Love and Meditation'. A quick browse of the book and then I knew as to why I cant sit and meditate. Osho says, as long as you are in deep love, you will never be able to meditate, because the moment you close your eyes all that you think is the object of your love. He quotes the classic example of Gautham Buddha. Apparenly Gauthama ran away from his home in search of enlightenment. In reality Osho says, Gauthama escaped from his wife, Yashodhara. yes he 'escaped' because he was deeply in love with her and it was impossible for him to be set himself free as long as this 'love' bound him. He returned after 12 years. I have also tried to meditate sometimes and the moment I close my eyes there are the various 'objects' of love that flash across my mind. I didnt know that I was so much in love with people, nature etc. I always thought I was distracted. Osho says, never try to meditate, rather u have to go into a 'meditative' state.
On reading further, Osho says that a man can go into a meditative state as long as he is not in 'love' with anything. Once he is into meditative state love flows from him. To simplify man -> meditative -> love.
For a woman its the vise-versa. She gets into the love which emanates from a man and then goes into a meditative state.
Osho says, the ultimate 'orgasm' between a man and a woman will be at a point when a woman is in deep meditative state and a man is in a state of deep love. He calls it an 'eternal orgasm'. I could not somehow digest this fact, beyond my comprehension. However I was prompted to buy some books of Osho and the reading process has begun.
On reading further, Osho says that a man can go into a meditative state as long as he is not in 'love' with anything. Once he is into meditative state love flows from him. To simplify man -> meditative -> love.
For a woman its the vise-versa. She gets into the love which emanates from a man and then goes into a meditative state.
Osho says, the ultimate 'orgasm' between a man and a woman will be at a point when a woman is in deep meditative state and a man is in a state of deep love. He calls it an 'eternal orgasm'. I could not somehow digest this fact, beyond my comprehension. However I was prompted to buy some books of Osho and the reading process has begun.
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
Sunday, September 21, 2003
Friday Night Out : It feels blissful when u enter Purple Haze and the first notes from the bose speakers to hit your ears are 'where were u, when I was burned and broken ..... ' - coming back to life, The division bell, Pink Floyd followed by 'say your prayers little one dont forget my son ..... ', Enter sandman - S&M Disc II, Metallica. We fortunately found a place to sit in the overcrowded pub, and then beer flowed down the throats and music flowed down the ears. Astounding rock music from the 70s by Led Zepp, Floyd, Metallica, Jimmy Hendricks, GNR till some of the new age numbers by Linkin park and the like. It was a gratifying experience and how midnight fell, god only knows. In the end, It felt tough to walk out when the last song being played was ... 'today is gonna b the day .. they will never throw it back to u.....' - wonderwall, Oasis.
Friday, September 19, 2003
Misleading ... is the word I should attribute to the commenting style of Yaccs ... :) I dont know how it happened but I always saw 'No comments so far' in my posts even though many people had commented.
I must have made some mistake while configuring the comments. Hence I never replied to any of the comments, due apologies. I happened to visit yaccs accidentally and saw this huge thread of comments and started my 'reply' process. Thanks to all those who dropped by.
Today's post :
Its 'carnival' time in our company. The desi terminology for 'layoffs' and everyone is kind of ga-ga over it :). But I guess deep in the minds of every employee there are astounded worries. To beat the stress, I guess we have taken up playing soccer in the evenings. Its great fun especially for me, who would do anything other than sitting in front of a comp for hours together :).
My ideal routine at work :
8 AM - Entry
9 AM - First Tea break - 10 minutes.
11 AM - Second Tea break - 10 minutes
12.45 - 2 pm lunch
3 - 3.30 - any indoor game - shuttle/TT
5.30 - 6 - Any outdoor game - frisbee/soccer
7.30 - head home
of course the remaining time is meant for work :))
I must have made some mistake while configuring the comments. Hence I never replied to any of the comments, due apologies. I happened to visit yaccs accidentally and saw this huge thread of comments and started my 'reply' process. Thanks to all those who dropped by.
Today's post :
Its 'carnival' time in our company. The desi terminology for 'layoffs' and everyone is kind of ga-ga over it :). But I guess deep in the minds of every employee there are astounded worries. To beat the stress, I guess we have taken up playing soccer in the evenings. Its great fun especially for me, who would do anything other than sitting in front of a comp for hours together :).
My ideal routine at work :
8 AM - Entry
9 AM - First Tea break - 10 minutes.
11 AM - Second Tea break - 10 minutes
12.45 - 2 pm lunch
3 - 3.30 - any indoor game - shuttle/TT
5.30 - 6 - Any outdoor game - frisbee/soccer
7.30 - head home
of course the remaining time is meant for work :))
Monday, September 15, 2003
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
There seems to be some kind of periodic learning happening in my life and in every phase numerous questions arise for which I am not able to find satisfactory answers. First, why is it that mind accepts happiness so easily and finds it difficult to accept sadness or a low feeling. Whats more intriguing is that even though we conciously know that doing a certain act is sure to land us in blunder, the mind still prompts us to do it. Is it meant to be that way ? Today if I sit and think, I dont have anything to be happy about ? Philosophically speaking, people have adviced me feel 'comaritively' happy. Am finding it highly strenous to come to terms with it. Upon further analysis, it proves that 'endurance' is the solution for this turmoil of the mind. To rephrase it, the turmoil should persist in the mind, it has to persist till it is thrown out of the mind and it can persist only with endurance. The situation worsens when u have the solution in hand and cannot implement it. Thats my biggest problem. Presently, everything is pushing me low, at work, at home, what the heck I took up on online GMAT practice test and there also landed up in the 70th percentile. Upon all this today I did something which I had prevented from nearly 2 months and ended up in a stupid state. It proved that emotions, friendship, love are all tools of convenience in a man's life. The hard fact is I know it, but still cannot accept it. Thats the lesson I learnt today, but donno when I can accept and implement it. There will definitely be a day to implement these, I just have to wait .... with endurance...
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Slaves at work:
I sometimes sit and think, am I living like a slave at work? there seems to be no freedom. Whatever is told to you, you have to simply do it. It is said that my company is one of the world's best places to work. Even in such a great job culture, there seems to be very little freedom. There is no authority. People just take your opinion, but you should give your opinion only when asked for. If there is something wrong happening in the system, you are not supposed to raise a voice.
I have to deviate a bit here. At every phase of life, I have invariably landed in a situation where in I have developed a hatred for the 'system'. As a child I developed a hatred for the desciplinary system, in the teens I developed a hatred for the education system, out of college - I developed a hatred for love and marriage and in the job I developed a hatred for bureaucracy. I have always believed in the principle of 'going with the flow' and 'take life as it comes' but that doesnt mean I can accept 'slavery'. If the wind is blowing in the same direction as you walk .. I will go with it and if the wind blows against you .. I will resist as much as possible. Correlating this to the above paragraph, I have developed a strong disliking or hatred to the present 'system' at work.
There is no scope for voicing your opinion. The present 'system' out here is flawed. Meaning, people do not see issues pertaining to the organization but they are more bothered about their existance. So things are looked at from a personal attitude. If a person is seen as vocal and has more scope for growth, people will only think of subduing him/her from all angles. I think its the same case in most of the organizations.
I think someone has aptly said, knowledge is power - if you are the powerhouse of knowledge , the world becomes your slave, if not you become the slave to the world.
I sometimes sit and think, am I living like a slave at work? there seems to be no freedom. Whatever is told to you, you have to simply do it. It is said that my company is one of the world's best places to work. Even in such a great job culture, there seems to be very little freedom. There is no authority. People just take your opinion, but you should give your opinion only when asked for. If there is something wrong happening in the system, you are not supposed to raise a voice.
I have to deviate a bit here. At every phase of life, I have invariably landed in a situation where in I have developed a hatred for the 'system'. As a child I developed a hatred for the desciplinary system, in the teens I developed a hatred for the education system, out of college - I developed a hatred for love and marriage and in the job I developed a hatred for bureaucracy. I have always believed in the principle of 'going with the flow' and 'take life as it comes' but that doesnt mean I can accept 'slavery'. If the wind is blowing in the same direction as you walk .. I will go with it and if the wind blows against you .. I will resist as much as possible. Correlating this to the above paragraph, I have developed a strong disliking or hatred to the present 'system' at work.
There is no scope for voicing your opinion. The present 'system' out here is flawed. Meaning, people do not see issues pertaining to the organization but they are more bothered about their existance. So things are looked at from a personal attitude. If a person is seen as vocal and has more scope for growth, people will only think of subduing him/her from all angles. I think its the same case in most of the organizations.
I think someone has aptly said, knowledge is power - if you are the powerhouse of knowledge , the world becomes your slave, if not you become the slave to the world.
Sunday, August 31, 2003
Ganesh Chathurthi:
This is one of the most widely celebrated festival in our country. I still have not understood the significance of the festival, for that matter I have not understood the significance of most of the festivals. We do 'pooja' to the lord on this day and tons of manthras will be chanted but what do those manthras mean ? Are they significant in the present world. Somehow when I sat for the pooja yesterday only such thoughts were going on in my mind. There is no answer for the why's in our society. Some one has started the tradition and its our duty to follow it. Are people forgetting the 'bhakthi' aspect of these festivals. Even the festivals are commercialized. People are more bothered about the size of the Ganesha idol. The bigger the better. If this continues, generation after generation, Ganesh Chathurthi will exist only in memories.
This is one of the most widely celebrated festival in our country. I still have not understood the significance of the festival, for that matter I have not understood the significance of most of the festivals. We do 'pooja' to the lord on this day and tons of manthras will be chanted but what do those manthras mean ? Are they significant in the present world. Somehow when I sat for the pooja yesterday only such thoughts were going on in my mind. There is no answer for the why's in our society. Some one has started the tradition and its our duty to follow it. Are people forgetting the 'bhakthi' aspect of these festivals. Even the festivals are commercialized. People are more bothered about the size of the Ganesha idol. The bigger the better. If this continues, generation after generation, Ganesh Chathurthi will exist only in memories.
Sunday, August 24, 2003
Noise pollution:
yesterday I happened to visit one of the famous schools in Bangalore, St.Josephs boys Indian High school and was sitting in one of the classrooms. Had a horrible experience. The school is situated right next to the busy Mallya hospital road and the noise from the road was so awful. I am wondering how the students can sit there and listen to the lectures while all they get to hear is the horrible noise of the auto rikshaws and buses. It was mainly the autos. I feel its better to ban the autos throughout bangalore and replace them with city taxis. The noise was pathetic, awful, horrible oh words are not enough to xplain it. I felt like killing each of the auto drivers and setting the autos on fire. I wonder why the school authorities do not file a public litigation against the autos. I really pity the students who sit in those classrooms.
yesterday I happened to visit one of the famous schools in Bangalore, St.Josephs boys Indian High school and was sitting in one of the classrooms. Had a horrible experience. The school is situated right next to the busy Mallya hospital road and the noise from the road was so awful. I am wondering how the students can sit there and listen to the lectures while all they get to hear is the horrible noise of the auto rikshaws and buses. It was mainly the autos. I feel its better to ban the autos throughout bangalore and replace them with city taxis. The noise was pathetic, awful, horrible oh words are not enough to xplain it. I felt like killing each of the auto drivers and setting the autos on fire. I wonder why the school authorities do not file a public litigation against the autos. I really pity the students who sit in those classrooms.
Monday, August 18, 2003
All these days in my life, I have never been attached to anyone and I never feared the fact of losing anyone ... but I never realized the importance of 'non - attachment' until I got attached to someone. And today I have come to a situation where in I have to get out of that deep rooted attachment .. and am not at all able to get out .. somehow I want to win this ... and somehow I want to get back to my old state of 'non - attachment' ... somehow ..
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
Some revelations : Never to dissipate anger on someone/something. This thought triggered off when I heard about a movie called "Anger management" starring Adam sandler. It is quite natural for a man to react in anger. At that moment mind will be oscillating between tons of thoughts and it will be a typical chaotic environment. Any chaos will result in an outburst. Going by the cause and effect theory, the cause of the outburst ( I would rather term it as emotional outburst ) would lead into an undesirable effect which leads to further complications. After sometime ( this could be a few minutes, hours, days or even months) the anger subsides and then the individual starts thinking about the cause - emotional outburst and the effect and the further complications. Since the efffect is undesrable, the individual cannot live with the effect and he/she tries to alleviate the effect of anger by various means. So what is the outcome of sprewing anger ( as one of my friends terms it ) on someone. It will only lead to a state of regret - "oh I should'nt have done this'. So should we avoid anger ? I dont have an answer. In my view we should'nt. I have tried to avoid anger and always I have failed. At some point in time .. anger takes over and I end up dissipating it on people in some form or the other. I feel instead of avoiding if I accept anger and just be quiet .. things will be fine. Simple analogy - think about the effect ( based on the past experiences ) and understand the fact that 'by getting angry things wont change for your benefit or good, it will rather worsen". But I really dont know of a means of accepting anger. Last night I was angry with my friend and I tried to get into an acceptance mode and it was not at all working. The mobile phone was lying in front of me and my mind was racing and telling 'pick up the fone type in the sms or call up and blast the other person' and somehow I didnt want to do it.. so I went and started watching 'Tom and Jerry' :) until I could sleep. So I could not find a means of accepting anger .. I just diverted my mind to something more relaxing and got away with it. I need to find an answer for this.. an interesting quote to end ....
"The difference between courage and stupidity is the outcome"
"The difference between courage and stupidity is the outcome"
Sunday, August 10, 2003
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
Monday, July 28, 2003
Contradictions : In life so far, I have got along well with people, whose views mostly match with mine. Be it friendship, love, work, studies or whatever. I always stayed away from people who had contradictory views because I am not good at arguing and debating. I always thought it was the best way to lead ones life and even till date I continue in the same manner. Today I had a discussion with one of my friends which prompted me to revisit the thought.
My friend's perspective : If u get to converse with a person with a conflicting view, u get to understand the subject from the other person's perspective. Bingo ! I never thought about that ... in an argument I would always try to prove my point and never understand the other person's perspective. Its a different learning experience though, but I guess u need some understanding with the other person. Stjll thinking about it..
My friend's perspective : If u get to converse with a person with a conflicting view, u get to understand the subject from the other person's perspective. Bingo ! I never thought about that ... in an argument I would always try to prove my point and never understand the other person's perspective. Its a different learning experience though, but I guess u need some understanding with the other person. Stjll thinking about it..
Thursday, July 24, 2003
One of the phases of love is mostly about understanding. It is at this phase that mostly people fail. Mostly people crib about lack of time to spend with their loved ones. It is very true that spending time with ur loved ones brings in a lot of happiness to one's mind. So I believe its the onus on people to devote enough time to their loved ones. Never should a man feel that the person whom he loves is devoting a lot of time elsewhere when the same could be spent with him. I think it is this kind of feeling that keeps growing in individuals and gives rise to various complexities.
I would take the an example of a child whose parents both go for work and love the child a lot. A situation like this could bother the child so much:
A child will ask his mom to take him to an amusement park on a weekend. Mom says she is really busy at work and will take him some other time. The child kind of compromises and then diverts his mind. A month later, his mom totally unaware about the weekend trip she had promised, goes off to a party. Now this will have a devastating effect on the child. The child will start thinking that a party is much more important for his mom than taking him to an amusement park. He will be able to justify that his mom will be busy with work always but will not be able to justify the party going act. Its simple "if my mom could go to a party today, she could have taken me to the park instead". Its this kind of feeling that leads into misunderstandings, fights, etc which will become highly unresolvable. Counselling will be needed etc etc etc. Y all this ? instead bieng a bit more understandable helps so much ...
I would take the an example of a child whose parents both go for work and love the child a lot. A situation like this could bother the child so much:
A child will ask his mom to take him to an amusement park on a weekend. Mom says she is really busy at work and will take him some other time. The child kind of compromises and then diverts his mind. A month later, his mom totally unaware about the weekend trip she had promised, goes off to a party. Now this will have a devastating effect on the child. The child will start thinking that a party is much more important for his mom than taking him to an amusement park. He will be able to justify that his mom will be busy with work always but will not be able to justify the party going act. Its simple "if my mom could go to a party today, she could have taken me to the park instead". Its this kind of feeling that leads into misunderstandings, fights, etc which will become highly unresolvable. Counselling will be needed etc etc etc. Y all this ? instead bieng a bit more understandable helps so much ...
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Last weekend got a chance to visit pune. I just fell in love with the place. Even though my stay was limited to 2 days it was good fun. The city has all the aminities of a metropolis minus the hassles, not much travel time, very good climate, affordable real estate, good number of IT companies, close proximity to Goa and the west coast, and a young and vibrant crowd. Visited Osho's international commune. Impressive place. The osho theerth garden which is at the backside of the commune is even better. It is supposed to be the first zen garden of south Asia. Visitor's timings are restricted. In a nutshell pune is the place to lead a peaceful life. I donno y ppol are flocking to Bangalore :).
Thursday, July 17, 2003
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Friends : Feel like talking about bieng with friends. I have spent most of my time with my friends than with my family. Right from childhood till today .. am hardly seen at home. I dont really know how I blend so well with the people of my age group. Others might not have relished my friendship but I always relished the friendship of others. During school and college days it was such good fun bieng with friends. I just love that phase of life.
This very nature of mine is slowly becoming a pain in life. I am so used to staying with friends that nowadays my so called friends hardly have time to come out and spend time. Its really strange how the world changes. Am not complaining but am seeing how difficult it is to get adjusted to this changing phenomenon. I should have been more prudent in not getting so very accustomed to people outside my family. I didnt realise that one day they will have their own responsibilities and wouldnt have enough time at their disposal. Mistake .. however I have learnt from that mistake .. I am taking this opportunity to learn new things, see new places etc . But where is all that friendship gone ? Some people even say that they dont have time even to spend on a telephone call .. :) I would accept that had it been said by a CEO, an IAS officer or some one high in politics .. :)..
This very nature of mine is slowly becoming a pain in life. I am so used to staying with friends that nowadays my so called friends hardly have time to come out and spend time. Its really strange how the world changes. Am not complaining but am seeing how difficult it is to get adjusted to this changing phenomenon. I should have been more prudent in not getting so very accustomed to people outside my family. I didnt realise that one day they will have their own responsibilities and wouldnt have enough time at their disposal. Mistake .. however I have learnt from that mistake .. I am taking this opportunity to learn new things, see new places etc . But where is all that friendship gone ? Some people even say that they dont have time even to spend on a telephone call .. :) I would accept that had it been said by a CEO, an IAS officer or some one high in politics .. :)..
Monday, July 07, 2003
Likes and Dislikes : There was a recent get-together of us colleagues at one of the biggest spa-resorts of Bangalore. There was a fashion show competition at the end for us and 2 professional models ( The Mirinda ad guy who gives the kid a funky hair cut , and a Miss India runner up) were the judges for the event. Some 10 guys and 2 girls participated. In the end the event manager asked the guys at the stage to talk about their likes and dislikes. Had I participated in the show .. I would have grabbed the mike first, gone to the stage and said .. " I like that lady who's wearing a red top", pointing to the miss India runner up :)
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
For the past one month, it has been quite hectic at work. Along with that other tasks like compiling a report on my trek to sikkim, plans to attend French classes etc are keeping me occupied full time. Somehow on weekends I find some free time and all that I can think of is sleep. I want to do a lot of things but somehow not at all finding the enthusiasm and josh to do things. List of things on my agenda for the next one year
Buy a Canon EOS Rebel 2000 SLR. ( I am still doing my research on other options).
Take up the GMAT and get a good score - 700- 750 ( so that atleast I can end up with 650)
Learn French/Spanish/Portugese : French I can learn at my place but dont know about spanish/portugese. I want to spend some time of my life in the amazon jungles. So the need to learn portugese. French because I just like the language and spanish because of its widespread use in south and central americas . ( costa rica/ tahiti are some of my dream tourist places).
Take up the 28 day mountaineering course at the Nehru Institute of mountaineering - Uttarkashi : Asking for a 24 day vacation does not seem reasonable :).
Soon I would like to take time out for these activities and make some accomplishments :).
Buy a Canon EOS Rebel 2000 SLR. ( I am still doing my research on other options).
Take up the GMAT and get a good score - 700- 750 ( so that atleast I can end up with 650)
Learn French/Spanish/Portugese : French I can learn at my place but dont know about spanish/portugese. I want to spend some time of my life in the amazon jungles. So the need to learn portugese. French because I just like the language and spanish because of its widespread use in south and central americas . ( costa rica/ tahiti are some of my dream tourist places).
Take up the 28 day mountaineering course at the Nehru Institute of mountaineering - Uttarkashi : Asking for a 24 day vacation does not seem reasonable :).
Soon I would like to take time out for these activities and make some accomplishments :).
Wednesday, June 04, 2003
Friday, May 23, 2003
Friday, May 16, 2003
Non Violence v/s Violence:
This has been a topic of debate right from my childhood. All through my school I was taught that non-violence is 'the' thing. Violence begets violence, one should always follow the path of peace and non violence. It all seemed ridiculous for me at a tender age. Though I am a very timid person by nature I somehow never believed in non violence. In fact in my 8th standard our English teacher put an open question to the class as to how many didnt like Gandhi. I was the only one who valiantly stood up and the reason I quoted at that time was that I didnt adhere to principles of non violence which resulted in partition etc.
Very recently I read "My experiments with truth" in order to learn about the principles of non violence which the Mahatma followed and got freedom to the nation. Only then I realised that non violence is such a force that it can make the impossible possible. How could the great Mahatma lead crores of people ? How could people blindly trust him ? All these intrigued me so much that I started to read Leo Tolstoy's "Kingdom Of God Is Within you". The Mahatma mentions in his autobiography that he was vastly influenced by this book. It is only here in this book that I discovered the real crux of non-violence. It implied complete submission to one and everything in this world. It is then I realised that it is something that is not practical in today's world.
If we see the chronology of events in the history, one can harldy get a mention of non-violence other than probably the indus valley civilization. It is simply because of the fact that 'non-violence' is simply not applicable to this world. Referring to Indian mythology, Thretha yuga was supposed to be the most prosperous time where in peace prevailed everywhere. Even in such a great time Lord Rama had to wage a war to get back Sita. Gradually in Dwapara Yuga ( the period of Mahabharatha ) jealousy, treachery had set into the minds of people. A much more fiercer battle was fought where people were killed by deception and treachery. All for the win of good over evil. Now we live in kali yuga where in the mind is filled with treachery jealousy and what not. In today's world it has been proven it is only violence that prevails. Instances:
The whole world has been amassed by Europeans only by violent means.
America gained its independence only by violent means. It is the number one nation in the world today.
France could become prosperous only because of French revolutiuon.
Russia became a great nation only by a Bolshevik revolution.
Only people to be named 'the great' namely Alexander the great, SamudraGupta the great and Ashoka the great were all kings and established their kingdom only by violence. ( Ashoka is an exception since he took up a non violent path later).
The mighty Roman empire was established by massacaring thousands and not by any non violent means.
The first nation to obtain independence from its invaders by non vioelent means was India. Look at where we stand today ? The only difference as I see is before independence we were paying tax to the British now we fill the coffers of the politicians. Is it really worth gaining such an independence. The whole independence saga was a big political game played by the congress led by Nehru. The Britishers very well knew this. They had instilled enough corruption amongst Indians that they were certain we would never try to become a super power. The congress saw it as the easiest means of making money over generations. They used Mahatma Gandhi as a pawn because they knew that he would succumb to every word of theirs. Nehru very intelligently got the name of Gandhi to his family to seek public sympathy after Gandhi's assasination. They have looted the country ever since. Under Britishers this would'nt have been possible. So they encouraged people for freedom under the leadership of the great Mahatma. How should that simple souls know of these atrocious thinkings of the Nehru family. For more than 30 years the congress party led by the Nehru family have pludered most of the tax payers money, created ill will between hindus and muslims, allowed terrorism to grow in kashmir and punjab oh the list is endless. All because of the non-violent path treaded by the great Mahatma. He simply succumbed to the congress while remaining adamant on freedom. The great man's efforts have all gone in vain. Today we lead an independent life or should i say a life of 'false independence' ...
This has been a topic of debate right from my childhood. All through my school I was taught that non-violence is 'the' thing. Violence begets violence, one should always follow the path of peace and non violence. It all seemed ridiculous for me at a tender age. Though I am a very timid person by nature I somehow never believed in non violence. In fact in my 8th standard our English teacher put an open question to the class as to how many didnt like Gandhi. I was the only one who valiantly stood up and the reason I quoted at that time was that I didnt adhere to principles of non violence which resulted in partition etc.
Very recently I read "My experiments with truth" in order to learn about the principles of non violence which the Mahatma followed and got freedom to the nation. Only then I realised that non violence is such a force that it can make the impossible possible. How could the great Mahatma lead crores of people ? How could people blindly trust him ? All these intrigued me so much that I started to read Leo Tolstoy's "Kingdom Of God Is Within you". The Mahatma mentions in his autobiography that he was vastly influenced by this book. It is only here in this book that I discovered the real crux of non-violence. It implied complete submission to one and everything in this world. It is then I realised that it is something that is not practical in today's world.
If we see the chronology of events in the history, one can harldy get a mention of non-violence other than probably the indus valley civilization. It is simply because of the fact that 'non-violence' is simply not applicable to this world. Referring to Indian mythology, Thretha yuga was supposed to be the most prosperous time where in peace prevailed everywhere. Even in such a great time Lord Rama had to wage a war to get back Sita. Gradually in Dwapara Yuga ( the period of Mahabharatha ) jealousy, treachery had set into the minds of people. A much more fiercer battle was fought where people were killed by deception and treachery. All for the win of good over evil. Now we live in kali yuga where in the mind is filled with treachery jealousy and what not. In today's world it has been proven it is only violence that prevails. Instances:
The whole world has been amassed by Europeans only by violent means.
America gained its independence only by violent means. It is the number one nation in the world today.
France could become prosperous only because of French revolutiuon.
Russia became a great nation only by a Bolshevik revolution.
Only people to be named 'the great' namely Alexander the great, SamudraGupta the great and Ashoka the great were all kings and established their kingdom only by violence. ( Ashoka is an exception since he took up a non violent path later).
The mighty Roman empire was established by massacaring thousands and not by any non violent means.
The first nation to obtain independence from its invaders by non vioelent means was India. Look at where we stand today ? The only difference as I see is before independence we were paying tax to the British now we fill the coffers of the politicians. Is it really worth gaining such an independence. The whole independence saga was a big political game played by the congress led by Nehru. The Britishers very well knew this. They had instilled enough corruption amongst Indians that they were certain we would never try to become a super power. The congress saw it as the easiest means of making money over generations. They used Mahatma Gandhi as a pawn because they knew that he would succumb to every word of theirs. Nehru very intelligently got the name of Gandhi to his family to seek public sympathy after Gandhi's assasination. They have looted the country ever since. Under Britishers this would'nt have been possible. So they encouraged people for freedom under the leadership of the great Mahatma. How should that simple souls know of these atrocious thinkings of the Nehru family. For more than 30 years the congress party led by the Nehru family have pludered most of the tax payers money, created ill will between hindus and muslims, allowed terrorism to grow in kashmir and punjab oh the list is endless. All because of the non-violent path treaded by the great Mahatma. He simply succumbed to the congress while remaining adamant on freedom. The great man's efforts have all gone in vain. Today we lead an independent life or should i say a life of 'false independence' ...
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
After a long time I have felt like writing again. This is a characteristic of we geminians. The span of 'interest' in any subject is very less. That could be one of the reasons am not able to excel in any field. I have remained an average guy in any field I pursue :). Of late I have developed a lot of interest in photography and the civil services. I have been trying to check up with any institution offering classroom coaching for IAS exams and I am getting some tutorials on photography as well. The latest thing to buy is a Nikon N65 SLR. I was told that the N80 is the best but its too expensive for my budget. I hope this interest in photography lasts for a few years atleast.
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
One of my greatest inabilities is instability of mind. What seems correct at one moment seems the exact opposite at the very next instance. Ultimately this has become a cause of concern. Such a fluctuating mind will give no scope for decision making. Without the ability to take appropriate decisions at the right time, a man can never be successful. The very foundation of success lies on decision making. Now that I know about my inability how to get rid of it ? no answers so far... ? I guess its better to stick on to a decision irrespective of the consequences. All the thinking has to be done before the decision has been taken and not at a later point in time.
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