Pleasure, Pain & Providence

2010-12-30T22:11:00.000-08:00

2010: In Memoriam

The caption might remind some of the Alfred, Lord Tennyson poem by a similar name. One of the most quoted stanzas from the poem was also one of the many highlights for my year that was. This stanza is:-

I hold it true, whate'er befall;

I feel it when I sorrow most;

'Tis better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all.

But, 2010, as I look at you in retrospective perspective, there is so much that you have shown me, given me, taken away from me, and taught me; I have learnt, grown and evolved through the passage of your time, and there is so much to thank you for that it would only be fair to give some sort of a structure to this post. Hence, in stead of ungratefully dividing you into smaller time-lines, I shall try and divide my experiences into sub-heads.
I also must confess that this division idea is hardly my own. I am inspired by a similar (but a lot shorter!) self-appraisal attempted on Facebook by a much respected school senior, Ashish Singh. These sub-heads are as under:-

Work and Professional Development
Relationships and Personal Development
Travel
Family and Friends (distinguished from Relationships)
Work-Life Balance
Health

Without much more ado, I launch into my descriptive memories...

1. Work and Professional Development: Graduated from MDI Gurgaon, had the 2nd Convocation of my life, attended my first. The hat throwing was awesome. Got placed for the third time, started full-time work for the first time. Went to Mumbai for the second time, spent three good months there as part of the Management Trainee Program 'Axis Ahead' conducted by my employer Axis Bank. Post this, I came back closer home to New Delhi, and took up a position here. Also, the first salary was an amazing experience.

Post the training, I had a more glamorous option available, but opted for a more earthy beginning to my career, since I wanted the start to bear tangible, quantifiable results. Here is hoping that my faith shall stand vindicated. Work's mostly been good and there has been a reasonably steep learning curve. 2011 holds promise.

My Rating: 4/5

2. Relationships and Personal Development: The year stared painfully when I took the first 3 and a half months to finally let go of a relationship. We're still great friends and I count that as a major life accomplishment. I must acknowledge the generous and no strings attached love and support from my parents. Thank you Ma and Dad. You're rock stars.
Moving on hurts, but is necessary at times. Might sound remarkably quick, but in due course, I proposed to somebody else, and got rejected. Ouch. But, I'm not giving up on hope any time soon.

I grew with several life experiences, both personal and vicarious. Read some excellent books, watched some good cinema and theater, engaged in (non-competitive) sport. Taught somebody how to swim. Mostly had a fun time. Probably touched a few lives, and tried to make a few people happier in the process, and I hope that that counts.

Overall, not the best of times in the relationships scheme of things, but grew as a person whilst learning and getting back up from the somewhat harsh falls that I took.

My Rating: 3/5

3. Travel: Continuing from the 2009 theme (when I did some significant travel in Europe), I would say I am overall satisfied with my roaming around this year. Post placements, I set out with a bunch of my closest friends on a spiritual sojourn to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu. That trip was good.

Further on, April saw me headed out to yet another holy journey to the 'Kumbh' in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. This time, I facilitated the Kumbh snan (a dip in the revered Ganges at the bathing ghats at Haridwar) for three generations (grandparents, parents and some of my own).

Second week of May had me and the earlier mentioned bunch out again to Nainital, Kosani, and Mukteshwar. The standard boat riding and sightseeing in Nainital, the equisitely beautiful sunrise in Kosani, and adventure sports in Mukteshwar were a few of the highlights. Also the time there gave me some of my most beautiful personal moments for the year. I shall not forget that trip anytime soon.

Fourth week of May was time for a family trip to the North East. Shillong, Guwahati, and Cherrapunjee are wonderful places with outstanding weather. Yes, it rained a lot. We had some quality family time, and enjoyed some great hospitality, food, and sightseeing.

Then, work led me to Mumbai where I was for close to three months with a 3 week stint in Delhi in between. I was there during the famed monsoons, and allegedly the best time to be there. Besides the splendid stay at Fariyas (tad small swimming pool) and the brilliant theater circuit (Prithvi and Tata Theater), June-September was time for catching up with old friends, and generally making merry.

Oh does running the Half Marathon count as travel? I guess not! So please wait, and you shall find your due later on.

My Rating: 5/5

4. Family and Friends: Latest news first. My elder brother found a job from his B-School campus. To me, that signifies culmination of years of arduous struggle against both fate and the skeptics, for a hopefully much brighter time ahead. Here's to you, Bhaiya!

Otherwise, the family stayed close and had some very good times together.

The Best Friend got engaged and is scheduled to be married on February the 27th, 2011. Come hell or high water, I shall be there Puja Satsangi!

I got a chance to share (I dislike 'spend') reasonable amount of time with the people who really matter and was rewarded with some cherished memories by 2010.

Oh, and in June, I crossed a 1,000 'friends' on Facebook. Plus, over 500 connections on Linkedin. With popularity like that, and a network that strong, I think I may just be the CXO of a mid-sized firm within the next 10 years! Yes, that is a joke. At my own expense.

My Rating: 4/5

5. Work-Life Balance: It's only been 6 and a half months of full-time work so far. So far, I can't complain much, though one would always like more time for their lives. I was recently telling a close friend "You work so that you can get a life!". Work giving meaning to life is another line of thought. I have been able to make out time for doing things that I had in mind before I started work. I have been able to take a vacation with the family, I have been able to read, write (though not as much as I would like), watch theater and cinema, listen to music, take care of my health, party and socialize. But I still insist that working on Saturdays is not funny.

My Rating: 4/5

6. Health: I swear I shall become a lot more regular with my gymming routine next year. Serious! Okay, so 2010 saw the occasional bursts of health consciousness with some time being taken for Pranayam and meditation, and at other times, my feeling really important about pumping iron at least thrice a week. The intent was there, regular action wasn't. The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon was very satisfying experience though. I finished 20.097 kilometers in a net time of 2 hours and 42 minutes. At least, my Grandfather was really proud. And it got me a medal too!

I am grateful for being quite fit for the most part, I realize that the time for being more proactive on the health front should be at least 5 years before you turn 30. That means now!
2011 will see me focusing a lot more on my physical well-being by regular work-outs, Pranayam, and (mostly) healthy food. The health people at the Marathon did a few check-ups and told me that I was in top-shape. I plan to run again in 2011, and improve on my time this year.

My Rating: 3/5

2010-12-18T23:27:00.000-08:00

A Mid-Winter Night Musing: Part 1

At about 2 am last night, I shut down my laptop after going through a few photos and stuff from my Exchange Program in Paris and the rest of Europe from last year. Some thoughts came to me, and I started putting them down on my cell phone.

I started out writing for myself, and ended up forwarding the following text as a long sms to my family and some of my closest friends:-

"Was just going through some of my Exchange Photos, videos and stuff.

And then, a few scenes of note from childhood onwards started flashing by.

Having seen a fair share of ups and downs, academic and life
experiences, met so many people, traveled to so many different places,
eaten so much food, heard and read people and thinkers of note, been
through and enjoyed some glorious music, dance, theater,sport and
cinema, been influenced by so many personalities,having influenced a
few people to change their life outlook, and made and lost so many
friends...

A strange sort of melancholy hits me this wintry night. What remains
of all of that? What was the purpose of all of that? Why do people do
things the way they do? Why do people love and why do people hate? And
in so many different ways?
What remains of our thoughts, words, emotions, and tears: of joy and despair?

What is my purpose? Why do I live? I have evolved and helped people
through their evolution, but Have I grown up yet?

Is love the ultimate truth? Or knowledge? Or just money? Peace?"

---
After reading that mid winter night's text, I have had some interesting reactions and consequences.

1. A good friend called up at about 2:40 am, probably to enquire if I had already succeeded in completing my suicide or was still on my way.

2. Dad sent an early morning long text. Love what he writes for two reasons:-

1) He writes rather well with solid and powerful logic.
2) He is my Dad.

I have earlier written several letters to him and have been rewarded with profound wisdom and love in his replies. Some of the content from these letters found it's way in the Recruitment Applications at my alma mater: MDI, Gurgaon.

3. Another good friend pinged at about 2:45 (I was offline), probably for similar reasons as the friend in #1. Also, he owed me some money.

4. My Room mate woke up because of the 7 new messages tringing up his inbox (The message was the same as the one above, I had sent it to him). He cussed at me, and went back to sleep. Serves me right.

5. There was another email and text from close friends waiting for me when I woke up.
If I were you, I would not read this post beyond the full stop of this sentence, it's just way too long, okay next sentence. Therefore, that email and my response to it will form the next post.

6. I have finally started writing again. Some of this will go to my blog. I know nobody reads it. Not even I do. But they should.

2010-06-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

On 'Superhumans', and Humanity

Posting a comment that I put up on a friends' blog post sometime back. He has started his own venture post his MBA from MDI. It's called 'Discover Life', and is engaged in motivational workshops for young adults (to put it rather crudely).

The original post can be found here:-
http://getdiscoverlife.blogspot.com/2010/05/race-for-superhumans.html#comments

And now, for the post:-

Budhia Singh, Tathagat Awatar Tulsi, and now Sahal Kaushik. I hope and fervently pray that he is not forced to meet a similar fate.

At the risk of sounding a little cynical, I am just not happy to learn about this 'achievement'. Yes, it is good to note of the boy's prodigious intellect, but I am alarmed and apprehensive of what might be made of it by minds who may be inferior and definitely not discerning enough to nurture and groom it the way it should be.

Reading the news of Sahal Kasuhik, a 14 year old boy topping the Delhi zone of the Joint entrance Examination (JEE) conducted by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), I was instantly reminded of Lewis Terman's study that was cited in Malcolm Gladwell' 'Outliers: The Story of Success'. He gives cogent and profound arguments that substantiate how out intellect (and academic credentials) is a necessary but now sufficient condition to make us successful in our lives.

An analogy from the book that comes to mind is that of Basketball players and the correlation of their heights with their achievement at the sport. One needs to be reasonably tall, say at least 6 feet. And then, for every extra inch thereafter, you have a little edge over others a little less endowed. But after a threshold height of say 6' 7", it just stops mattering! Now, what is more important is the player's dribbling, passing, mental fortitude and application.

Similar is the case with our IQs, and our social skills. We should avoid reading too much into test scores, other than a threshold measure. Exceptional performance in tests seldom translates to exceptional performance in life.

To cut a long story short, let us all, as parents to be, try and inculcate a balanced perspective in our children to be, and encourage them to be the best they can: complete with respect for their and their peers' individuality. Let us try and give them a childhood that they can look back at with a smile...!

2010-05-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

On the Convocation

A Short Write-Up that I had written on Convocation eve...

In an ocean of prodigiously phenomenal talent, MDI has given us the means to find our own places under the sun. 21 Months ago, we entered these hallowed portals with hope and dreams in our eyes, and today we graduate with euphoria and pride in our hearts. We have all fought hard through our lives for this day, this Commencement Ceremony. We have had different stories, and we have different aspirations. But if there is one thing that binds us all, it is our Alma Mater, The Management Development Institute, Gurugram, and the evolutionary journey that we have traced here.

I am overwhelmed with emotion as I look at what we have achieved and what we are capable of accomplishing in the glorious future that awaits us all. However, twenty years down the line, as I look back, I shall all have a wistful smile on my lips that shall gently reminisce "Them were the days. Them were the Halcyon Days."

2009-04-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Akhil Bharatiya Samuhik Mahila Jansangram (All India United/Mass Females Struggle): April 16, 2009

Alrite, this is a sad attempt at drawing attention.
But, for a very noble cause.

A Birthday poem for one of my Best friends, Saurabh Sharma. (I think I just heard
the female population collectively sigh, and coo:
"Aw! That's so Sweeeet!!" You bet it is! :) )

Ladies and Gentlemen, we give you the very Best that MDI has to offer:-

Our very Own,
Sylvester Stallone (Wow, that rhymes! Should I go ahead, and compose the
entire poem? Naaah! Accha, chalo dekhta hoon)

Doston ka dost,
Dushmanon ka Ghost (Again! Am on a roll!)     

He is a rare gem, I tell yous,
Reading is against his 'Core Values'

Doesn't need a reason to be (cash or) kind,
Is only slightly of an unsound mind!

Marquity, Illumnia, ho ya Guitar
Baalak humaara hai bada Zimmedar

Sacchai, Imaandari, Kartavyanishtha, evam amazing levels of Gyaan
Ladka Heera hai, Sampoorna Sarva Guna Sampann

Dil ka hai Khandani Rayees
Bees aur ek hote hain Ekees! (Sorry!)

Section D, MDI tatha Tata Motors ki Aan Baan Shaan
Humara 'Ex-CR' aur Tata Nano ka model Bada Mahan
Iski suhani Sharmili Muskaan
Jai Juwaan, Jai Kisaan! (Sorry. Again.)

Meharban, Kadradan, Saheban, Shrimaan
Thookdan, Peekdan, Saawadhan
Bahut saari gaaliyan yeh dega mujhe
Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao Andey

Bahut hua Atyachaar, Durachaar, Vyabhichaar, Anachar
Janam diwas ki badhaiyan lijiye through Patrachar


Ho Shankh Naad,
Striyon mein Unmaad
Kavita ke naam per
kiya maine Jaghanya Aparadh

After the random poem, full of venom
Pesh hai the man, the legend, the phenom:-

(In Bold, Italic, Underline, and Neon Glittering Hoarding style Highlight)
The name is Sharma. Saurabh Sharma.
Less than God. Better than Bond.

Basically, Multiple Happy Returns to my dearest buddy.
Wishes: the Choicest, Selected, and Finest, so that Providence may deem
fit to shower thy noble being with the very Best of Good Fortune upon thy
Noble Being!
:)

Aapka apna
Shakespeare ki aulaad
Baju of non-faulaad
Pratyush

2009-04-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

On Instinct, Rationality and Rationalizing

This short post (by my standards!) reflects on the fine art of instinct, applauds Malcolm Gladwell, and generally goes on without much purpose in its short existence.
By now, I've learned to accept that my general thought process can be alarmingly disturbing.

Actually, this is just a liftoff of something that was supposed to be a comment before it broke all laws to resemble something quite against the disposition of its brethren.

Here goes. My two pence, in the form of two points:-

1. Instinct: 'Blink' may help you in understanding what exactly is the much touted 'instinct' all about. As Malcolm Gladwell explains in his famous work, there is a 'structure for spontaneity'. Instinct isn't random. Careful practice/observation and learning over a lot of time helps your mind develop complex structures so that your heart takes a spontaneous decision in a split second, based on, as people say, 'pure instinct'.

Example: How do many people (and probably you, as well) learn to identify correct or otherwise usage of the Queen's language instantly without ever putting much conscious thought and analysis into the process?

How does a basketball expert know exactly at what angle and with what force to throw the ball at the hoop to score a 3-pointer?

Ans: Instinct! The 'heart' at play. But, the structure for the instinct was developed through numerous years of rigorous training & discipline.
Hence, it is usually, a simultaneous interplay of both the powerful forces of heart & mind that gets stuff working, the way it is supposed to work.

2. Rationality: Somebody said that the rational thought differentiated medieval and modern times.
One may outrageously extrapolate this line of thought to state that our evolution from the days our ancestors jumped about on trees, and found utter peace and seemingly unintelligent contentment in a banana tree, to today's age of utter insanity, owes credit to the rational man (Yeah, even women, for the sake of womanity/humanity!, I don't want to be lynched by pretty women, when there are so many better possible options with them out there!)

However, also note, that wisdom over the ages clearly establish that women (& the Godfosaken men for God's sake!) over the ages haven't exactly been rational creatures. Instead, they have been rationalizing creatures! We tend to develop rationals for anything and everything that suits our point of view. Eventually, as I heard someone say today, "Even subjectivity can be defined subjectively."

Ad infinitum!

2009-04-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

This one comes from the folder 'My Writeups and Ppts' on my laptop. Should have been here a long time ago. Then again, a lot of things should have been at a lot of places. But are they really there?
I suggest we go look for them sometime. They must just be inside us, curled up, in front of the warmth of our heart's radiance pondering on just how hideously slothful can our beings get, simmering with anger and wanting to self destruct: once and for all.

Oh, and of course, sloth and wrath are amongst the seven cardinal sins.
Whatever, before this turns into being much more hopeless than I originally intended it, to be, and before you are left wondering that either I am totally nuts, or at a different plane of existence altogether, a heightened or a damned level of conscience, and before you start blaming yourself for the world's miseries in general, and your own in particular (You chose to visit this, and read thus far, didn't you. So there.), I would come back to the originally intended subject of the post.

Here we go, alea alea alea (Yeah, cool song Martin, has stayed with me since I was 16).

Alright, I wrote this as part of the application for the Corporate Communications Cell at MDI. The people there were thoroughly impressed/floored/confused, and took me in. I refuse to go away since then, and they have been repenting their moment of insanity ever since.

Oh, and btw, am particularly proud of the level of thought that has gone into this writeup. Of course, people would tend to dismiss it as mere hokum. But, then, as Orwell so famously said: "Sanity is never statistical." And, as I like to say (plagiarised again, of course), "Truth is never a function of the number of people adhering to it."
Its 1:15 am. Perhaps, just for this once, I am insane.

That's about it. Here is the writeup (Really! And, you thought, it would never come? God is kind. Of course, only if he/she actually exists. But, I would tackle that topic with Douglas Adam's assistance sometime later. Perhaps tomorrow. Let us see.And hope. For hope is a good thing. And no good thing ever dies. Or so Shawshank people, and in particular Tim Robbins, believed.)

And, now, I present THE POST!!

The Infinite Monkey Theorem

They say “Monkeying around is serious business!”

They also say that “The surest way of making a monkey of a man is to quote him.”

Well, looks like they were all an idle bunch of infinite monkeys having an infinite amount of spare time along with infinite energy, and they collectively in their infinite wisdom decided that if they infinitely speak random stuff, there will finally emerge a George W. Bush like a monkey from the ashes where a phoenix was supposed to come out!

Yes, I know I’ve made a monkey out of myself, but as I say: “It’s not about the man in the monkey, but the monkey in the man that counts!” (Sorry, dear monkey descendent (anthropos) researchers (ologists)!)

Speaking about my infinite ‘monkeying around’ talents, I’ll say what Prince Charles once said: “I learnt the way a monkey learns-by watching its parents.” All right, now that I’ve finally evolved into a prince from an erstwhile monkey, I hereby declare that I’m eligible and available for an infinite number of kisses from a scarce number of the most beautiful women.

If after reading this masterpiece (comparable to the greatness of The Bard’s ‘Hamlet’), you feel like a monkey ready to tear your hair apart, hold on, I’ve another quote for you from a certain Mr. Donald Rumsfeld: “Keep your sense of humour. As General Joe Stillwell said, "The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of his behind."”

Further speaking of what is my personal ‘behind’, I’ve proved to be a rather smart (and conceited) monkey thus proving the infinite monkey theorem right. Out of 5 million possible candidates, my talents earned me a 99+ percentile in the Mensa Test (a global I.Q. test). Some random pen strokes out of close to infinite possibilities earn me this honour!

Signing off now: as Douglas Adams said when he was referring to the dolphins: “So long, and thanks for all the fish!” (What? No monkeys here? Sorry, the quota for them has already exceeded infinity!)

---- EOW (End of Writeup!)

Shall be back later, perhaps tomorrow with an extremely random (yep even by my randomer than the randomest random standards) poem that I composed for a close friend on his Happy Birthday to Him...

2009-02-24T13:24:00.000-08:00

On the Oscars, Celebrations, and Attitudes

I penned down some thoughts on the Oscars, the celebrations, and the subsequent criticism of Indian attitudes.

This comes in the wake of hearing a number of intelligent people comment on our attitude.

May be very random and unstructured. So, basically, standard disclaimers apply.

Since the time Slumdog got nominated for several International Awards (including the Oscars!), I've had the opportunity to listen to and to read a number of thought provoking discourses on why our attitude is all wrong, on why we are still behaving like a 3rd World Country with 1st page splash news coverage, and even on why do we need to be so 'desperate', 'insecure', and 'servile'.

Let me try & make an audacious attempt at explaining our behavior!

Throughout the various stages of our evolution, be it during our 'Sone ki chidiya' days, our during our colonised years, our during the present stage of a possible revival; India has always been a country marked by loud expression of emotion.

We've always celebrated with gusto at the thousand or so festivals every year and at at the cricket matches. We have cried our hearts out over films, and even while reading stories as kids. Hero(ine!) adulation is an integral part of the Great Indian culture.

We've always liked it large!

The teeming millions of the country find a symbol of hope in the achievements of any public figure. His or her exploits are identified with by every teenager who aspires, and by every elder who still desires.

Cinema and cricket have always been ways to connect the multiply divergent diaspora together by common sacrosanct threads. Vicarious pleasure would be the appropriate term.

And, of course, the world shall always listen to, and history shall always be dictated, credibility shall always be awarded to the Powers that be Therefore, this instance appears no different. It is not really as much about a 'slavish' mentality as about a very natural state of existence for humanity at large.

The Oscars are byfar the most celebrated film awards anywhere. And, this one marked several firsts for our Great country. Of course, recognition (or the lack of it) of Indian sensibilities at western award functions would bring us to a different level of debate altogether.

Now, I come to my favorite point.

Given the times we live in, with fear, mistrust, cynicism, and negativity, all around, any opportunity to feel a little happy, rejoice, and enjoy should be very welcome. Therefore, instead of questioning the ways of our revelling, and instead of trying to 'ape' western sensibilities by being a little more subtle in our methods, let us just be ourselves!

Let us revel in our own singularity. There is, really, no country like India!

The world may laugh calling it ostentatious, but can they inspire the same amount of wild joy in anything that they do, as we can in a Holi day out?

Celebrate, India, Celebrate!

P.S. : Congratulations, Rahman, Russel, Gulzar et al!!

2008-12-23T01:53:00.000-08:00

Saxena ki Abhineet Salgirah!

This one goes out exclusively for my MDI rumie, Mr. Abhineet Saxena! Many Many Happy Returns!

ZZZZZZ.... (Sleeping is his Birthright, & He is Having It!) .....ZZZZZZ

Rit, time to wake up, Abhineet. Please, at least this one time... Coz this one is for you: 'Exclusively'.

Kavita Prarambh:-

"
Mera meet, Hum sab ka Pyaara Abhineet
Uski Pyaari Harpreet, Manpreet, Gurmeet
(Bina PJ ke kaise chalega?)

Mera hum roomie, Mera hum dum, Tujh jaise hain kam
There are many & sundry, And then there are those special some

PG '08 ke Baansuri vaadak
Humaare Kisan Kanhaiya
Mriduta se Muskaate
Rijhate hain Raas Rasaiya!

MDITunes, Monetrix, Du Pont
Maara sabko 'Headshot', kar diya 'Sab Khatam'
1 Strike per 44 'Counter Strike'!
IIFT ho, ya ho Fore, ya ho Apna Hostel 4,
Apne Naagraj gaye, Fod aaye 'Bum'!

Lekin, Kintu, Apitu Parantu mohe Bandhu
Hinsa mein nahi, Prem mein hai inka Vishwaas!

Kavi hain Humaare Shri Saxenaji
Bhashaon ke Vishishth Vidooshak
Chhand Chhand per Kudduum
Kala mein dooba hai har Shwaas!

Aseem Gyaan, Apaar Khshamta, Prakhar Buddhi
The brain does complex data processing,
Even while Sleeping!
Aur haan, Bina koi 'Truti'

Itne saare Gun, Ab aur kya karein Aapki Stuti?
Gunoon Ki Khaan, Khoob Kiya tera Gungaan!
Ab Chup chap Wallet nikaal,
Aur de daal Pizza Daan!

-----
'Comprehensive Celebration' Details:-

When he comes back to campus (Latest by 23:59:59 on the 4th of January, 2009!)
Junta janardan is invited to make it real special with some heavy duty 'bumshots'! :P

2008-12-22T22:58:00.000-08:00

Na Jaane Kyun...

Yet another post. But, just the lyrics of a song that I absolutely love!
From the movie 'Choti si Baat'.
This one is Awesome.
Totally!

Fabulous emotions, so delicately and exquisitely done within the framework of rhyme.

Here goes:-

Na jaane kyun
hota hai yeh zindagi ke saath
achanak yeh mann, kisi ke jaane ke baad,
kare phir uski yaad
Choti Choti si Baat
Na jaane kyun...

Jo anjaan pal, dhal gaye kal
Aaj woh, rang badal badal, mann ko machal machal rahe hai chhal
Na jaane kyun woh anjaan pal
Saje bina mere, naino mein tute re hai re sapno ke mahal;
Na jaane kyun
Hota hai yeh zindagi ke saath
Achanak yeh mann, kisi ke jaane ke baad,
kare phir uski yaad
Choti Choti si Baat
Na jaane kyun...

Wohi hai dagar, wohi hai safar
Hai nahi, saath mere magar, ab mera humsafar, idhar udhar dhoonde nazar
Wohi hai dagar
Kahan gayi shame madhbhari woh mere mere woh din gaye kidhar;
Na jaane kyun
Hota hai yeh zindagi ke saath
Achanak yeh mann, kisi ke jaane ke baad,
kare phir uski yaad
Choti Choti si Baat
Na jaane kyun...
--------

Ah! Bliss!!

2008-08-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Posting after more than a year.
So much has happened. Shall elaborate later. Yeah, that 'later' ususally never comes. The keyword is 'usually'. Hang on to hope, and keep checking this space!

Meanwhile, I shall be appearing on TV today August 15, 2008 at 2 pm & 8 pm. Channel: NDTV Profit.
Update: Did go & attended 'The Unstoppable Indians: Finale'. My essay entry was among the top 5 in the country. And, as a result, I got the honor of asking a question to the elite panelists comprising:-

1. Prof. Amartya Sen (Nobel Prize winning Economist)
2. Mr. Amitav Ghosh (Noted Indian author)
3. Mr. Piyush Pandey (Ad guru, & CEO Oglivy & Mathers)
4. Dr. R.A. Mashelkar (Famous Indian nuclear scientist, and 'a dangerous optimist'!)
5. Mr. Charles Correa (Famous Indian architect)

The audience also had a number of dignitaries including Mr. Mani Shankar Ayer, minister, Youth & Sports (Probably!), Mr. Maxwell Periera, celebrated former top cop etcetera. Spent an hour with Mr. Periera discussing several issues. Amazing Person, amazing ideas! An inspiration!

Here is the draft of what got me there:-
A long essay, bear with me!

If I were to look over the whole world to find out the country most

Richly endowed with all the wealth, power and beauty that nature can

bestow - In some parts a very paradise on earth- I should point to India.

Fredrick Max Mueller

The Questions Facing India Today

Has India realized the true potential of her democracy? Has she, in the sixty one years of her independence been able to live up to the glorious ideals enshrined in the Constitution by her founding fathers? Is India unstoppable in her pursuit of ever loftier goalposts?

Can the nation today look back at her past with pride and look ahead at the future with glorious great expectations?

Or, has India and her people been fragmented by invisible divisors of caste, creed, religion, language etcetera? Have the people been irreversibly driven towards national ignominy by the multi-million dollar scams that keep surfacing every other day? Should the nation hang her head in shame when fingers are being pointed towards her elected representatives who claim to be debating the nation’s destiny in the hallowed halls of the parliament? Has the slow and heady poison of divisiveness concocted by some ’leaders’ who claim to be fighting a battle of righteousness and faith finally got imbibed in the mindsets of the nation’s milieu?

Does India still believe that she has unstoppable Indians as its leaders?

An extract from John F. Burns’: “India’s 50 years of Progress and Pain” in the New York Times on August 14, 1997

[Should Indians celebrate that their country- a great tapestry of castes, languages, regions and faiths- survives despite forecasts that it would splinter once Britain’s controlling hand was removed? Or do they despair because inherent strains have spawned secessionist movements and other forms of violence have made India one of the most lethal places on earth?

Should Indians take pride in their parliamentary democracy, vigorously upheld in a world where countries with far fewer problems have remained stifled by autocracy? Or should they lament the failures in their system, the demagogues who have risen to power on the votes of illiterate masses only to betray them, the politicians at every level who have built lives of sybaritic comfort for themselves while 350 million Indians remain mired in poverty?]

These and other questions point to another central question: What future does the youth envision for India in the next 60 years?

India’s economy today:: Paradoxes Galore

Before I begin to attempt to answer those heavily loaded questions, let us have a cursory look at the state of India’s economy after 61 years of independence.

At a G.D.P. of around $1.099 trillion, we stand at 12^th place in the world. More importantly, the G.D.P. at P.P.P. is $2.989 trillion which is the 4^th largest in the world.

At the same time, gross inequity in the distribution of wealth stares us in the face. The highest 10% of the population consumes 31.1%, while the lowest 10% just consume 3.6% of the total wealth. Our G.D.P. per capita stands at a measly $2700 p.a. which is a shameful 167^th in the world. Real G.D.P. growth rate is a phenomenal 9.6%, but the current inflation rate is close to 12%!

We are still classified into the category of ‘mostly unfree’ economies, and worse, our H.D.I. rank keeps falling every year (currently 128^th).

(Data Source: CIA World Factbook)

There are hosts of other statistics which point to problems plaguing this great nation. Some of them are 25% the population being below the poverty line and around 7.1% unemployment rate. Corruption is another fundamental concern.

The way ahead:: Suggestions and Solutions

Indeed one’s faith in one’s plans and methods are truly tested

When the horizon before one is the blackest.

Mahatma Gandhi

Despite such baffling facts, despite the knowledge that the rays of ‘India Shining’ have not managed to make their way to a sizeable chunk of the population, the soul refuses to give in to despair and despondence. Just as the spirit of the country and her soldiers drove out insurgents from her land in Kargil, just as the spirit of Bangalore and Ahmedabad refuses to wilt against terror attacks and just as the country continues to surge to greater heights in spite of an attack on the heart of her democracy, the Parliament, so will the people and the system fight it out and win over the devils of poverty, illiteracy, corruption and unemployment.

There is always light at the end of the night.

The spirit shall prevail, and the world shall bear witness.

In order to attain such lofty goals, in order to win back our erstwhile might, in order to make India truly unstoppable, we will have to toil, we will have to persevere. In order to our dreams taking concrete shape, we will have to begin now with a strategic planning. We have to have an exodus from the mediocre achievement mentality.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

Begin it now.

Goethe

A few suggestions to embolden India into a new era of development are enlisted herewith.

With the scale and complexity of problems facing the nation today, we need visionaries to seek bold solutions. The need of the hour is ‘Transformational Leadership’. The need of the hour is a strong vision, exuberant passion, an unyielding sense of commitment, and a robust set of values. The need of the hour is ‘UNSTOPPABLE INDIANS’. And, care has to be taken that those words do not just become fragrant hyperbole, there has to be a courage of conviction to go the extra mile.

These Unstoppable Indians have to come from all walks of life, be it politics, academia, media, or even entertainment and fine arts.

Politics: The focus has to shift from political politics to developmental politics. In the times of the independence movement, political politics was essential. Today, what is needed for India? With its 260 million people living below the poverty line and the illiteracy rate being of the order of 35%, more than 36 million of its employment seekers, the mission has to be to make India a developed nation that is free from poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. This situation necessitates developmental politics. In this scenario, political parties will be competing against each other by putting forth their political vision through their manifesto. One party puts forth their goals like eradicating poverty and unemployment from the country within a period of 10 years, other says that it will ensure all border disputes with neighboring countries shall be resolved in 3 years and India will become a permanent member of the security council in 2 years, while someone else indicates different parameters of development by ensuring that all pending cases in courts are done away with within 2 years, there are no law and order problems and world looks up to India for intellectual guidance. When the mandate is given to a particular party, they strive towards achievement of these goals with all their might with support of everyone else, thus blessing the country and the people with a better place to live in.

Judiciary: There has to be a total overhaul of the judicial system in India. Today, the judiciary is looked up to with respect by the common man as the guardians of our constitution and as the protector of their rights. But the system is so painstakingly slow, that one has to often wait an entire lifetime for ‘justice’.

Justice delayed is Justice denied.

The I.T. revolution can be made use of in a highly constructive manner here. The public should be allowed to register their cases in person or post or via the electronic media. Each party in the case should be allotted a unique registration number. In addition to this, instead of the current structure where the entire responsibility of registration of the complaint and investigation has to be done by a single station, there has to be a deputation of responsibility at every level. It should be made mandatory that the investigation of the case by the agencies and the scrutinization of the reports by higher authorities and judgment are all completed within a reasonable stipulated maximum time frame of say, 2 weeks. This will be difficult to begin with, but if the will is there, the roadblocks are sure to vanish.

Transparency & Accountability: India has been placed at the 59^th position in the world in the global competitiveness report prepared by the World Economic Council. Such a situation is definitely not acceptable to the country and especially to the youth. We should aim at taking India to the 4^th or the 5^th number by 2015, if not before.

How will this be made possible? There has to be a conscientious effort toward this goal by aiming for transparency and accountability at every level.

Transparency is the cornerstone of development.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Corruption has to be eliminated at the grassroots level. The termite that is eating away at the very foundations of our economy and our people’s trust has to be brutally exterminated. Education can solve the issue to a large extent, an education that has engrained in it the traditional Indian spiritual values. Strictness will have to undertaken until vigilance becomes a way of life for the bureaucracy, the judiciary and the general public.

The media has a vital role to play in this effort. With the recent exposures like the Cash for Questions scam amongst others, the press has shown due responsibility. But they have to ensure that such efforts are not lost in mere T.R.P. gimmicks, they need to ensure that everyone is kept on their toes through the newsman’s constant vigil.

Government Awards & Recognition: The government should take initiative by instituting of awards for P.S.Us., the public sector and the private sector for demonstrating exemplary performance.

Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) should be signed between the state and private and public enterprise and wherein targets are set for high levels of accountable and transparent achievement.

Such steps shall instill new vigor and fervor into the people and the economy propelling the nation to much higher avenues of development and achievement.

Indian culture:: A Sublime Amalgam

he History of India can be traced in fragments as far back as 700,000 years ago. The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years.

The nation has been witness to numerous emperors, barbaric plunderers and saints and seers possessing supreme knowledge. She has been imprisoned and she has been liberated many a times over. She has bore the impressions of leaders as diverse as Alexander the Great to Emperor Asoka to Swami Vivekananda to Mahatma Gandhi. The RigVeda, The Bhagwaat Gita, The Quoran, the Guru Granth Sahib and the Bible have all been enshrined in uncountable Indian hearts over the ages. She has cradled in her arms faiths like Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, and even the Din-e-Elahi. She has danced to the tunes of Tansen and Khusro and has listened entranced to the poetry of Tagore and Ghalib. Her strategies have been devised by Birbal and Chanakya . She fed Charka who gave the world the Ayurveda. She has nourished great minds as Aryabhatta and Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam. She gave the world women of substance like Indira Gandhi and Kalpana Chawla. She gave the world the message of peace and harmony through angels like Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi.

Through all this, time has left its innumerable footprints on the soul of the country. The people of a nation which has been entrusted a legacy as supreme as this deserve to be at the top. Looking back at such a breathtaking past, one feels assured that the nation and her children who have already awoken from their slumber will in the very near future roar with their erstwhile might. The Garden of Adam and Eve will descend here. The ‘Golden Bird’ will again rise from the ashes like the Phoenix and fly into newer horizons with blinding glorious dazzle. Amen!

Where the mind is held without fear and the head is

Held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into

Fragments ………

My Father, let my country awake.

Rabindranath Tagore

2007-07-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

First up, credit where its due.. Came across an article by Mr. J. Krishnamurti, and was very impressed. A writeup which brought me back from the oblivions of dormancy to hopefully active blogging, has to be very good! So, without further ado, here I go...

On Non-Conformity

'Out of the Box' has been going around so much that its been reduced to the antonym of, for what it stands. From being a revolutionary phrase that could change/save the world, it is now a poor cliche! Most of us seek security and a safe harbor in life, and most of these most tend to view life with light rose tinted glasses. We seek comfort, and in seeking comfort, we generally find a quiet corner where there is minimum of conflict, and then we are afraid to step out of that seclusion. We become 'indifferent to different'. We are afraid to explore beyond our comfort zone..

This fear of life, this fear of struggle and of new experiences, kills in us the spirit of adventure; our whole upbringing and education have imbibed in us the tendency to be afraid of being different from our neighbour, afraid to think contrary to the established pattern of society. We become afraid of authority, afraid of breaking tradition. This fear is internalized to such an extent that we become falsely respectful of authority, norms, rules and tradition.

Conventional education makes independent thinking extremely difficult. We have to follow the laws put forth by our ancestry, whether they are relevant today or not. We have to confirm to set standards. Conformity leads to mediocrity. To be different from the group or to resist environment is not easy and is often risky as long as we worship success. Our society defines 'success'. We pursue it. The urge to be successful, which is the pursuit of reward whether in the material or in the so-called spiritual sphere, the search for inward or outward security, the desire for comfort-- this whole process smothers discontent, puts an end to spontaneous thought and action and breeds fear; and fear blocks the intelligent understanding of life. With increasing age, dullness of mind and heart sets in.

As kids, we all want to change the world, make an indelible mark or two upon its functioning. As children, we don't understand its machinations, but we are very eager to grow up, explore, learn and change! But, as grown-ups, when we become 'mature thinking individuals', this thought appears entirely foolish, absurd and laughable! What is the reason for this glaring gap? You got it, 'Conformity'. Every stumbling step into uncharted waters is lovingly 'corrected', so that we don't veer off-course. What could have been trailblazing leaps of innovation, is reduced to treading on the beaten path. Ah, but for conformity, the world would have been so very delightfully different!

Fortunately, there are a few who are in earnest, who are willing to examine our human problems without the prejudice of the right, or of the lest, or of the center. But, in the vast majority of us, there is no real spirit of revolt. When we yield uncomprehendingly to environment, any spirit of revolt that we have dies down, any spark of innovation that we may have fueled is vanquished. Our responsibilities soon put an end to our budding dare.

Revolts are of two kinds: There is violent revolt, which is mere reaction without understanding, against the existing order, i.e. shouting and crying because of bitter grapes, or worse, just because of the heck of it, say in a mob scenario, where everyone seems to lose capacity for intelligent thought.

And then, there is the deep psychological revolt of intelligence. This is the revolt of the learned and discerning individual; who dares to be different, different for good, and different for better. He/she steps out of the rat race, charts his own course, and makes a difference. For instance, the one who coined 'out of the box' . For instance, a Ms. Kiran Bedi, who swears & lives by 'I dare'. There are examples galore about such people who've broken the shackles of their comfort zone, who have lived free and lived true. These are people who deserve to be called 'individuals'. They have individualism internalized into their system. They define their own standards, keep raising the bar and refuse to confirm to set standards. They dare to think , reflect and change. They are pioneers and they should ideally be allowed to define this world's standards. Maybe, I'm advocating intelligent oligarchy. In any case, these are people that the world looks up to, some with wist and some with passion. They are people that children want to be like when they grow up, and who ease these children's path by carving out 'acceptance for non-confirmity'...

2006-11-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

This attempt at poetry counts as a special one for me..
Picked up my pen at 2am and the rest of the work was done by it in 20 mins flat.
Helped me to vent out a certain inexplicable emotion from inside me. So, without more background, go ahead, read it, and like it or not, ur feedback will be appreciated!

With You, Forever

Before I was even born, I was with you
In your gentle eyes, with your tender touch
You gave me life then
And with your warm embrace
You give me life now, anew.

Walking in the clouds with you then
Beholding snow capped peaks over yonder
Or losing myself in your ocean deep eyes now
I beseech all to go down
Before your creator in the most solemn bow.

HE tells me, its a tale not just of now
Nay, not just this day, year or life
In pleasnt words or bitter strife
You've always been with me
And I, always with you.

Though you may be upset
And in a fury never so strong
But Providence deems that
It can't withhold against my all-enduring affection
Nay, not very long.

I'll bear grief, hurt, pain and sorrow
To witness that smile,
To be with you, Always.
In the past, the present and on the 'morrow
In hazy days or bright sunshine
In cold winter or warm spring
In fantasy or reality
In melody or poetry...

2006-11-07T08:49:00.002-08:00

Why Am I Blogging?

The answer is that basically there is no complete answer. I have been contemplating starting a blog for ages now, and never till today got myself to begin. Eventually, with a push(diplomatic word for pressure) from some friends(Ankit et al)I just decided that the best way to get rid of the dilemma is to start and to see what all crap I can put forth in the 1st post. So here I am, having not even an iota of an idea what I'm going to write below this. I hope, 'Beginner's Luck' of 'The Alchemist' fame works for me too!

As for the reasons for my having a web-log, I guess numero uno is I thought that my belief that I may 'write' as a hobby, shall be put to test n scrutiny. Then, my random thoughts over various issues and non issues will finally find a proper channel of expression. May be, it'll bring some organization to my dishevelled way of living. Let me explain the last claim. I usually have a truckload of ideas n viewpoints stored up and cooking in my brain which is not exactly the best place for long term storage. Now, the basis of all humanoid living is thoughts coz thoughts are put into words and words are the effectors of actions. So, if I find a way to organize these thoughts in written words through my web log, I may be able to reflect this organization in my general life.

Plus, I believe penning down stuff always helps you to bring some clarity into your thought process. I love catching hapless people unawares and lecturing them on godknows what not topics. Plus, my pseudo-counselling abilities are also reasonably notorious. So, now my lectures may be available in the written format for ready reference!

Another reason is that poetry basically looks best when its read. And I love composing some poems occasionally. So, they'll be henceforth accessible and open to criticism to all viewers. I write mostly on romance, nature nad God. But, I'm not a regular writer, they just come to me and at the wierdest of times.

Another favourite is relationships and my take on them. This is where I intend to make a lot of personal stuff public(of course in approppriate ways). So, it may act as a vent for all my views on my realtionships and relationships in general, the joys that they give you, the way they make you realize that life is indeed beautiful. The pleasure of living for someone else as well gives you a tremendous high. My experience with them and the trials and tribulations that I've underwent while having them have all thought me a thing or two about life and living; and I'll love to share them with you!

For people who've begun to wonder that is this just supposed to be an all serious affair, the answer is no! The fun quotient will also be present in appropriate measures. On this note I take your leave for now with the hope that the association(my blog with me and with you) will be fruitful and exciting!! Adeios/ Sayonara and Thankyou/Domonegato!