Grown up…ur life’s simple!

“Grown ups have it way to easy…I just wish I could fast forward to the grown up stage” says my young nephew and I wonder if this really is true!?

The following is a rambling written at the spur of the moment:

Today I am a grown up that time is long gone when after a bad incident a simple hug from my mother would convince me of the fact that whatever happened today was just an accident and tomorrow will be better and I will rule the world no matter what. Today a simple failure seems like a mountain too hard to move.
Yesterday a simple candy given by a friend on his birthday seemed enough today, a friend just wishing me on my birthday was the height of cool. Now each time we plan for the weekend party knowing that when our turn comes I would have to do the same. It is evaluated who didn’t turn up why did they give the cold shoulder?
I had friends yesterday who pledged to remain friends with me forever and there were friends for whom I would fight the world, If any one gave the cold shoulder to lallu they were my sworn enemy. There was no greater thing than to pledge eternal loyalty to my friend. A big fight with my best friend yesterday was resolved in a matter of hours for each of us was willing to say sorry…today we have a big ego a mild disagreement leads to a grudge which is a barrier that neither wishes to resolve…”Well I’m done saying sorry to him”, “Why should I always take the first move”.
Yesterday my parents could get me admission into any school that I wanted. Today it is different no matter how much I plead it is just not my efforts but also of those around me that determine where I will land up whether the college will take me or not
The uncles’ daughter who was my first female friend was in my hearts and dreams supposed to be the princess who would rule my kingdom, now I see some of my friends with girl friends and wonder who is it for me and the definition changes each month, I see how compatible the individual is rather than how close the bond could be.
I today have to face a barrage of questions about my career and life in general from interested (for the want of a better word) relatives and associates who even after knowing the entire story insist on knowing it first hand…
Yet I am a grown up…I am in more control of my life…I have more money to spend (that today I think twice before spending is a different issue!)I have friends who can rely on… I know what I want…I know how to get it(that I don’t get it is a diff matter)my life is easy!?

Revisiting the road….Lessons from roaming the streets!

The other day irritated at the present love of my life (alas it is not a human!!) being so out of my reach, I decided to hit the road again…Watching the grey matter swirl past I looked up to see the familiar path of unending greyness…
Zooming through I saw it…My way in life was not different…I always know where a particular course of action will take me…What will I attain when I do it. The same way when I set forth on the road I know where the road will take me too.

If I fail in life I calmly say that the road ahead is too bumpy and that may be I am not meant for it or rather now that I’ve matured I’ve decided to change my destination. As I moved from telankhadi to the graveyard(just driving by!!) I realised the road was the same everywhere…may be a bump here or there was different but essentially it was the same…No matter how I drove the road would still be tough if I fell down and changed course it would still be the same…It would not show me any mercy just because I had driven successfully this far or because I had just suffered a fall few days ago…It all came down to how I drove on the road…And then I realised the similarity…when I fail in life and change course or whatever it’s the same and the only reason ‘ve not figured the solutions is because I have been just trying to solve a maths equation using the principals of English!

Zooming through I saw a group of my ex-friends celebrating….It struck me odd that some time ago I was there and now I wasn’t…suddenly a hotshot skidded in front of me and I just managed to hang on..the road had spoken again…in life you need everything in balance…u loose sight of something once..be hard to get your hands on it again…
Zooming through walkers zone I saw a sweet couple laughing and enjoying their evening probably having bunked their tuitions! As I zoomed through cursing my morals and decisions that had led me to zooming all alone in this pleasant weather…I saw an old couple sitting and enjoying a hearty laugh… and even further ahead saw a father taking his daughter to the park…seeing this I thought may be happiness is ageless and is related more to the people than relationships or vice-versa?

Zooming along I saw a couple of kids racing there bikes and for a second I was transported back to my childhood when I used to race…how much life had changed? To be honest it hadn’t I was still racing only now I couldn’t face losses…back then after a loss I would just be eager to hit the track again…the joy of racing was lost!

Checking my watch I figured that it was time for me to head back home…pondering over these things I headed back home and as I parked my bike I figured no matter what the race was for and who won at the end of it everyone heads back home for we can stay without the wins and losses but what if there was no home or love!?

(Forgive the grammar my word-07 is giving problems!!)

NRIz shining stars or unsolved problems!?

A recent conversation with a friend popped this issue up for discussion….He was going to America and was really excited…and he was recounting a story we all have been fed through and through…He was going to study there and after a few years of working he’ll be back here…
Whoa what BS…I mean do these people really consider us to be idiots just because we didn’t get a score of 1500/1600 in GRE by telling whether or not ¾ is greater than 4/5?
How many people those have gone there for years and years have returned to India?? Forget this how many of them are even Indians?? A lot of the second generation west-Indians consider themselves to be citizens of their adopted country and rightly so. But why do they call themselves Indians?? Just as watching a few American films and listening to a few english songs doesn’t make us American similarly how can these people who are so far away from their culture and who celebrate Indianess on a few days of the year be Indians?
They studied here, they were raised here, they had fun here and yet when the time of giving back came they swiftly flew away under the xcuse that they wanted better prospects and would return with knowledge to improve our nation?
We all now how many satellites did we launch with the help of the NASA returned scientists or how brilliantly we managed to create newer and better IT products with the help of the MITians!
And the biggest culprits of them all are the IIT and IiM graduates…it is like they see no other way other than that of the west.. For most IIT grads America is the only destination. I don’t know what was going on in Pandit Nehrus mind when he dreamed of setting these institutes but if anything these institutes have proven to be a drain on the society. We invest and pay so much just so that America can utilise our graduates…that just gave a whole new meaning to brain farming!!
If these people would have stayed and worked in India then they would help in the social development as well. For each educated person influences a family as a whole and each family in turn influences other families and all these families would pass on their influence to the lower working class the maid/the driver/the sweeper among others. No instead we have an Indian family in America which prides itself in Indian values..ho ho!!
If the situation in our country would have been as hopeless as in some Balkan countries I would have still understood. These people will sit there and say god man India has so many problems…they don’t have work ethos and are so inefficient yet not one of them will return here and try and change that!!
Every one is so happy that Kalpana Chawla flew in space yet no one wonders why couldn’t we do anything about it? Why wasn’t the take off in an Indian ship from Indian soil.
The few like Mr.tharoor who do return to India are always ready to give comments on how and what democracy is all about but when their party does ridiculously idiotic stuff like asking officers to escort ministers to their cars they will keep their mouth shut and do nothing about it!
It’s actually fault of people like us who view the NRI’s as crown jewels….if only a few of us realise they are only shining stars who represent our utter failure to provide our countrymen with the resources to build a great nation..the picture today would be so different…
Oh and another favourite topic with the NRI gang is that Indians are not united…wohaa this coming from a bunch of people who never stand united!! So one week we have the andhra community protesting followed by the punjabi community followed by the bengalis….nd the trail continues until the Indian government is asked to step in and protect the interests of the Indians who are nowhere in India!!
This will not change until we those who stay here do something for our nation….for the root cause of the problem probably aren’t the NRI’s but those of us who choose not to play our part in building this great nation…

The problem with the schools!!

The flaw they say is with the judiciary and the police every one is so damn curropt. All you need is a lot of money and then you can have your way. May be it is true….But then who is to be blamed for this state?Lets face it given the choice how many of us would pay a fine when caught by a traffic cop…most of us would try to worm our way out by paying a bribe…
Hey but this is way ahead…What about the schools where we are suppoused to be taught and made into people who have honour and pride… As far as I remember if you were a teacher ’s pet, a school topper, or the badge wearer you could always threaten the small guys…After all the teacher would 8 outta 10 times listen to the prodigal student…
We blame politics for the state of affairs…that politics doesn’t have people who are capable enough or who are in touch with the needs of the people...But do our schools teach us any different??? As far as I know 99pc of the schools select head boys and girls based on the academic criteria (of course in order to be all round they have participated in a few quizz competitions and sports!!) But is this what being a leader is all about…aren’t leaders suppoused to be men who earn respect and love rather than demanding it. To be fair not all these selected people are bad…not all of them are arrogant…but do the math…In the end as we progress from shcools to colleges how many of the good guys enter the section of politics….they are now very focused on making a career knowing that they are the best at it..but what about the kids in school who could have been great leaders…didn’t some one take away their confidence?
Not just this quite a few of the children never work to become captain etc because they are taught to focus only on studies…no wonder we have an electorate which isn’t too interested in politics!!
Be loyal to the coutry and never ever think of betraying it, remember that you should never walk out on your team, never sell yourself…right that’s the version we hear in moral science…Most teachers in the staff room then coax their students to do the exact opposite when they need to know who did the mischief..Sure they do it in order to know the truth but what does the kid learn??
Kids wanna stay back and watch matches and cheer for their local team or their mates in drama….
The parents tell their chidren that they better come home and study after all you are not in the drama…don’t you have to score in exams…and this is how the seeds are sown…most of these are the one’s who then regard talk of buiding a nation as a humbug and are first to take flight and run to the western wordl..
Oh and how many times in school did all of us keep our mouth shut when the wrong person was being scolded by the teacher….and they say people don’t act as witnesses!! The character of a nation is determined by the character of it’s people…which in turn is made when they are children…but the world inside of schools more often than not teaches the children those very things which the later want to change…what shall we do about it??

The true Friend...who are you??

The true friend??
Ok so who is the true friend… I mean is he your friendly neighborhood guy or the pal u drew pranks with in school or the guy you are working with right now...

The advisor...He or she advises you on everything and anything under the sun and you probably won't do nothing if the person wasn't around...some people are addicted to such friends and when such friends get into relationships..my experience says it's a mess!!

The greater good....He's your best pal...he goes ahead and does what he thinks is right for you even if it means going against you...He will expose your little secrets of bunks and mischief’s because he believes he must do what should be done for the greater good of his true friend...I don't get these people...doesn't this imply that you are stepping over the realm of friendship?

The loyalist....He is the true friend for most people...he's loyal to you no matter what..good or bad he will watch your back and expect nothing less...For him there is no morality and the highest virtue is friendship..This more often than not leads him to ignore your vices..Is he the true friend?

The lost love...He or she was once the only one you ever wanted...but they walked up behind you and stabbed you in the heart..yet your heart beats for them..you still put this dignified friend(if I may say so!) above everyone and everything...it's like a drug you could never let go off..

The elder friend...everything about you is known to them and they never overdo any of the emotions..you are very comfortable...but you can never break the wall around them..for all you know...are you really friends??

Or is it Mr. morality…the guy who takes all your support and does what he thinks is right…even if it means making you his enemy..


The associate...it's pretty clear here..you hang out without sharing any secrets..you spend for your own self..you do something for them only if it's not too much of trouble for you..And any deal done should be at least mutually beneficial...It's just like life...you win some..you loose some..

The career guy...you gel up and get driven by your careers..your friendship doesn't exceed the walls of the books...is this a friendly relation or professional friendship or is it friendship at all??

ir may be it is the guy with whom you had a bond long ago..but now distances have come in between the two of you..you don't call each other veryday..but heck..all you need is to dial the no...and you know the person will be there..

We see thousands of people...know hundreds...some of has have a huge hangout group...some a rather small one...but how many of us know who can be the true friend..and e1 if we do..why don't we have them...Perhaps true friends doesn't exist at all...but rather is a state of mind..or they do exist..but only those who can be a true friend can find a true friend...

I for one don't really thing that matters..for me the friends I have are my true friends..but may be someone across the table is thinking..man..how can he be so dumb!!

The only thing which makes most of us make more and more friends is that even true friends are replaceable.....so why bother?? Eat, sleep, dance have a good time..i guess the real friend is the one who shares your happiness the same way he shares your sorrow!!

Indian media heading the wrong way..

Right the Indian Media the so called fourth pillar of democracy seems to be shaking and the ship which has been the lone voice of the common man aka aam adami seems to be changing course.
Of late the media seems to be following the path the western media traced a few decades go which ultimately led to the end of the white mans era of domination. I'm talking about the sensationalism the idea that sanjay dutt can play drums as good as the guitar makes it to the front page!!
Why are we so intent on aping the west and reporting every act of infidelity that is carried out by our bollywood stars(here again we kick the principle of privacy in peoples lives to hell!) haven't we learned that such portrayals eventually lead a society to accept these as things as part and parcel of our lives. As of now i really can't recall five Hollywood starts without a string of affairs or divorces. And these portrayals lead the young college going students to believe that it is very cool to lead such a lifestyle. Anyone arguing otherwise doesn’t want to accept reality.
The Hindi media seems to have lost all sanity. A certain channel feels that it has the religiously responsibility to portray that every fight won by The great Khali is a victory against all odds while conveniently not mentioning the fact that WWE matches are all fixed and that the actions performed in the ring are done with the intention of not hurting the wrestler( a fact which is accepted by the WWE and various other wrestlers.)
And if we go by the reports of another news channel then those of us sleeping in north India should be waking up to have tea with the taliban as every night the danger seems to increase geometrically!!
The pundits of pro western media may say that the society defines the media but they forget that media is the most powerful means of propaganda and it's effects are known to everyone.

The media which is supposed to know what the common man wants or what appeals to him wasn't able to gauge what the voter inside the common man wanted!! Some papers and channels kicked aside the basic principle of media which is to report in an unbiased way. Hence we had a few channels prophesying the return of UPA while some predicted a decisive victory for the NDA and those who wanted to play it safe gave a small lead to either of the two factions.
Here I do not wish to mention the senseless way in which situations of victims of crimes are discussed because apparently the media which is fighting for the victim has no respect for the victim!! Last but not the least these days we have experts for everything on news channels from dog food experts to terror experts all of whom sit comfortably answering questions and giving out new opinion polls to answer.
This does not mean that the media should be censored by the government, the media must realize that it’s primary and only goal is to report news to the people and not entertain them!

A quest for greatness giving way to a life of mediocrity!

A quest for greatness gives way to a life of mediocrity!
I heard these lines while watching one of the cartoon shows in which the protagonist is irate about the fact that he has lost the pride that he once stood for.
These lines set me wondering about how true this really is? Does it really happen that we change our goals and become content with what we are getting rather than striving to get what we like. And sadly the answer my dear readers- was a resounding yes.
Ask any child in primary “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answers would range from Sachin Tendulkar to SRK to APJ Abdul Kalam. A few of the thoughtful ones these days even say Obama! Irrespective of the field they choose the children choose the very best in it. I have not heard a child mention that he wants to be the side actor or the hardworking team member(read boring and dull!!). Some might argue that they have heard a kid say that he wants to be a postman or a family man. The answer simply is that for them these roles are the very best that they could think of.
As we grow up and get near the boards. The answer to the question “What to do you want to be?” are answered by typical answers I want to get good marks, I want to get into a good college the few who are bold enough still say I want to be in an IIT etc etc. The no of people who start giving answers in the latter category is reduced by more than 2/3rd now. When I say people in the latter category I refer to people who actually work to get there.
Getting into graduation fewer still work towards getting into top colleges for post graduation or finding the best possible place of employment. Perhaps this rubs in as a result of the AC criteria where you are a good student when you are AC even though you are aggregate may be a low 60pc. But we console ourselves saying I’m qualified for whatever the university topper is! He may have an edge but I still have an outside chance!
But by now we are so used to compromises that we take whatever life offers to us and move on saying you can’t have everything you want in life or I am happy with the small joys that life has to offer. Lets be honest how many of us wouldn’t trade these joys for being a winner?? How and when does this happen??

The answer simply is over the years we become lax and “A quest for greatness gives way to a life of mediocrity!”

Every one Is expendable!!

As the curtains draw on the 4yr course called B.E there is an air filled with nostalgia, uncertainty, fear and hope around us. Every one is going gung ho about the fact that these are the last few months with friends and now memorable moments will be hard to find. All of us are feeling bad that we are about to loose something which would be hard to find…most people say friends…but what it is they do not know..may be it is the comfort of routine or the importance that we have in some ones life (peers for most of us…the soon 2 be parted with gf for a few!!) or perhaps it is the question of what happens next?
I think all these stem from our fear of not being able to find suitable replacements. I think most of us have forgotten what life teaches us “Every one is expendable .“ We don’t stop when things go bad around us now do they..Remember those days in school where life was limited but was fun like anything. At the moment when you had just won a gully cricket match played with your friends and you felt like you were the king of the world..Those friends who were about the only extension of our lives beyond school and home…they have now been replace by whole new gang of people who hang out at tapri’s, eat together, roam together and if you are lucky enough may even study together..Perhaps a couple of guys came along but what about the rest??
Most of our old friendships are now reduced to sms, sns and the phone call on birthday…This is what happened and will happen again…I do not wish to say that it is right or wrong… Some might say we disagree we are still close with our friends as we were back then..I say then you cannot be as close to your new friends then… There is only one person at the top of mind recall that you call to share your experience with… And you can only talk to one person regularly for an hour to gossip :D. The old friendships exist but they have stood the test of time and now are pillars…The same is about to happen with our new good friends..
To do justice mathematically there are only 24hrs in a day….and we allocate only a certain percentage of time for our friends… Some one’s slot is gonna get reduced when you make a new friend… As they say one mans loss is another mans gain…

As we move ahead I say whatever your experience…Look ahead at the prospect that you’ll get a chance to meet new people and who knows may be better and bigger things in store for you…I for one two months down the line am hopefully gonna celebrate completing my BE in 4yrs…a task which when I started seemed Impossible!


Wishing every one a happy future ahead!!

ME????
I is me….I mean it is me..but then what is me? May be me is the 6ft of flesh and bones that walk this planet..but is it really me?
I guess me or rather I is my likes and dislikes the things which influence my choices..but my choices aren’t always the same…between mango and grapes I prefer grapes but if I were given the choice of picking a fruit to eat on a daily basis I would sooner or later switch my choices.
So again the question is what defines me and what makes me different? These may be answered by the way I walk, talk and behave all of which are again influenced by the situation I am in.
Does this mean that I do not have any distinct identifying trait; I guess my thought process is the distinct identifying trait but under different situations I will have different thoughts. Thus I may conclude that there is no one unique distinct me, I have multiple me(s) and that the combination of all these is the real me.
If however I were to consider the different sets of mes that different people would have with all permutations and combinations then I should have at least one other person who is me.
Then who is me and is this me different from any other me??

The Slumdog Conspiracy!

Alright so Slumdog millionaire has been released and has got the coveted Grammy Award and has been nominated for multiple Oscars. Every one is going gung ho about the film and can't stop praising the fact that the film has portrayed the Indian slums so well and that it deserves all the fame it has got.

Good Morning!!

However lets just stop the chorus and think for a second. Sure the first half of the film is nothing short of spell binding but the second half is nothing short of a Bollywood masala flick minus the song and dance sequences all of which the Hollywood hotshots find amusing!!
Slumdog Millionaire has been critically acclaimed in the West. As of 24 January 2009, Rotten Tomatoes has given the film a 95% rating with a 175 fresh and ten rotten reviews. As far as I remember quite a few of the Bollywood flicks over the years have portrayed the rags to riches story
:D

This if you’ve bothered to think after the film that who wants 2 be a millionaire was never broadcasted live!!
Personally I believe the film has been marketed brilliantly and has successfully managed to exploit the one weakness that we still have admiration from the west.. This is not to say that the film is bad but does it really deserve all the attention it has??

A.R.Rahman the man who has continuously mesmerized the country for over a decade and more himself says he won the award because it was marketed well. And those of us who've heard his music over the years know that this is DEFINITELY not the best that the maestro has given.

Coming back to the script although the film has a good script it is not relevant to today’s times neither does it have a ending which most of us would find believable. Compare it to RDB or TZP both of which from beginning to the end stick with believable stuff!!

I believe that Slumdog millionaire is a bigger conspiracy by the Hollywood studios to open the huge Indian market for themselves and cash in on the recognition from the west that we so desperately carve!!

The question is what's Bollywood gonna do about it???

The road..Your best friend!

The road…the moment one thinks of it all that comes 2 mind is a large black mass extending as far as the eyes can see and beyond.. But is the road really that??

The road I think is the best example of a perfect listener. One may also go ahead and say that the road is truly a man’s best friend. The road doesn’t care what mood you are coming in, it doesn’t care whether you are wearing a brand or not, further it still doesn’t care whether you are driving or walking. It’s always there for the ride, all that it cares is that you have come.

Driving along the road alone gives a person the one thing that they always have a shortage of- time for themselves. You don’t need to hit the road just to get somewhere or because you are a taxpayer! Sometimes you just hit the road because your mind is mixed up or because u want to think an issue over.

There is something soothing about zooming on the road and seeing that great black mass pass through in a whirl, in front of your eyes just like the various thoughts in your mind. The journey with the road also teaches one different things, just as the journey of life but the road is a far better teacher. One learns how to deal with the speed breakers and the various troughs that the road has…even though all of them are different with time one learns to negotiate them…In contrast though life more often than not throws up the same problem in different forms just like the road but we try to find a different solution for it each time even though we already know the optimum solution.

The journey across the road also teaches the importance of relationships. Different spots along the road remind one of different people and the reasons why you would want to be there with them. Seeing a lush green area on the highway one immediately feels the urge of having a picnic with near and dear ones.

The journey of the road also throws up important questions, for ex. when one sees an accident the question pops instantly in ones mind whether they should stop to help or should they just zoom off even though all it may cost is a few minutes of the journey; a small time frame when compared to the entire journey. This is the exact situation in most of our lives where we can help a colleague or an acquaintance, who is like the co-passenger on the road, but we choose not to thinking that we are wasting precious moments of our life.The road also encourages one to pursue interests, singing while on the road or listening to music things which we enjoy but as always are really busy to pursue.

But the best thing about the road is that it allows one to see patterns and connections. When one is spending time alone one can see a lot of connections between the different problems that one faces which is difficult to do when one is occupied with one thing or the other always.

The next time when you are wondering what should I do now?? Go ahead and hit the road…. Believe me you will love it…and please leave you cell phones at home…you are not obama that the world needs you every instant… After all there is only one person who know your true value…So go ahead spend some time with yourself…and travel with a friend and not an advisor…because that’s what the road really is.

Happy Riding!!