Death

“Zindagi toh bewafa hai…ekdin thukrai gi…. Maut mehboba hai aapne….saath lekar jayeege” pretty much sums up what the end of the road is for us doesn’t it?
Death is something most of us either don’t think about or perhaps fate has forced us to think about..So what exactly is Death??? Let us define death of a person as a state when the person as we know them ceases to exist.

Death has far greater influence on life than most of us realize. Imagine if we were to live forever… What would be dear to us?? What would a species which is eternal have to lose?? But hey…we are going to die..so how does death influence us?? It makes us desire a lot of things quite a few because of the fact that we may not have them forever. It is because we will die one day that everything in life has a meaning and place.... ha ha as Achilles said the gods must envy us!!

The Death of people has influenced our history far more than their births. The death of lal bahadur shastri supposedly changed the course of Indian politics. An untimely death in the family can suddenly make a dream turn into a nightmare…

So if death is the end of the journey of life…it should make us believe that life is futile…because whatever we have today will not be ours tomorrow…and yet we try with vigour to gain whatever we can and more and more…Perhaps that is why it is true that the greatest man is not one who has nothing to lose but who wants nothing fr gain??

Sometimes though death is probably welcome…the death of tyrants has been long wished for, a person suffering from acute pain and no hopes of misery might wish for death rather than such an existence…Still Euthanasia seems immoral to most people. A logic that only God can give life and take life seems flawed for there is always the “Free Will”.

What next??

Religion has influenced various ways in which we approach death. The eastern religions believe that we are in a continuous cycle of life and death and that the purpose of this cycle is to attain moksha. The Abrahamic Religions tell that there will be a day of judgement and people then will go either to heaven or hell. My speck of a life has not given me much hope to believe either claim.
I believe these were teachings given to govern the conduct of man and to create a civilization and that moksha would be when generation after generation of man will take a small step and ultimately find purpose for an existence, which because of death may otherwise seem futile. Behold Judgement day comes everyday when our conduct will determine how the future generations of man will live.
Mankind will never have an understanding of life unless we understand and change our approach towards death. Why do we consider suicide to be a crime/sin?? If anything it could perhaps be considered cowardice…If a person wishes to end their life..so be it..it is their choice..who are we to pass judgements???
If a person has control over the way he lives his life then why not over they way he chooses to die??

Farewell Raju...We Will Miss U!!

Every once in a while, a person comes along who defies the odds, who defies logic and fulfills an incredible dream. Krishnakant Jonnalgadda has done nothing like this… He has not defied any logic…he achieves whatever he does by sheer handwork and his passion to win… He hasn’t beaten any odds he creates them for others… Yet this guy has touched more lives than he realizes… This post is dedicated “To Krishnakant- The Boy Who Never Quits!!”

Lets start with his looks.


A six feet tall masculine body with a smile that most girls would envy and add to it the fact that he carries himself effortlessly with Tashan and damn! He makes heads turn wherever he goes and if it wasn’t for his self imposed rule of no girls he would have had innumerable affairs by now. The last time I checked he has had a mere thirteen proposals



Though he does not accept the fact he is indeed a very helpful person. He likes to think that he helps people only when it isn’t much of a matter for him or that when the time comes he will make the greedy choice but trust me mate…you ain’t a !@#!@$!


He aims not just to win but to beat the best and set new highs which are impossible to achieve. In many respects he is both Clark Kent and Superman. He has numerous talents and yet I’ve never heard him boast about them or for that matter disregard other people who are nowhere close to him. Yet he is someone who can summon his talent at will and deliver on a deadline!

There is a lot of innocence in him. I’ve never seen him get angry with any person apart from himself and he has never thought ill of anyone and has been willing to bury the hatchet even with his fiercest enemies. He has taught me a simple fact that life is to short too have regrets and that while you may know your friends you never know who you will need in the end.




If all this makes you think that he is a Mr. Serious guy who is very subtle and doesn’t have any humour…plzzz! You have to only get him in the mood and he will unleash the most pathetic set of PJ’z that have occurred in the history of mankind. His favorite by far is what is six point nine?? Be sure to ask him about it!!



Throughout my college life I have wondered what does he love more Food or Keerthi Kumar? I have seen his love for the former during our various outings. He can go toe to toe with you while eating and never believe him when he says that he’s not in the mood to eat for I say from experience that you will end up both hungry and bankrupt!! His relationship with Keerthi though controversial at times has been widely accepted to be platonic love. Keerthi Kumar was being a snoob and hence was unable for comment!


A guy who loves doing things with style and making an impact, you can count on him to make the simplest of things grand by his gestures and speech. He’s the Mario Puzo of any group and people copy his style of doing things no matter what (fr ex this post!)

He is extremely passionate about movies, though he can never really appreciate the true beauty of Telgu cinema he does have a fine taste when it comes to classics. Be it The Dark Knight or Road to Perdition or Shawshank Redemption or our very own Swades you can always count on him to appreciate and understand these movies from angles you haven’t perceived. This also leads us to our fundamental debate of SRK vs. Salman Khan. With him idiolosing the former (that SRK is a racist is of no concern for this guy!)

He loves and appreciates both dance and people who dance! All you need to do is get some good hindi music and Tada he will give you the all time favorite Indian dance! If Anil Kapoor brought it on the Silver Screen I am sure KK will bring it to the corporate parties..I guess the pic says it all about his skills…

It’s not just Dance he loves and appreciates music as well. I’ve always relied on him to pass me a few chosen tracks from his wide collection. His knowledge about music isn’t restricted to the Yo songs; he knows pretty much everything there is to know about Indian bollywood music. Sam who has bonded with KK over their mutual love and appreciation for Ghazals says

“Kitaabe, geet, film, tajurba, Sabhi Kuch Kaam Aayega..
Ye isi se Seekha hai, prayas rang layega..
Ye woh dariya hai jo apna hunar jaante hai,
Jis taraf Bhi Chal padenge, raasta ho jayega!”

The tapirs and CCDs of Nagpur have done massive business all thanks to this guy, who has always been ready for either of them! Aditya our sponsor and extremely talented project partner says “Krishnakant its not hard to describe this person but its not easy either. Krish the one with most subtle character the one who stands for every one and walks with every one. kkj is the one who allways be remembered by who even met him once.”

Ankit inarguably the savior of our group, for he always finished his journals and assignments on time and explained all the BS of BE to us says “Opportunity Ka Sahi use aur Ghante ka Purna IStemal Koi Inse Sikhe! I know you will always be there when I need you and may you achieve everything you desire.”


I met Krishna in our first year and he has been super boring and studious ever since! We did speak in our first year a fact which he doesn’t remember but it actually was our love for talking sense that made us really great friends.
I won’t comment on our friendship as that would take the limelight away from him :D. Kakarott has taught me more than a thing or two about life in general. He has been there to support me as a friend, guide me as a teacher, stand by me like a brother and compete with me as Iceman did with maverick and as Federer does with Nadal. Hopefully in the future another pair of rivals will come and say we compete as Karan did with Krishnakant!!

As you leave town my friend, I want you to know that you’ve touched lives and made this world a better place. You are destined for greatness and I’m sure wherever you go your destiny awaits. Today All I want to say is “Farewell Kakarott, May The Force Be With You My FRIEND.”

He has arrived!!

26th January brings along with it a whole lot of important people on television channels giving their views on India/Hindustan/Bharat etc etc and among the predictions of rising India and destitute Bharat the all time favorite is that India still doesn’t have Indians!! And of course this debate has been fuelled by our very own movements for statehood but the question somehow stuck with me where are the Indians and what happened to the great Indian Dream??

The question is answered when you go to any respectable college in the country. The foremost argument given is that we have marathis/gujratis etc etc. Most of us are not lucky enough like rahul Gandhi to have a mother from Italy a grandfather from Kashmir among others to claim that we represent the true India.

While visiting a college recently I met a Tamil lady born and brought up in Delhi who introduced herself as a tamilan though being a Punjabi I see Punjabi traits in her and share this with a guy from Chandigarh who says that you are not much of a Punjabi yourself karan!
I ponder the question and agree that a guy who has lived in Nagpur for his entire life cannot be a Punjabi to the t but I’m not a Marathi to the t as well and I add to it the fact that quite a few of my friends have been Marwari and hence I have their traits too….err so which tribe was I then?!

A few more people join the conversation and one of the guys is from the north east. I ask him casually if they feel left out of India staying in the farthest corner of the country. In response he asks me if I felt left out staying for my entire life in Nagpur point taken boss we all live in some place and imagine it to be the centre of India!!

As I converse with this group of people from diverse backgrounds (though where each is really from is difficult to tell) I find it strange that all of us can converse easily and have a lot in common but yet all of us are different in some way.
I probe deeper into this question and realize that we are all part of a generation which is no longer confined by barriers. We question our culture and most of us don’t even understand it yet we all respect it. Most of us do not understand the rites and rituals performed at some ones death/birth or probably during a marriage ceremony yet we know how it is different from the others!

I ask a friend where is he from and he gives me the name of some village in Karnataka I ask him if that’s his native place to which he says no it’s the metro he is residing in. Then why didn’t you say that’s your native place I ask him. He simply shrugs his shoulders and that is the answer!!

Look around people everywhere you go… there is a generation walking which is Indian we may not realize it today but we have achieved what we started out to do when we gained independence. Ladies and gentlemen through regionalism/communalism/naxalism/bureaucracy and through the walls of history itself The Indian has arrived!!

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??