Sunday, September 3, 2006

i'll grow up...

I was born in a simple middle-class family. We were simple in the way we lived, we talked, we dressed, we dreamt, we laughed, we cried. Life was not always happy. But not many things were there to be sad about. We helped each other, we spoke the truth, we wept at our failures and celebrated our successes. Sometimes those successes pushed us out of the middle-class boundaries. Some of us who had such fortunes, never returned back. Should I call them misfortunes? I don't know...I'm yet to leap the boundary...

We do have contact with people on the other side though. They are not good people. We are good people. I am a good boy. The last few statements seem so childish. I know that. That's the magic of being a child. A child knows he's often silly in its thougths, yet doesn't hinder whatever enters and leaves its mind. I am no more a child. But I've not grown to an adult either. I think I should grow up. The people on the other side of the boundary are too wicked for a child to handle. Soon, I will.

Saturday, September 2, 2006

Glued to the Monitor

These days I am glued to the computer for most of my waking hours. To give an exact number, on an average, for about 15 hours everyday, I look at nowhere else but the computer monitor. It is awful to think about, but it is true.

Though I am a Software Engineer and working on the computer earns me my bread and butter, but that is not the whole and sole reason why my eyes don't like watching anything else. These days I have foung a new hobby in reading stuff on the internet. I read lots of things nowadays. All kinds of things, ranging from news to blogs, gossip to science, etc etc. Sometimes I don't even care what I am reading, I just read whatever I happen to come accross. I click on any random link and believe me this habit has taken me to some of the most interesting places on the web.

The Internet has an incredible wealth of information, and I guess I realized this prettly late. For many years, chatting and email were almost the only things I was interested in the internet for. I knew there was a lot more on the web, lot of information for instance, but it hardly mattered to me. May be that phase had its own significance in that I now realize the importance of my time and resources more than I ever did.

The new generation of the internet is the most remarkable development in the cyber age. Earlier the web was like a huge textbook which anyone could read. There were authorized people who indiscriminately published those textbooks and made them available to anyone who was online. But now, we have more powerful tools available. Now any user can not only read on the web, he can also contribute his views and knowledge, he can edit websites (wikipedia), he can write his own articles and have them visible to virtually anyone online...that's what I am doing...it's wonderful...

My head is spinning...Need to sleep now...

Friday, September 1, 2006

i don't invest...

I don't invest my money anywhere. Many people find this weird. There are few people like me, who let their money stay still in a savings bank account. I also don't produce fake bills and travel tickets to make my allowances non-taxable. I also don't ask my landlord to write an incredibly high amount on the house-rent receipts to save tax on my House Rent Allowance. I also don't move my money into a fixed deposit so that I get higher interest on my money.

I keep hearing that for highest returns, invest in Equity, ie Share Markets. I tried thousands of times, but I don't understand that business a whole lot. It's way too complex for me. So I am scared of investing in shares. I don't like the concept of life insurance coz it constantly reminds me of my death. I don't want to care about it. And I don't want to block my money in any way. So I hate fixed deposits. And I don't worry a lot about little gain here and little loss there. So I am happy with the small rate of interest that a savings bank accout pays. Coz finally, I am getting an interest, so what if it is 3.5% and not 5%. Don't want to get into the intricacies of banking beyond that. I'm happy with what I've got. Love to keep things simple in life...

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Vande Maataram!!!

The way the issue of singing the National Song has become a controversy is highly ludicrous. In fact it is sad how all such trifles take political colours in India. Sometimes I wonder do these politicians who claim to be our leaders and role models really feel they speak sense when they make a roar about such matters...

Look at the issue of the Natioanl Song for instance. The government declares that everyone has to sing this song on the 7th of September. Why? As a mark of respect to this song, since it has grown 100 years old as a National Song. Wonderful! I could not believe my eyes when I first read this in a newspaper.

Though it is foolish to give arguments to prove that this kind of an action by our government is foolish, I will do that since for some reason, this government has begun to take us common men for granted.

All of us - Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians etc etc, love our country a lot. We are no less patriotic than an American or an Englishman. We sing out National Anthem, at least we stand up when someone is singing it or it is played by a band. Nobody asks us to do so. We do it on our own free will. Definitely we love our Nation and our Nationality. Now let's take the case of Vande Mataram. We all respect that song. For decades, since the song came into existence, even Muslims have respected that song. So what if some of them don't want to sing it. The reason is pretty simple - that a few stanzas contain references to Hindu Goddesses and since Islam does not permit worshipping a God but rather believes in the divinity of nothingness, it is not agreeable according to Islam to sing the song. Most Muslims may not even bother and will go ahead and sing, just like I don't mind going and worshipping in a mosque or a church. We all respect each other's religions. It is just a bunch of politicians again who have no other way of having fun than to have the people fighting with each other over religion.

Secondly, I don't think it is justified in any way to make people do something, even if it is to respect a song, against their will and religious principles when you know that they are all honest citizens who love their country and are ready to die for it. Afterall don't we call ourselves a secular State? It is just like forcing a Muslim to burst crackers just because it is Diwali. He may want to do it himself, but if he doesn't, what right do you have, or does anyone have to deny him the freedom of refusal?

If you think that the national song deserves respect by all citizens, you are not wrong. But firsly in a multi-religious nation like India, why should you declare such a song National which is biased towards one Religion. Of course one may argue that the song had a great significance in arousing patriotic feelings during our freedom movement. But that is no reason to declare it as a National Song. Being a secular Nation, we should never have those things for such National Symbols which reflect the religious sentiments of one religious community and totally ignores the other ones. And if some Muslims consider it a betrayel to Islam to embrace the Hindu religious ideas and sing the song and mean each word of it at the same time, I don't think there is anything wrong in their argument. I respect all religions. But if I am in the US and the government compels me to read the Bible on the Christmas Day, I don't think I would want to read it for their sake. I would love to read it on my own out of my own free will whenever I want to. The point I want to make is, you cannot force someone to embrace your religious ideas or pretend to do that. It should be a personal choice and nothing else. It is totally stupid on the part of our Leaders to express their will on the citizens of this country. They can do what they like. They can declare that they will sing that song in the parliament. But it is terribly annoying when they ask everyone to sing that song on a particular day at a fixed time. Is this democracy?

I think we've had enough. These poiticians must understand that we citizens are not their slaves. In the true spirit of democracy, they shoud represent our views. But sadly that hardly happens in India. These politicians decide whatever serves their political interests and slap them on the Nation. Look at the way the Reservations for OBS's issue was handled. A large majority of the polulation in this country including those in the SC's, ST's and the OBC's understand very well how ridiculous this system of reservation has become and how much flawed it is in the current scenario. We all know who needs these privileges and who finally gets them. And I am sure the politicians know these facts much better than any of us common men. But it is sad to see them turn a blind eye to reality and burden us with their non-sense policies.

We are a free country. We are a Democracy. Let's make it meaningful. In the current shape, we are not at all ruling ourselves. The Democracy in India is fake.

Vande Maataram
JAI HIND

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

The New Face of India

It was once thought that India is in its villages. This might have been true for a long time after Independence. But not any more. The times have changed and so have the situations. The country is increasingly getting urbanized. Malls and Multiplexes are no more metro-specific phenomena. Now even average size towns can boast of these. People now have access to the best brands in the world and at the most affordable prices ever. The market forces and the competetion that comes with Capitalism is increasingly exposing India and Indians to the best quality of life that mankind has been able to attain. There is still a long way to go before everyone in India has access to the best and our standard of living rises high enough to empower all of us to compete in the world which is continuously flattening. We all have a crucial role to play, for the times have come when we have the opportunity to do what we are best at and the entire world has demand for it.

If music be the food of love, Play On!!!                                   -- A song from the movie Pyare Mohan


Phew, this was my most serious attempt ever at writing some hifi stuff in my blog. I was forced to do this out of frustration caused by remarks by many intelligent ladies that I write all crap. Still I don't think I could write any thing really solid. Anyway, I will keep trying.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

No Raining

I wanting to dance in rain with gal-friend, but no raining. I hate this. Why this happening? Rainy season, july, no rain. Last year Pune flooding this time. Bombay already flooded this time last year. But now, no rain. Few days before it rained well. Bombay almost flooded. But now no rain. What is this. I hate this. My gal-friend shouting on me. What is this?

I carry umberella everyday. To office, to bazaar, to railway tracks when I going to shit there in the morning. Gal-friend force me to do that. Very concerned she is. Absolute cow. Very innocent. Trusting me lot.

Last year heavy flooding. Railway tracks under water. Water till knees. I shitting western style near tracks. Difficult to balance that position. Like sitting on chair, without any chair. With umberella in one hand. And water till knees. Bad Bad.

Time too bad. Black cat walking in front of me. All time. This side to this side. Back to previous this side from this side. Bad cat. Badding my day completely. I hate black cat. White cat also I hate. Don't know. White cat also may be bad animal. But don't know.

Indian gorvernment = Bitch. Doing reservation. Train reservation so problem. Now college reservation. What to do? Bloody-Fool politician. I hating them. Now reserving private company. India should drown in one glass water. Give free seat to poor, if deserving candidate. Pushing fool, he failing, what is use? Improve school, get youth more eligible. I hating what happening.

My neighbour cubicle gal resigning. What happened I don't know. She join one month back. Now resigning. My face so bad. Gal run away. Black cat going here to here.

My company canteen food so bad. I eat, it stops near throat. I drink water. Bad food. Cow-Dung. Bull-shit. Married people bring lunch from home. Wife-cooked. Tasty food that. But only if wife good cook. 99% wife good cook. My friend Bulli Raju. His wife give him little little food. He eat with sad face. We eat canteen food, he jealous of that also. Poor guy.

Ok wait, I go drink coffee from coffee machine. How it make coffee, I don't know. Good coffee. Free of cost.

Ok I am back.

Watching krishh before 2 week. Superman in Krishh, getting superpower from alien. Alien name Jaadu. I do morning walk at 2.00 am. No alien landing anywhere. I also want superpower. Will protect world. Promise!

No working in office. My client going vacation. It is wonderful. He said don't call me. Thinking I am wanting to call. He so stupid. American.

Chalo, it is lunching time. I going...tata!!!


Monday, July 3, 2006

dekho baarish ho rahi hai!!!

I watched Krishh yesterday. What a movie! Liked it. For the first time an Indian SuperHero-Movie had special effects to match any hollywood movie...and at the same time, the original tradition of the Bollywood movies was managed intact. Great songs, picturesque locales...sexy heroine...the movie had everything...Full paisa vasool!

And after the movie we had a nice dinner. I drank four large pegs of Smirnov Vodka and then I did something I had never done before. I smoked. Macchar and Jeetu had ordered a packet of cigarettes. And I was totally taken aback when I found myself taking a cigarette out of the packet and asking macchar to light it for me. And then within moments, I was really smoking. I didn't cough he first time. And I was surprised at this coz I have seen in a lot of movies...when a hero smokes the first time, he coughs like hell...but then I realized that I wasn't taking in the smoke into my lungs. Just keeping it in the mouth and releasing...so I tried taking it in...and then I got choked for a second...the khaansi...I finished the first sutta of my life, without taking in the smoke again into my lungs...who cares...it felt great having the tusurr-phusna in the hand...and releasing tiny clouds of smoke into the air...

I shouldn't forget...the hot chik doc at Dr. Batra's clinic has asked me not to smoke. Will never smoke again...I swear =))

Rainy season is at its best right now in Pune. It has been raining continuously for the past 2 days. And what a weekend it has been! Raining outside, thandi hawaayein, and me under my blanket...with my head resting on one pillow...and my hand resting on another ;-)

sweet dreams!!!

Short-Termism - Focus on Today at the cost of Tomorrow

"Strategies don't come out of a formally planned process. Most strategies tend to emerge, as people solve little problems and learn...